Alternative Premier League XI of the season: Who makes our experts' XI?

New York Times

20-05-2025

Mohamed Salah was an absolute certainty. Ryan Gravenberch was always going to make the cut. And who else but Alexander Isak to lead the line?
Our writers have picked their Premier League team of the season as part of The Athletic's end-of-season awards — but who would make it into an alternative best XI of 2024-25?
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Our criteria for this team was simple — we wanted players who do not generate Salah-esque headlines, the ones who might have gone under the radar but whose performances this season have impressed fans who follow the league in forensic detail.
We asked our data and tactics writers Mark Carey, Liam Tharme and Anantaajith Raghuraman to come up with their alternative XI. This is the team they went for…
Chelsea to Real Madrid to… Bournemouth? Arrizabalaga has won two Champions League titles but this has to be one of his best seasons. The goalkeeper is crucial to Andoni Iraola's side's direct style, regularly launching accurate long balls to their forwards. His most common target after Bournemouth's centre-backs is winger Antoine Semenyo, to whom he has completed 42 passes.
Arrizabalaga's shot-stopping has been solid too. Based on the quality of shots on target he has faced this season, he has 'prevented' 3.7 more goals than would be expected of the statistically average goalkeeper.
The real hipster choice would have been to put Livramento as our left-back option, given how much he has impressed on that side since joining Newcastle United — most notably in their Carabao Cup final victory in March.
Such versatility is a key reason the 22-year-old has been a mainstay of Eddie Howe's side this season. Only three Newcastle players have managed more minutes across all competitions in 2024-25. You might not notice him in every game, but Livramento is crucial in allowing others to thrive, with 9.3 ball recoveries per 1,000 opponent touches being more than any of his Newcastle team-mates. His stamina and athleticism make him the archetypal Howe player.
When Thomas Frank first pitched the idea of Lewis-Potter playing left-back, the 24-year-old thought he was being called into the head coach's office for getting into trouble.
Nominally a right-footed left winger signed from Hull City in the Championship three years ago, Lewis-Potter has become Brentford's solution to Rico Henry's long-term injury. Only Mikkel Damsgaard has racked up more minutes than him across all competitions this campaign.
He uses his speed and agility excellently in one-on-one defensive situations (illustrated above), preferring to jockey rather than stepping in. Lewis-Potter has made only 18 fouls in more than 3,000 league minutes this term, averaging one every two games, while his 59.1 per cent success rate of tackling dribbling opponents is the fourth highest at Brentford and above the Premier League full-back average.
Nottingham Forest's capture of Milenkovic from Fiorentina last summer came with tongue-in-cheek remarks that his height (6ft 5in/195cm) would help resolve their set-piece struggles from 2023-24. Cut to the present and the Serbian's dominant box presence has done exactly that.
Forest have conceded just eight goals from set pieces (excluding penalties) this season while scoring 17, a significant improvement from the previous campaign's 23 and seven respectively. Milenkovic has directly contributed to six set-piece goals, scoring five, while his presence has allowed partner Murillo to flourish at both ends too.
After leading Fiorentina to consecutive Conference League finals, Milenkovic has been pivotal as Forest secure a return to European competition after three decades away.
Adapting to a new league was never going to be easy, but Lacroix had all of the physical attributes to settle into his new role upon joining Crystal Palace. With his height (6ft 3in), strength and recovery pace, there are not too many Premier League strikers who can get the better of him.
Playing in the heart of a back three certainly helps, meaning Lacroix is not one to go looking for danger unnecessarily when Palace are out of possession. On the ball, he is comfortable stepping into midfield and linking with the forward line directly when Oliver Glasner's side spring forward. A strong second half of the season, including Palace's historic FA Cup final victory, has shown Lacroix to be key to their defensive solidity.
From Yves Bissouma to Moises Caicedo and now Baleba, Brighton & Hove Albion have replaced, and arguably upgraded, a key central midfielder. He has the capacity to dazzle with a screamer, scoring four goals this campaign and three times from outside the box. The most recent was a top-corner match-winner at home against West Ham United, a game in which Baleba, primarily a central midfielder, once more filled in at centre-back due to injuries.
His all-round game has stood out too, ranking in the top quarter of Premier League midfielders for pass completion, aerial duels won, successful take-ons and interceptions. Still only 21, left-footed, and with a press-resistant intelligence that belies his age, Baleba looks every part a top player in the making.
Bergvall played just 221 minutes of Premier League action in 2024 after joining Tottenham from Djurgarden in the summer. In 2025, only four Spurs players have played more league minutes than him.
Bergvall's value to Spurs' midfield comes from his dynamism and ability to shield the ball and power through challenges at a high speed. He has played alongside multiple partners and in different roles but has been one of his side's most consistent players in a poor season.
The Sweden international is only 19 — his potential is through the roof.
As breakout seasons go, Damsgaard has played more minutes in 2024-25 than the past three campaigns combined. That covers his final season at Sampdoria in 2021-22 before he joined Brentford, and, after an injury-hit first two years in south-west London, the 24-year-old has found consistency and form, creating chances all over the pitch (below).
He is the supply line behind the devastating duo of Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo, roaming to connect play out wide or threading passes in behind. He ranks in the top 10 Premier League players this campaign for progressive passes (229), through balls (24) and key passes (62), and is one of only seven to have hit double-digits for assists (10).
Murphy's outstanding season has been a big reminder that there is a reason coaches mostly played their wingers on the same side as their dominant foot: it makes them particularly threatening crossers.
Murphy has become the creative replacement for Kieran Trippier at right-back, with Miguel Almiron never recapturing the goalscoring form he showed in eight games in 2022-23 and departing for Atlanta United this January.
Murphy's cutbacks for Isak have given the Sweden international plenty of six-yard box tap-ins (seven assists from Murphy to Isak represents the best duo in the league) and he has shown a range of finishing with eight goals too — from tap-ins to a rifled finish from as wide as the edge of the 18-yard box at home against Crystal Palace.
In an Everton side that is not blessed with flair players, Ndiaye is the exception.
Returning to the Premier League after a spell in France, Ndiaye has been the key attacking outlet at Goodison Park. A seven-goal return is decent, but try this statistic for size: Jack Harrison has Everton's second-highest volume of take-ons attempted with 76. Ndiaye boasts 147 (and counting) this season.
An ability to drop a shoulder, wriggle out of trouble, and fire at goal is not to be underestimated in an otherwise structured Everton approach. He is the go-to creative spark for David Moyes' side, and the definition of a hipster pick this season.
The fox in the box is a dying breed in modern football, with centre-forwards required to contribute to build-up play and drift in or out to draw defenders from goal. In that regard, Strand Larsen is a breath of fresh air.
Ninety-six per cent of his attempts on goal have been from inside the box, with his 62 per cent shot accuracy the highest among Premier League forwards. His shot conversion rate of 25 per cent is only beaten by Chris Wood (33 per cent).
Few strikers have settled in as well as he has and a total of 13 non-penalty goals (and two assists) in his debut season — 26 per cent of Wolves' total league tally — deserves acclaim. Wolves may have finally found Raul Jimenez's successor.