Premier League Team of the Season 2017/18 predictions

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BRIGHTON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 12: Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City in action during the Premier League match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Manchester City at Amex Stadium on August 12, 2017 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /

CM: Kevin de Bruyne /// Manchester City /// 2016/17: 37 apps, 101 chances created, 18 assists

De Bruyne is the point man for Guardiola’s possession-based attack. He’ll created buckets of chances for Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus, Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling and even himself.

With more than 100 chances created last year in City’s first go ’round under Guardiola, he didn’t need much time getting used to the new manager. Expect the Belgian to be even better this season as the entire squad has a year under Guardiola as well as improvements in areas of weaknesses.

It’s tough to leave out Tottenham pair Eriksen and Alli, but De Bruyne is a popular pick for Player of the Season as many pundits believe Guardiola will lead City to the title.

Last season, Alli scored 18 goals and Eriksen had 15 assists. While De Bruyne isn’t as prolific as Alli, he’s likely to score more than the six goals he had last season while creating a similar amount of chances as Eriksen. His last season in the Bundesliga before returning to England, De Bruyne scored 10 goals and had 20 assists. Even against superior opponents in England, those are the numbers he’s likely to approach this year.

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