The official nominee list was announced for the PFA Player and Young Player awards on Thursday afternoon and due to the divided opinions of football supporters across the country, it would be hard to separate who deserves to get the nod over other players based on personal preference. Adding in the fact that many players not involved in the shortlist deserve to be there, as well as the notion that you should not be shortlisted for both the player and young player awards as many will argue it hurts the competitive nature of the accolade, and you've got a real selection headache to sort out.
Here are just a few players that deserved to be mentioned for their efforts thus far this season in the 2014-15 campaign:
Olivier Giroud, Arsenal
The Frenchman has been on-fire following his recent injury setbacks from earlier on in the season, and would be a deserving name on the list given his goal-scoring exploits for Arséne's men. Despite being out of action for three months with a fractured foot near the start of the campaign, he has recovered well and scored an impressive 19 goals in all competitions thus far, proving how important he is for Arsenal going forward, adding an option in attack with his aerial threat and ability to hold-up play with ease. Funnily enough, Diego Costa, who has been nominated for the award, has the same amount of goals as the 28-year-old, and although he has had a hamstring complaint recently, his goal-scoring form has severely dipped since the start of 2015.
Morgan Schneiderlin and Jose Fonte, Southampton
Schneiderlin and Fonte have been two of Southampton's best performers, week in, week out for Ronald Koeman's side, as they are still in search of qualifying for a UEFA Europa League spot at the end of the current season. Schneiderlin has been heavily transfer-linked with north London duo Arsenal and Tottenham over the past year or so, which is a testament to the impressive displays he is conjuring up in midfield with the Saints. His impressive stats in the 2014-15 campaign include an 89% pass completion, 76 tackles won, 61 interceptions and no defensive errors. Fonte's significance meanwhile has been undervalued, as the Portuguese centre-back has racked up 32 appearances in the league alone; with 50 tackles won, 97 interceptions, and an eyewatering 183 clearances to his name emphasising my point. Perhaps the duo were not nominated as So'ton is not seen as a top club, yet, because that's the only explanation I can think of.
Sergio Agüero, Manchester City
How Agüero wasn't nominated for the award over say, Costa, I will never know. The Argentine has been a shining light in a rather lacklustre City team this campaign, and without his contribution, they'd be struggling to qualify for Europa League, let alone Champions League. 25 goals and seven assists, the top clubs will be knocking on City's door with money to flaunt given his goal-scoring exploits, and that's forgetting to mention he's been injured for a large part of the season. Don't forget to add an honourable mention to David Silva, too. He's got eleven goals and created 78 chances this season, and has been the butter to Aguero's bread, so to speak, in what has turned out to be a disappointing season for Manuel Pellegrini's men.
Nemanja Matic, Chelsea
The Serbian enforcer has been an integral part of the Blues midfield this season with his powerful presence and defensive qualities giving opponents a tough time when they play Chelsea very often. The 26-year-old has been the missing cog in the centre of the park for Mourinho's men, and his quality has been unquestioned when called upon. The fact he's already made over 45 appearances since his return to Stamford Bridge from Benfica, proves just how important he is. Whilst Cesc Fábregas gets recognition, he slips under the radar.
Although the current rule is that you qualify for the Young Player of the Year award at age 23 or under at the start of the season, some of the nominees just seem wrong, perhaps because they have already established themselves in their respective clubs and should not be regarded as "young" as others, or because other shining lights are not getting the recognition they deserve.
Here are just a few players that deserve to have been nominated for the YPOTY award, as opposed to players such as Chelsea's Belgian winger Eden Hazard, who turned 24 in January and has already established himself as one of the league's best attacking players:
Saido Berahino, West Brom
Despite being linked with a move away from the Hawthorns in recent months, the young Englishman has attracted attention from the top clubs in the Premier League, including the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham. For a young player, it's easy to get carried away with all of the media hype and attention, but under new manager Tony Pulis, you can expect Saido to improve as a player and prove his worth over the coming months and years. He's got 19 goals in all competitions this season, hence why he'd be up for a nomination in the young player of the year award, at just age 21.
James Ward-Prowse, Southampton
With 30 chances created and six assists in the league this term, 20-year-old midfielder James Ward-Prowse deserves to be ranked as one of the Premier League's brightest emerging talents, where he is currently flourishing in an attacking role for the Saints as well as the Young Lions, as managed by Gareth Southgate. His eye-catching displays have caught senior team manager Roy Hodgson on red alert, and it has been rumoured that he is set for an England first-team call-up in the next few months. It's no surprise either, given his quality and sheer potential to establish himself as a midfield regular in a top club in the not-too-distant future.
Ayoze Perez, Newcastle
Newcastle lie only a few points above the relegation places, and they have a few players to thank. Daryl Janmaat has been a virtually perfect replacement for Debuchy, who joined Arsenal last summer. In the middle of the park, Moussa Sissoko has taken to the captain's armband well, continuing to impress with consistent performances, dominating middle battles and looking dangerous going forward. Up-top, is Spanish striker Ayoze Perez. Not because of his goal-scoring tally, as he has netted five times thus far in the 2014-15 campaign, but because of his attacking work-rate and his positive attitude to the side. His attacking flair, quick feet and close-control dribbling make him a nightmare for opposing defenders and although he has not scored as many as he would have liked to, he is one of the Toon's finest young talents and would deserve a place amongst the league's best youngsters at 21.
Nabil Bentaleb, Tottenham
Although he doesn't have the goals or assists to show for it, Nabil Bentaleb has had a good season with Spurs in the 2014-15 campaign. He has not yet reached the dizzying heights of Harry Kane, for example, but he is a young midfielder that has shown a lot of promise over the past twelve months, and is deservedly one of the first names on the team line-up for Mauricio Pochettino every week. His range of passing, ability to dribble past players with ease, quality of interceptions and defending are all superb attributes to add to his repertoire.
Hector Bellerín, Arsenal
It's been fascinating to watch Bellerín's rise to stardom from the youth ranks up to the rigours of regular first-team football, after a few months of significant development and a bit of luck in his favour. An injury to Mathieu Debuchy meant the 20-year-old Spaniard was virtually thrown into the deep end with the Gunners earlier on in the season, but the way in which he has handled the pressure is impressive to say the least. His blistering pace adds an attacking end to Arsenal's backline, meaning the former Barcelona youth can gallop forward with ease and create dangerous opportunities or support counter attacks, and recently he has scored two goals for the first-team, against Aston Villa and Liverpool in the space of two months. The no-nonsense approach to defending he adapts is encouraging to watch also as he uses his acceleration to his advantage, hassling opposition attackers to chase back and win possession. Without a doubt, he has proven himself as one of the best emerging full-backs in world football, let alone the Premier League.
As well as that, I personally think there should be a goalkeeping award section, for the best 'keeper in the league. Not always given to the man with the most accumulated clean sheets, but based on individual contribution to the team as well as their importance and consistency. If it was an award, the nominees in my opinion would be:
David de Gea, Manchester United
The Spanish goalkeeper has been heavily linked with a move abroad to La Liga giants Real Madrid over the past year or two, and his consistent performances for the Red Devils this term are certainly attracting interest from Los Blancos. The 24-year-old has matured significantly since his £20million pound move in 2011 from Atlético Madrid, and has easily been one of United's best players this season. If it was not for him, they would be struggling to keep pace with their rivals in the top six, let alone top four at the moment. It would seem odd for a goalkeeper to win the award, seeing as he does not play outfield and technically you cannot compare the two. But, if he was to win an award, it'd be justified.
Thibaut Courtois, Chelsea
Many people have suggested the young Belgian does not deserve to be mentioned for an accolade, but I disagree. He's been reliable for the Blues when called upon, and although his solid defence means he is only called into action a few times each match, his saves and overall contribution to the team is greatly under appreciated by the media. A performance that epitomises this, is their narrow 1-0 victory over west London rivals QPR last weekend. The 22-year-old made save after save, and despite Rangers piling on the pressure, kept a cool head to ensure he recorded another clean sheet for his impressive resumé. World-class goalkeeper already, and in my opinion, better than de Gea.
Fraser Forster, Southampton
Up until his unfortunate injury recently, which is set to rule him out of action for the rest of the season, England 'keeper Forster has done himself proud this season with a collection of impressive performances. So'ton have had their big man to thank on a number of different occasions, especially in their tense 1-1 draw against league leaders Chelsea where the 6 foot 6 inch towering figure was able to make a double save within seconds to deny the Blues from securing all three points. He was on course to win the Golden Glove before picking up a nasty injury during a recent Premier League game, with many fans hoping he'll get back sooner rather than later.
Tim Howard, Everton
Off the back of an inspired showing at the World Cup in Brazil last summer, critics were suggesting that Howard had lost his goalkeeping edge in the early months of the season. The experienced American made a few individual errors, got injured but since returning to the fray, has been as solid as a rock. Although he hasn't had the best of seasons, the will to prove his doubters wrong as well as contributing to the Everton backline has been admirable to say the least. That's why he deserves recognition.
Adrían, West Ham
Adrían has been undoubtedly one of West Ham's best players this season, with a combination of consistent performances and impressive displays for Sam Allardyce's men in pressurising situations especially against the big sides. If there was nominations for a goalkeeper award, he'd certainly be on it.