Premier League team of the 2023/24 season so far - March 2024 update

  • 29 gameweeks have been completed so far this Premier League season
  • One final international break before final stretch of campaign
  • Declan Rice, Mohamed Salah and Phil Foden among players to have impressed this year

Rice, Salah and Foden make the cut
Rice, Salah and Foden make the cut / Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images, Visionhaus/Getty Images, James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
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Welcome to the March internationals, the Christmas eve of the world schedule - this is the last break before this summer's Euro 2024 and Copa America.

We're about three quarters of the way through the Premier League campaign and award season will soon be in full swing.

Here at 90min, we're getting in the spirit of it early. These are our picks for the team of the season so far.


GK: Guglielmo Vicario

Guglielmo Vicario
Vicario's proven a great signing / Alex Davidson/GettyImages
  • Club: Tottenham Hotspur
  • Honourable mentions: Alisson, Alphonse Areola

When Tottenham walked away from negotiations to sign David Raya and instead turned to the relatively unknown Guglielmo Vicario, question marks were raised about their decision-making and recruitment.

But the Italian has exceeded every expectation set of him by miles and is clearly one of the Premier League's best goalkeepers. He's certainly been the best over the course of this season.


RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold

FBL-ENG-PR-LIVERPOOL-NEWCASTLE
A redefined role for Alexander-Arnold / PETER POWELL/GettyImages
  • Club: Liverpool
  • Honourable mentions: Ben White, Pedro Porro

There are very, very, very few full-backs in history who would have been capable of playing the way that Trent Alexander-Arnold does.

He's been outstanding once again for Liverpool this season, whether going down the touchline and delivering crosses or coming infield and creating overloads.


CB: William Saliba

William Saliba
Firmly one of the world's best defenders / Sebastian Frej/MB Media/GettyImages
  • Club: Arsenal
  • Honourable mentions: John Stones, Ibrahima Konate

How many players can say they just walked into the Premier League and became one of the best defenders by a considerable distance by the age of 22?

What William Saliba is achieving with Arsenal is incredible, marshalling one of the world's meanest backlines with the maturity of a seasoned veteran.


CB: Virgil van Dijk

Virgil van Dijk
Back to his best / Michael Regan/GettyImages
  • Club: Liverpool
  • Honourable mentions: Gabriel Magalhaes, Micky van de Ven

It would have been fair to assume after last season that Virgil van Dijk was past his best.

Liverpool's newest captain has silenced a lot of critics this year, reestablishing his place at the top of the league's centre-back food chain.


LB: Destiny Udogie

Destiny Udogie
A fine debut season / Visionhaus/GettyImages
  • Club: Tottenham Hotspur
  • Honourable mentions: Nathan Ake, Antonee Robinson

There may be a lack of quality left-backs right now, but that doesn't diminish what Destiny Udogie has done this year.

Prior to this season, he'd very rarely played as an orthodox full-back, and he has immediately been tasked with carrying out tasks rather unique to Ange Postecoglou's system at Tottenham. The 21-year-old has thrived nonetheless.


CM: Declan Rice

Declan Rice
Totally worth the £105m / James Gill - Danehouse/GettyImages
  • Club: Arsenal
  • Honourable mentions: Douglas Luiz, John McGinn

Did anyone think Declan Rice was going to flop at Arsenal? No. Did anyone think he would immediately elevate himself to the standards of the world's best midfielders? Probably not, except Rice himself maybe.

It's hard to imagine what the Gunners would even look like without their £105m man. It's probably a little scary.


CM: Rodri

Rodri
In a league of his own / Alex Livesey/GettyImages
  • Club: Manchester City
  • Honourable mentions: Conor Gallagher, Pascal Gross

Look, we're not saying he's there yet, we're not saying he may ever get there, but Rodri being thrown into debates with Sergio Busquets shows just how far he's come at Manchester City.

The best defensive midfielder in world football right now bar none.


CM: Phil Foden

Phil Foden
Foden just about gets in / Alex Livesey/GettyImages
  • Club: Manchester City
  • Honourable mentions: Martin Odegaard, James Maddison

There was an intense office debate regarding who out of Phil Foden and Martin Odegaard was more deserving of this spot.

The argument for Foden was he's proven more of a match-winner when Man City have needed him. That for Odegaard revolved around his stunning performances in the second half of the season.

Foden's heroics earlier in the campaign just about gave him the edge, and actually starting as a midfielder enough gave us an excuse to put him here.


FW: Mohamed Salah

Mohamed Salah
Salah just keeps on rolling / Ryan Pierse/GettyImages
  • Club: Liverpool
  • Honourable mentions: Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer

15 goals and nine assists in 22 games. Just how Mohamed Salah keeps doing this every single year is a great mystery. Everything is so effortless.


FW: Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland
Haaland's shone again / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages
  • Club: Manchester City
  • Honourable mentions: Dominic Solanke, Darwin Nunez

Just as with Foden, there were real arguments to be made and debates to be had over Erling Haaland's inclusion.

The numbers speak for themselves - 18 goals and five assists in 23 matches. His big-game performances remain questionable, but it felt better to reward Man City with another player in this XI than some of their rivals.


FW: Ollie Watkins

Ollie Watkins
Watkins has exploded this season / Visionhaus/GettyImages
  • Club: Aston Villa
  • Honourable mentions: Son Heung-min, Jarrod Bowen

With a combined 26 goals and assists, no player has been involved in scoring more than Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins in the Premier League this season.

He now has a bigger title in his sight - rivalling Coldplay's Chris Martin as Exeter's finest export.


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