David Beckham

Not much needs to be said about Beckham that hasn’t already been said. Suffice it to say, there was a time in Europe when, if Beckham was playing in driving range, it was time to put fuel in the car, double check your Aviva insurance, grab a road map and drive to the match. That’s just how much of a draw he was in his prime.

Inarguably the face of British soccer for the better part of a decade, Beckham was known not just for his mighty shots and pinpoint crosses, but also for his celebrity off the field. In fact, one can argue that Beckham achieved a higher celebrity status than any footballer in the modern era, largely thanks to his transfer to the media mecca that is Los Angeles. Now announcing his impending retirement, Beckham sounds like a star at peace. He’s been out of the spotlight for some time now, but for fans of the beautiful game, Beckham’s official departure leaves a gap.

Landon Donovan

Donovan has not announced his retirement, and his inclusion in this article may be a bit dramatic. However, there is certainly reason to wonder if the face of U.S. soccer may finally be approaching the end of his career. To begin with, Donovan recently returned from a self-imposed, 144 day absence from professional soccer, which appears to have been used primarily as a time for personal reflection and soul-searching. Throw in the fact that U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann promptly left Donovan off of the national team roster for World Cup qualifiers, and one has to wonder just how much longer this stalwart star will hang around.

There’s no question that Donovan can still get it done – as evidenced by his statement game in his comeback for the L.A. Galaxy – but he’s not getting younger, and the U.S. talent pool, while limited, may finally be pushing him out. Donovan never impacted the world of football in the way that Beckham did, but as the undisputed face of the U.S. football program, he will be missed if and when he does call it quits.

The new format that we’re so familiar with at U21 level is mirrored at U18 level. United, along with Southampton were the only clubs who had teams at both level make it into the elite group stage. That on its own is a great credit to the quality and depth at both levels, especially as some players will crossover between the two.

For McGuinness, his responsibility is as much to development as it is to silverware. This season he had a relatively old but small squad. Most of the players he’s used regularly are second year scholars who’ll move up to the U21s next season. On the whole, the group are physically small, not necessarily weak but they’ve found themselves up against bigger boys most weeks. Like most United youngsters they’re technically sound and in true United style, they’re at their best going forwards.

A slow start to the season and a defeat in the third round of the FA Youth Cup will go down as the lows but a strong finish and lots of players growing up means there’s lots to look back on and be pleased. United finished one point behind Southampton in National Group 2 and then only missed out on a semi-final place on goal difference to Everton after they finished fourth in the Elite Group.

Some players will be frustrated with their season – injuries have meant that Sean Goss, Ben Barber, Kieran O’Hara and others will have played much less than they would have liked. Some of the younger players such as Ashley Fletcher and Matthew Willock have turned out almost every week for the U16s so they can keep getting some game-time.

At the back, Joel Castro Pereira was added a year ago but has mainly been used from the bench as Sutherland and Gollini have rotated responsibility. Although short, Jonny Sutherland has shown he’s a fine shot stopper and he’s been promoted to the U21s on numerous occasions. After missing most of his first season through injury, Gollini has been one of the fastest developers this time round. Mistakes, often seemingly concentration related, still exist but he’s become increasingly confident under high balls and has made some outstanding and crucial saves. He’s also shown himself to be something of a penalty saving expert.

Like the first team, there’s been plenty of patchwork done in the defence to compensate for injuries. Paddy McNair, a creative midfielder, started and ended the season at centre back as Barber, McConnell, Wilkinson, Dalley and Ioannou all have had injuries. Captain, Liam Grimshaw, has moved into the centre from right back and been a consistently good performer. Callum Evans, naturally a midfielder has filled in the full back positions with Rowley and Love both getting injuries after excellent first halves of the season. Even James Weir has had to drop into right back at times. That the defence has kept nine clean sheets is a better achievement than it may sound, all things considered. Next season, Nicholas Ioannou will be the main man to keep an eye on – he can play at both centre and left back and although injuries have meant he’s had a very stop-start first season as a scholar, his talent’s been very obvious to see.

The midfield is the most experienced part of the team and has had some of the best performers. Ben Pearson and James Weir have been almost ever presents and have both grown up tremendously as the seasons progressed. Pearson won the Young Player of the Year award – he was the outstanding candidate. He mixes tough tackling with an attacking threat and surprisingly delicate passing. Although small, he’s strong and bears similarities in style to Owen Hargreaves, not least because of the hair. Pearson’s ended the season with the U21s and it’ll be interesting to see how he matches up against bigger men next season.

Weir’s style is very similar to Pearson’s – he’s a very willing player and a tireless runner. That they’ve both kept Jack Rudge out the side for much of the season says a lot about their form. If there’s one source of disappointment it’s been the injuries that Joe Rothwell has suffered. He’s such an elegant footballer, much like Carrick, but he’s rarely been fit for more than a few games and he’ll be frustrated that his time in the U18s has never truly got ticking.

The core bunch of central midfielders will all be moving up to the U21s, leaving little behind. Joshua Harrop will get a lot of playing time next year as a result and that’s not a bad thing at all. Although his involvement this season has been mainly from the subs bench his physical development is striking and his performances have been really good. He’s consistently been mentioned in the younger age groups as a player who could have a really positive future so he’ll be expected to pick up the midfield baton next term.

In the more attacking midfield roles, Daehli and Barmby have had a mixed time. Daehli’s first few months of the season were incredible but he’s somewhat tailed off a bit as the campaign’s gone on. Barmby’s done it the other way round with a strong finish after a slow start. He’s broadened out nicely and is starting to resemble a man – a bit of maturity on the pitch is the next step for him. Januzaj, as has been widely reported, has spent much of the season at U21 level and simply used the U18s to get fit after an injury.

Much of the creative burden will now fall on Andreas Pereira. After joining 18 months ago, this has been his first full season at the club. He’s shown glimpses of his talent and is clearly a free-kick specialist but he’s been quite hot and cold, maybe a tad in the shadow of the others around him. Exciting winger, Demetre Mitchell, will join him from the U16s as a scholar next season and how the pair link up could be crucial to the performances and results of the side.

McGuinnes likes to play with one striker up front so Wilson and Byrne have had to share responsibilities. James Wilson’s form has been exceptional with a goal a game and five in one game away to Newcastle alone. He’s been drafted into the U21s at times too, covering for the lack of strikers there, but he still has one more year in the U18s to complete. Byrne is a funny one in that he often does little wrong but his goals record isn’t good. It’s easy to forget he’s one of the youngest players in his year and although he’ll move up to the U21s next season, he only turns 18 in July. His end of the season form has been good though and he’s looking confident as his body has filled out and he no longer looks like a small, scrawny striker. It’s been excellent to see him score with bullet headers and cut in from the left to bend shots in – the perfect end to the season for him.

The challenge next season may be a hard one for Paul McGuinness and his staff – a very small squad with some very small players could well see the club make a few signings at this level over the summer. This time around, they may have won nothing and made lots of mistakes particularly before Christmas, but individual development sets many of the players in good stead for their step up to the U21s. McGuinness should be pleased – he’s helped turn boys into men and played attacking football along the way. Seamless repetition is his thing.

Chelsea v Everton 16:00

- Frank Lampard scored twice against Aston Villa at the weekend to become Chelsea’s all time leading goalscorer. He has scored 13 times against Aston Villa in his career, more than any other opponent.

- Lampard has 15 goals this season from 71 shots at goal. He’s hit 67.8% of those on target and needed just 4.7 shots and 131 minutes per goal. Only Chicarito, Daniel Sturridge and Robin van Persie have scored more frequently while on the pitch this season, while of the 25 players to have hit ten or more goals this season Lampard has the 6^th best shooting accuracy.

- Eden Hazard contributed both assists for Chelsea against Aston Villa, the second time he has provided more than one assist in a game this season. He also now leads the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for dribbles completed with 56.

- He’s formed an impressive partnership this season with Juan Mata, with Mata having made 1114 passes this season, the fifth highest in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index and the most by a player outside of Manchester City or Arsenal.

- While much of the talk around the Chelsea squad this season will be around the midfield creativity of Mata and Hazard, Petr Cech has again proved the difference that a top class keeper can make. Cech has made an incredible 191 saves this season, the 4^th highest in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Compare that to Manchester City’s Joe Hart, who has made just 123 saves, and De Gea and Lindegaard’s combined saves for United of 158.

- Everton will have a new manager at the helm next season after David Moyes confirmed he will take over as Manchester United manager next season. He can instantly endear himself to the Manchester United faithful by beating Chelsea in his final game at Everton.

- His penultimate game in charge saw Everton beat West Ham 2-0 thanks to goals from Kevin Mirallas.

- Mirallas scored twice and set up an incredible six goal scoring chances in the game – no other player has scored two plus goals and created so many goal scoring chances in a game this season.

- Everton’s dominance of attacking possession was such that they had three times as many touches in the box as West Ham in the game, and 28 shots at goal, the most they have had at Goodison Park this season. Steven Pienaar was at the heart of that, completing 48 passes in the opposition half, the second highest in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for last weekend.

- While Pienaar’s attacking play is rightly praised, one part of his game that may surprise some is his tough tackling. Pienaar is one of 25 players in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index to have attempted over 100 tackles.

- Most impressive defensively this season, however, has been Phil Jagielka, who has contributed 335 times defensively this season across tackles won, interceptions, blocks and clearances – the 6^th highest by a defender in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.

West Brom v Manchester United 16:00

- A fine season for the most part is in danger of ending on something of a low for West Brom as they fell to a heavy 4-0 defeat at the hands of Norwich. They will be looking to end their season on a high in what will be an historic occasion against Manchester United.

- Steve Clarke may struggle to retain the services of Romelu Lukaku next season with the Belgian striker keen to experience European football as his development steps up a gear next year. Lukaku has been pivotal for the Baggies this term, not just with his strong hold-up play but with his eye for goal as well. He currently has an 64.6% shot accuracy rate from 82 attempts, meaning a shot on target on average once every 39.6 minutes he’s been on the pitch this season.

- Shockingly though, Lukaku is nowhere near the club’s most accurate shooter this season, although admittedly Billy Jones has had far fewer attempts. Jones has been in remarkable form when presented with his chances in front of goal, seeing 91.7% of his 12 efforts hitting the target according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.

- Whilst those in front of him have perhaps caught the eye a little more than Gareth McAuley, the big centre half has been just as crucial to West Brom’s success this season. He has been a defensive titan at times for Steve Clarke’s side, recording a squad-high 314 defensive contributions

- A typical Javier Hernandez strike and a rare Rio Ferdinand goal ensured that Sir Alex Ferguson’s last appearance at Old Trafford as Manchester Utd manager ended with, appropriately, victory. It will be an emotional afternoon for all concerned on Sunday as the greatest manager in British football finally retires at the end of this season.

- Despite limited opportunities this season, Chicarito has been as impressive as ever when given his chance to impress. The Mexican sharp shooter has managed to craft a shot on target on average once every 39.2 minutes, an excellent return given that most of his appearances in the league this season have been from the bench.

- It was fitting that it fell to one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s longest serving players in Rio Ferdinand to seal the win on his manager’s final appearance at the Theatre of Dreams. Despite rarely finding himself on the scoresheet, Ferdinand has still been dominating for Utd at the back this season, racking up a solid 63.6% tackle success rate from 33 attempts. His relatively low number of tackles shows his ability to read the game and therefore bypass the need to go to ground. He ranks fourth in the United squad for interceptions with 68.

- Now the only left of the old guard, Ryan Giggs shows no signs of slowing down even at 39 years if age. The Welshman continues to defies the odds and his figures on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows he has at least another year of top level football left in him. According to his data Giggs has completed a pass in the opponent’s half on average once every 4.1 minutes this season, as well as delivery 22 crosses placing him 6^th in the United squad.

Newcastle v Arsenal 16:00

- Newcastle fans will be breathing a sigh of relief as their Premier League status for next season was ensured following Wigan’s defeat by their opponent’s this weekend. They have also recently been back in the win column after a 1-2 win against QPR at Loftus Road.

- Alan Pardew will be desperate to retain the services of his captain Fabricio Coloccini for next season. The inspirational Newcastle leader has been his side’s defensive talisman this term and their defensive organisation and grit has notably faltered when he has been absent. According to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index Coloccini has amassed a quite superb 81.8% tackle success rate from 44 attempted challenges, as well as racking up a squad-high 183 defensive contributions.

- Another key member of the squad who must not be allowed to leave is Yohan Cabaye. The Frenchman has been the central man in almost all of Newcastle’s creative efforts this season, completing a pass in the opponent’s half on average once every 4.9 minutes, as well as delivering 67 crosses, more than any other Newcastle player.

- Newcastle’s future in the Premier League may be secure but you can guarantee that the potential to spoil Arsenal’s season by preventing them qualifying for the Champions League will provide plenty of motivation. One man who never needs much motivating is the ever-committed Jonas Gutierrez. The Argentine midfielder has compiled a quite superb tackle success rate for a midfielder of 72% from 75 challenges.

- Arsenal showed both their grit and quality as they soundly beat Wigan 4-1 on Tuesday night to send the Lactics into the Championship. A brace from Lukas Podolski, as well as strikes from Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey, ensured a vital win for Arsene Wenger’s side. They go into this weekend knowing that only a win will definitively ensure Champions league football next season.

- Theo Walcott’s development continues apace after he signed a new contract in January. Despite still not being played through the middle as frequently as he would like, the pacy winger has been in devastating form this season, racking up 13 assists and 14 goals in the league. Such a prolific strike rate has been borne of his much improved accuracy in front of goal, Walcott hit the target with 73.2% of his 82 attempts on goal.

- Another young Englishman to have enhanced his reputation this season is Kieran Gibbs. He’s been in sterling form in all areas this term, not least in his primary defensive duties, having compiled a tackle success rate of 72.5% from 69 attempts. This represents this best rate in the Arsenal squad according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.

- His defensive colleague Laurent Koscielny is another who has stepped up to the mark for the Gunners this term. If reports are to be believed he is drawing admiring glances from some of Europe’s other big clubs, not surprising given his record of making a defensive contribution on average once every 14.8 minutes this season.

Manchester City v Norwich 16:00

- Manchester City recorded their first win following the dismissal of Roberto Mancini on Tuesday night with a 2-0 win over Reading. Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko both got on the scoresheet as City begin their planning their title challenge for next season.

- Yaya Toure will likely end the a highly impressive season as Manchester City’s most influential midfield player, having now completed a staggering 1269 passes in the opponent’s half. This places him second on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index but he has the best minute per pass ratio of any player in the league, completing one on average every 2.30 minutes he’s been on the pitch this season.

- Despite struggling to hold down his place in the team this season, Joleon Lescott has made a healthy contribution to the Manchester City cause this term. He’s made a solid 124 defensive contributions (blocks, clearances, interceptions and successful tackles) at a squad-best rate of, on average, one every 12.9 minutes.

- After some turbulent moments under Roberto Mancini, Carlos Tevez has shown his worth with some excellent performances this season. The Argentinian’s footballing ability has never been in doubt and he has knuckled down as the season has progressed to record a combined 25 goals and assists, a squad best.

- A free-flowing Norwich performance saw them record one of their biggest wins of the season with a 4-0 victory over West Brom. Goals from season standouts Robert Snodgrass and Grant Holt, as well as a top drawer strike from Jonny Howson, completed the rout for Chris Hughton’s side.

- Robert Snodgrass’ goal capped a fine season for the Scottish midfielder. Snodgrass has been one of the shining light for Chris Hughton’s side, regularly driving their play forward as well as helping out in defence. He’s completed a massive 726 passes in the opponent’s half as well as contributing defensively 147 times, a figure surpassed only by Bradley Johnson amongst Norwich’s other midfielders.

- Sebastian Bassong remains Norwich’s standout defender as the season draws to a close. He leads the Norwich squad across numerous categories according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, including clearances (83), interceptions (138) and blocks (21).

- Although the Norwich faithful will most often turn to Grant Holt when in need of a goal, Kei Kamara has also been a solid option for the Canaries up front. The striker has one of the best minutes per shot rate of any Norwich player this season, racking up an attempt on goal on average once every 41.9 minutes he’s been on the field of play.

Tottenham v Sunderland 16:00

- Spurs came from a goal behind to win 2-1 against Stoke in their penultimate Premier League outing thanks to goals from Clint Dempsey and Emmanuel Adebayor. They come into this final game one point behind North London neighbours Arsenal in the race for fourth place.

- Despite his name unusually not appearing on the score sheet, Bale has 8 shots at goal with 5 on target against Stoke, the joint highest of the last round of games.

- Bale’s season will end with some of the most impressive stats in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. He’s had 151 shots at goal getting 62.9% on target and converting 20 goals. He’s ranked third for dribbles completed with 48 so far this season, and 4^th for crosses delivered with 114.

- Bale has taken the headlines this season, but Jan Verthongen has also excelled. He’s attempted 102 tackles this season, winning 79% of them. That’s the highest tackles won percentage of the 25 players who have attempted 100 or more tackles in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index this season.

- Jermain Defoe hit fine goal scoring form earlier in the season, but has struggled for goals of late. Of the nine players in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index to have had over 100 shots at goal Defoe has the lowest goal tally with 11 (joint with Carlos Tevez).

- Sunderland come into the game knowing they are safe from relegation after Arsenal beat Wigan in midweek. Their last league outing saw them draw 1-1 with Southampton thanks to a Phil Bardsley goal.

- Paolo di Canio singled out Stephane Sessegnon, Adam Johnson and John O’Shea as players that he knew were “exciting” when he signed as Sunderland manager, but has promised wholesale changes elsewhere in the team.

- O’Shea once again showed his impressive reading of the game against Southampton, making 15 interceptions, the second highest by a player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index in the last round of games. He is ranked fourth overall for interceptions this season with 217.

- O’Shea’s defensive contributions overall across tackles, interceptions, clearances and blocks number 361 – the third highest in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.

- O’Shea, and the rest of the Sunderland back four, have been shown impressive protection by the tough tackling of the Sunderland midfield this season. James McClean and Craig Gardner are ranked second and seventh respectively among the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index’s midfielders for tackles won, with McClean wining 76 and Gardner 66. Gardner has made the third highest number of defensive contributions of any midfielder this season, totaling 242 across tackles won, clearances, interceptions and blocks.

- Not named by Di Canio but undoubtedly vital to Sunderland’s survival this season has been the performance of Simon Mignolet. Mignolet made 13 saves against Southampton, the joint highest by a goalkeeper in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index in the last round of games and the third highest in a game all season. Mignolet has been the busiest goalkeeper in the Premier League this season making 224 saves in total.

Liverpool v QPR 16:00

- Daniel Sturridge scored his first ever professional hat trick in Liverpool’s last league outing to see off Fulham 3-1.

- That took Sturridge’s goal tally for the season to 11. He’s one of 25 players in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index to have scored ten of more Premier League goals this season, and he’s done it in the least amount of minutes on pitch (1248 minutes, averaging a goal every 113 minutes 27 seconds).

- Sturridge converted his hat trick from 7 shots at goal with 5 on target – more than any other Liverpool player has in either category this season. Sturridge plagued the Fulham defence, exploiting space by taking 15 touches in the opposition box. He also completed 8 dribbles, more than any other player in the last round of games.

- Sturridge’s attacking play was complimented by a tough midfield performance from Lucas and Jordan Henderson. Lucas attempted ten tackles in the game, winning six, the most of any player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, while Henderson was the only player in the Premier League to commit four fouls in the last round of games.

- Lucas is now ranked 5^th in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for tackles attempted with 121, an incredible feat given he has played just 1957 minutes this season. To put it in context, 4^th ranked Robert Snodgrass has taken 3126 minutes to attempt 127 tackles.

- Jamie Carragher will wave farewell to his beloved Anfield on Sunday before retiring. He showed what his team mates will be missing in the game against Fulham, completing 64 of 67 passes in the game.

- QPR went 1-0 up in their last game against Newcastle before falling to a 2-1 defeat.

- QPR did well to disrupt Newcastle’s passing game though, limiting them to a 66% success rate, their lowest of the season. Jermaine Jenas, meanwhile, completed 64 passes in the game, more than any other player on the pitch.

- QPR defender Clint Hill has been one of their most impressive performers this season. He has been the fifth busiest defender in the league this season, contributing defensively 342 times across tackles, clearances, blocks and interceptions.

- Christopher Samba joined in January and has the best minutes per defensive contribution rating in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, averaging one every 7 minutes 12 seconds.

Southampton v Stoke 16:00

- Southampton will finish an impressive first season in the Premier League by hosting Stoke, after previously earning a 1-1 draw against Sunderland thanks to a Jason Puncheon goal.

- Southampton had an incredible 64% of possession against Sunderland, their best in an away game this season.

- Key to their possession this season has been the tough tackling performances of Morgan Schneiderlin. Schneiderlin has attempted 150 tackles this season, winning 88, both of which are the highest in their respective categories in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.

- Nathaniel Clyne has also had an incredibly impressive first season in the Premier League. The 22 year old defender has attempted 103 tackles and won 75.7% of them, the second best tackles won percentage of the 25 players in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index to have attempted 100 tackles or more this season.

- Also impressing in the Southampton back line have been Maya Moshida and Jose Fonte. They are ranked 7^th and 8^th respectively in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for interceptions having made 197 and 194 respectively.

- An early Steven Nzonzi goal from a Charlie Adam free kick wasn’t enough to prevent Stoke from falling to a 2-1 defeat to Spurs in their last game.

- Amazingly, Stoke have scored one or fewer goals in 29 of their 37 games this season. Stoke committing men defensively has meant they have one of the healthiest ‘goals against’ columns in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. However, Matt Etherington must wish that more of his colleagues had committed to hitting the box this season, as he has delivered 39 crosses and completed 284 passes in the opposition half without being credited an assist.

- However, they have excelled defensively. Ryan Shawcross has made 43 blocks, ranking second in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.