At the conclusion of every Premier League season, every media outlet imaginable races to put out their "best eleven" of that year. All the usual suspects - Sterling, Salah, Hazard, Van Dijk, Kane, etc. - often find their names on such lists, and primarily only players from the "Big Six" clubs feature. Those clubs being Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, and Liverpool. If you're doing an eleven of the best players of that season, it makes a lot of sense for it to include largely players from the best (in terms of achievement and overall skill) teams.
But that gets a tad old doesn't it? What about the players who represent the little guys, yet still have fantastic seasons? That's who this list is for - the best players of 2018/19 outside the Big Six. To be clear, these gentlemen may not be the actual best players from the 14 other clubs in the PL (otherwise Wilf Zaha's name would be carved onto it), rather it's those who performed the best this past campaign. Enjoy and feel free to disagree!
Goalkeeper: Neil Etheridge
Heading into the 2019 campaign, Neil Warnock's squad was written off by nearly everyone (myself included), but have fought valiantly to finish just two points off safety. A primary contributor to their fight for safety was keeper Etheridge, who provided a reliable last line of defence. The Filipino ended second in the Premier League in saves (141), seventh in clean sheets (10), and tied for first in penalties saved (3). If your jaw didn't drop at the 10 clean sheets, it should have. Below is his draw-securing save against Newcastle earlier in the season.
These are not stats keepers representing relegation teams usually achieve, making 2018/2019 a special season for Etheridge. The likes of Dubravka and Fabianski both had excellent seasons and are deserving of this slot, but Etheridge gets the nod because Cardiff would have been buried without him and he easily had the worst backline out of the other candidates. Very few Cardiff players would have a shout to remain in the League. Etheridge is one of them.
Honorable Mentions: Martin Dubravka, Ben Foster, Lukasz Fabianski
Defender: Aaron Wan-Bissaka
The 'Spider' from Croydon has quickly become one of the most sought-after rightbacks in the world, and is rumored to be on the radar of both Manchester clubs. Though TAA may be the most talented rightback in the League, AWB is the best RB at defending, -using athleticism, tackling ability, and positioning to control his wing. He made a PL third-best 129 tackles (most among defenders), all while only committing 23 fouls in the process, making him an ultra-efficient defender. At just 21 years of age and the best defender on Crystal Palace, he is a clear young player of the year candidate. Wan-Bissaka was the League's best kept secret 2018, but it seems the cat - or spider - is now out of the bag.
Defender: Michael Keane
Keane got off to a slow start once arriving at Everton, and the frustration only grew after suffering a hairline fracture against Bournemouth on matchday three. Since returning, he has become the leader of the Everton defensive unit, and solidied himself as a premier aerial defender. Keane has the third most aerial battles won among defenders (192) and the sixth most headed clearances (115), giving the Toffees a rock at the back. When analyzing Keane's 2018/19, the proof is in the clean sheet pudding. It had been an up and down season for Everton, but ten clean sheets following January 1st - against the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, and United - gave them momentum down the final stretch. You guessed it. Keane started in every one of those ten clean sheets; and accounted for 13 of the clubs' total 14.
Defender: Willy Boly
Upon promotion Fulham and Wolves were both being lauded by pundits all over, yet with all the dust now being settled one team is relegated...and it is not Wolves. The primary difference between the two clubs was defensive consistency, and Willy Boly delivered that in droves.
In his first season in the Premier League Boly limited mistakes, registering zero own goals and zero mistakes leading to goals. One of the most reliable centre-backs in the PL, he finished fourth in defender interceptions and in the top ten for aerial battles won while playing all but two of Wolves' league games. He also contributed massively at the other end of the pitch with four goals of his own, including a goal against the champions City. Boly and centre-back partner Conor Coady (who played every game) were the bedrock to a Wolves squad that will be flirting with the top-six next season.
Defender: Lucas Digne
After viewing Digne at Everton over the course of the season, it is a wonder how he was not able to fit into PSG or Barcelona. The Frenchman lead the Premier League in crosses (280), netted four goals and four assists, and had an extremely dangerous dead-ball delivery - best represented by his last-minute freekick vs. Watford.
His defense has not been too shabby either, ranking tied for 11th for interceptions (among defenders) and boasting a 64% tackle success rate. Digne dethroned longtime leftback Leighton Baines, who also built a successful PL career on bombing down the left flank and whipping in free kicks. Everton seems to have found Baines 2.0. As much as I like Digne here, you could swap in Chilwell and I would not blink.
Honorable Mentions: Matthew Doherty, Jose Holebas, Fabian Schar, Conor Coady, Ricardo Pereira, Ben Chilwell, Harry Maguire
Midfielder: Ryan Fraser
Can you name the midfielder that tallied 7 goals and 14 assists this year in the PL? The player that nearly had more assists than Eden Hazard? Well it's Bournemouth's own Ryan Fraser, who has continued to impress with each season since his debut in 2016.
Though short in stature, Fraser makes up for it with pace, powerful runs, and a wonderful delivery. He showcased that delivery by putting in the second most crosses (271) in the league and supplying the aforementioned 14 assists - primarily to Englishman Callum Wilson. The dynamic pair pops off the television screen when playing together, and linked up for 12 goals, making them one of the most productive duos in Premier League history. In terms of creation, few players were able to rival Fraser's contributions.
Midfielder: Ruben Neves
Even given their great seasons and their fantastic talents, very few players on this list could push their way into the starting eleven of a top-six club. Neves does not fall into that category, having no business playing in the Championship last season and - sorry Wolves - should not be on Wolves. The Portgual man has the most completed passes (1,940) at the West Midlands club and the eleventh most among all midfielders in the Premier League, showcasing his complete command of a midfield.
Nothing illustrates his worldclass abilities like his performance in Wolves' 4-3 victory over Leicester in January. Two cross-field passes in particular - the assist to Jota and the defense-splitting through ball to Jimenez for the winning goal - were good enough to take your breath away. Neves did this often in 2019, making him a clear choice for the list. Seriously....how is he on Wolves?!?!
Midfielder: James Maddison
Coming off of a 14 goal season, Maddison made the jump from Norwich City to Leicester City in the summer, and has not disappointed. The 22 year old creative midfielder is a constant threat for the opposing team, primarily due to his ability to jumpstart counter-attacks and weave through defenders. This has led to a strong opening campaign for Maddison, bagging seven goals and creating seven more with assists. His immediate connection with Vardy and Tielemens has made Leicester the premier counter-attacking side in the league (eight goals from said attacks), making them one of the trickier fixures on the schedule. Only one player this Premier League season created at least 100 goalscoring chances - and that was Maddison. Bigger teams may come calling soon.
Midfielder: Luka Milivojevic
The Serbian defensive midfielder has now logged two straight seasons as the rock in the Palace midfield, and scoring double digit goals in each. Milivojevic has established himself as one of the premier penalty takers in the league, which is how the vast majority of his goals have come (17 of his 22 goals in the past two seasons). Yet, it is hardly a knock, with Wilfried Zaha on his team having a reliable penalty taker is paramount. The Palace captain impacts the game not just as a dead-ball specialist, finishing with the fifth most tackles among all midfielders (89) and the most passes among midfielders outside the Top Six (1,986). Few players made their respective club tick like Luka did this season.
Honorable Mentions: Joao Moutinho, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Felipe Anderson, Diogo Jota, David Brooks, Etienne Capoue, Wilfred Ndidi, Idrissa Gueye
Forward: Jamie Vardy
He just keeps doing it. Players come and go at Leicester, however Jamie Vardy continues to produce goals for the Foxes. Vardy contributed to 22 Leicester goals, scoring 18 and assisting on four more, tallying more goals than any other player outside the the Big Six. What made Vardy's 2018/19 even more impressive was his production in light of the managerial changes throughout the season.
Claude Puel began the year as LCFC manager, instituting a style of play that ran perpendicular to Vardy's counter-attacking strengths. Following Puel's firing at the end of February, Vardy scored 10 goals and led Leceister in a jump from 12th to 9th in the table - including a two goal game against Arsenal. Now at 32, it is fair to question if his goal scoring prowess will continue, but for the time being he remains one of the Premier League's best.
Forward: Callum Wilson
There were a handful of worthy candidates to fill the second forward slot, but only Wilson would be completely indefensible to leave off. The Bournemouth talisman backed up a solid 2017/18 with an exceptional 2018/19, reaching career highs in goals (14) and assists (9) since his PL debut in 2015. Strong, fast, with a deft touch and savvy in front of goal, Wilson is a pure forward - best illustrated by the diversity of his goals. Last season the Englishman scored goals with his head (3), his right foot (7), his left foot (3), and one via the penalty mark.
His connection with the aforementioned Fraser has played an integral role in Wilson's success this season, and they combined for the second most goals between two players in PL history (12). The above goal in their January win against West Ham encapsulates what Wilson - and specifically this campaign - was all about. A strong connection with Fraser, power and speed going forward, and a world-class finish showcases Wilson's game perfectly. Bournemouth will consider themselves lucky if he remains a Cherry.
Honorable Mentions: Gerard Deulofeu, Raul Jimenez, Richarlison, Glen Murray, Salomon Rondon, Wilfried Zaha, Ashley Barnes