Those are the clubs dominating Flashscore's 2022/23 Premier League Team of the Season:
GK: David Raya (Brentford)
The Spanish keeper enjoyed a fine season in the colours of Brentford, finishing with an impressive 12 clean sheets in 38 appearances and making a total of 154 saves - more than any other goalie in the top flight. Brentford may have a job keeping him on their books, with rumours of interest from Manchester United and Spurs beginning to swirl.
RB: Kieran Trippier (Newcastle)
The English right-back was instrumental in Newcastle's rise up the ranks, leading by example and consistently putting in mature, elite-level performances - notching up a goal and seven assists in 38 appearances.
CB: Sven Botman (Newcastle)
A new arrival on Tyneside, the young Dutchman looked assured and settled into Premier League life almost immediately, helping to solidify a formidable Newcastle backline that resulted in 11 cleans sheets in his 35 appearances.
CB: Nathan Ake (Manchester City)
Dutchman number two in defence, Nathan Ake seemed to have a season of total renaissance as the former Bournemouth man finally found his feet in his third year at Manchester City. Keeping Aymeric Laporte out of the side for much of the campaign, Ake played 1,876 minutes in the league and saw only 14 goals scored against him whilst he was on the pitch.
LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal)
The Ukrainian wing-back was an intriguing addition for the Gunners during the summer, with many surprised that City allowed him to leave. His title-winning experience appeared to be a vital component of Arsenal's title charge, with his defensive leadership key in helping Arteta's side grind out results and put up a fight for so much of the season.
MID: Casemiro (Manchester United)
The Brazilian raised a few eyebrows upon his arrival at Old Trafford - notably his £350,000-a-week wages - with many feeling United had overspent on an ageing star. But the former Real Madrid enforcer brought grit, ferocity, determination and passion to Ten Hag's Red Devils, propelling them to a top-four finish few would have realistically seen coming at the start of the season.
MID: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
The Belgian magician completed another sublime season in which he drove his side to Premier League glory yet again. Always a match made in heaven with boss Pep Guardiola, De Bruyne has found himself an even more glorious partner in crime in striker Erling Haaland, setting up the Norwegian nine times in the league. In total, De Bruyne assisted 16 goals and scored seven himself, earning him a third Playmaker of the Year award.
MID: Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
The Norwegian was a literal driving force in Arsenal's challenge at the top, spearheading their charge with an excellent return of 15 goals and seven assists in his 37 appearances. There were plenty of excellent finishes and vital match-winners in this season's highlight reel to boot, marking some world-class captain's performances, and no doubt if Odegaard can maintain his excellent form from this season then the Gunners will be in with a shout again this time next year.
MID: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
The England winger continues to reach new levels every year and carried some wonderful World Cup displays for his nation into the tail-end of the domestic season. It's baffling to remember that Saka is still just 21 years old, yet he featured in every game for the north London side this campaign and chipped in with 14 goals and 11 assists. The sky is seemingly the limit for Saka's potential, and Arsenal are very lucky to have him in their ranks.
ST: Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
Tottenham endured a miserable season from top to bottom, sliding from a peak of third to end up finishing in eighth in the table, missing out on European football for the first time in years. Harry Kane was the singular bright spot in an otherwise gloomy campaign, with the England captain becoming the first player to net 30 goals in a 38-game Premier League season twice.
Although he, of course, missed out on the golden boot to City's Erling Haaland, there were plenty of other accolades for the Spurs hero: he's now the club's all-time top goalscorer, the all-time England top goalscorer, and he scored in more games than any other player in English top-flight history this season - netting in 26 different matches to be exact. He's also now the second top goalscorer in Premier League history.
ST: Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Possibly the one name no one can argue with, Erling Haaland was breaking records and setting a near farcical goalscoring pace almost immediately. Linking up superbly with Manchester City's creative talents Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva, Haaland has been scoring for fun all season. Despite a six-week break for the winter World Cup in Qatar, Haaland became the first player in Premier League history to score 20 goals before January.
During his first campaign in English football and at the club his father played for and he'd supported as a child, Haaland scored a phenomenal 36 goals in 35 league appearances - breaking the records held by Mohamed Salah in a 38-game season (32 goals) as well as Alan Shearer and Andy Cole in a 42-game season (34 goals). It was genuine stuff of boyhood dreams unfolding before our eyes.
The fact that he was getting close to Dixie Dean's all-time English club season goalscoring record - a stat many thought would never come close to being broken - is unfathomable and astounding, and he may well have made a go of it had he not missed those three league games.
In his first season, he's already made himself a Premier League legend. Who knows how far the 'Yorkshire Viking' can go, but chances are, he'll have plenty more records in his sights in a very short space of time if he continues at his current rate.
Manager: Eddie Howe (Newcastle)
Newcastle were sat firmly at the bottom of the Premier League table when Eddie Howe took over in November 2021, guiding them to safety with relative comfort in his first season. While it's no secret the future spending power of the club means success inevitably beckons, no one would have seen Newcastle's meteoric rise coming so soon.
In just his second season with the club - and first full one in charge - Howe managed to completely turn around the fortunes of the Magpies whilst playing an entertaining and energetic style of football, turning St. James' Park into a terrifying fortress, going close to their first silverware in some 60 years, and guiding the club to their first top-four finish since 2003.
And this is all before they've really even flexed their Saudi money muscles in the transfer market. Howe has achieved Champions League football with largely the same group of players he inherited upon taking over. It's been an excellent vindication for the young English coach, who will no doubt be a man in demand from other top clubs - and possibly even his country - in the next few years.
Honourable mentions:
Alisson, Nick Pope, Jordan Pickford, David Raya
Lisandro Martinez, Lewis Dunk, John Stones, Ruben Dias
Ilkay Gundogan, Jack Grealish, Bruno Guimares, João Palhinha
