It's fair to say that the Premier League now stands alone as the best top-flight division in European football, but it hasn't been the most competitive in recent seasons. Manchester City have won the title in five of the last six seasons under Pep Guardiola, who also delivered an elusive Champions League trophy to the Etihad Stadium in 2022-23.
City have quite simply been an unstoppable winning machine, with world-class players occupying every position, a flawless tactical blueprint and a warrior mentality running through the dressing room. But some six months on from their treble-clinching victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League final, there are finally some clear signs that an era of unprecedented dominance could soon come to an end.
Arsenal led the table for a 248 days last term before a late collapse handed City the initiative, but that experience only seems to have strengthened their resolve, with Mikel Arteta's men rising back to the summit in impressive fashion. Liverpool are also in the mix again after some shrewd summer business from Jurgen Klopp, with City currently languishing five points off the pace in fourth.
There is even a chance that a new name could be etched onto the trophy with former Arsenal boss Unai Emery masterminding a remarkable run for Aston Villa, silencing his critics in the process. Ange Postecoglou has made a similar impact at Tottenham, and the race for Champions League qualification also looks more open than ever before.
Plenty of household names have been firing on all cylinders, but new stars have also emerged amid a thrilling, unpredictable season that has the potential to go down as one of the best in the modern era. And so, without further ado, GOAL is on hand to bring you the Team of the Season so far, starting with a certain Italian shot-stopper...
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