Top 3 contenders for Player of the Year

The 2012/2013 Premier League season is drawing to a close and in the midst of the relegation dog fights and battles for the European places the winner of Player of the Season must be decided as well.

Here are the top three contenders for the award:

Luis Suarez - Liverpool - 22 goals + 4 assists

Liverpool's start to this domestic season was absolutely disastrous. In Brendan Rodgers they had a new manager who at the same time as trying to instill new philosophies was attempting to bring in new players whilst winning games at the start of a new season. It was a tricky balancing act and he wasn't able to pull it off as Liverpool endured their worst start to a league season for a number of years.

Rodgers let striker Andy Carroll go on loan to West Ham without having a replacement ready leaving the club's only (decent) option up front as Luis Suarez. And the Uruguayan delivered as his goals kept Liverpool's season from turning into a total disaster.

All season long Suarez has helped keep Liverpool afloat and without his goals the Merseyside club would be nowhere near the top four.

You may not like the man but there is no denying that the man is a captivating talent who has enjoyed a phenomenal season.

Robin van Persie - Manchester United - 23 goals

The Dutch Skunk's first half of the season was one of the finest ever seen in the Premier League. van Persie was on a tear scoring left, right and centre and helping United to a healthy lead atop the table which looks to be good enough to take the league title back to the red half of Manchester.

The league triumph will be van Persie's first after winning a FA Cup with Arsenal in 2005 and Sir Alex Fersguson's decision to splash out £24m on Dutchman proves to be the move that has won United yet another league title after narrowly missing out on Manchester City.

Van Persie has gone off the boil a little in the second half of this season but his heroics in the first months may be enough for him to win consecutive Player of the Year awards.

Gareth Bale - Tottenham Hotspur - 16 goals

The brainwave of this Premier League season has to be Andre Villas Boas's decisions to play Gareth Bale through the middle as opposed to on the wing. The Welshman has been in explosive form and helped Spurs accelerate into the Champions League places.

He has put in a number outstanding performances scoring brilliant goals as his pace has tormented Premier League back fours.

Tottenham's form has dipped in the past week or two and Bale has picked up a minor injury as Spurs look to hold on to their position in the top four. If Bale continues to score goals and Spurs finish inside the top four than look for him to be a real contender for the award.

Follow @JerryvanWav

Comments

[kingsley]

is this a liverpool news or epl news?, you people said surez has 24 goals and 4 assist but did not give the assist of rvp and bale. let me help u with that= rvp has 8 assist and more in all competition and bale has 5 assist and more in all comp. so if u look at it, the best is RVP IN 1ST, SUREZ IN 2ND AND THEN BALE IN 3RD.

[Ash McNally]

Suarez
League: 22 goals + 8 assists
Overall: 29 goals + 10 assists

Van Persie
League: 19 goals + 12 assists
Overall: 23 goals + 12 assists (assists not including cups etc but can't imagine there will be many more)

Bale
League: 16 goals + 6 assists
Overall: 21 goals + 6 assists (assists not including cups etc)

Please get your facts right before making a judgement and opinion on who should be player of the year.

The article includes Van Persie's goal for all competitions yet you only include Suarez's goals for the League. Poor!