After 380 matches, a three-month coronavirus hiatus, four Watford managers and one…….. Rebecca Vardy, the 2019/20 Premier League season finally came to an end on Sunday.
During an unprecedented 11-month long campaign, 15 top-flight players played every minute of every game this season. That’s a full 3,420 minutes.
Just who are the 15 men who defended injury and fatigue every single minute of the 2019/20 Premier League campaign?
De Gea kept 13 Premier League clean sheets during the 2019/20 season / Catherine Ivel/Getty Images
Despite Manchester United boasting one of the world’s best second-choice goalkeepers in Sergio Romero, he hasn’t been used once all season in the Premier League as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer puts his full faith in David de Gea.
However, the Spaniard’s season was littered with what have now become glaring mistakes, and the man once regarded as the world’s best could find his starting berth under threat from a man who has 12 months to spare. was playing Championship football a little over a year ago. Will De Gea play every minute of the 2020/21 season or will he be ousted by Dan Henderson?
Patricio is one of two Wolves players to have played every minute of the season / Poll/Getty Images
Wolves’ outrageously long campaign could yet end with them playing in Champions League football, Europa League football or next season.
In a 12-month long season, Patricio missed just six games in all competitions. He never missed a minute of Premier League action, and was joint third in the Golden Glove race, with 13 top-flight clean sheets.
Foster can’t finally prevent Watford from suffering the drop / Richard Heathcote / Getty Images
The globally popular 37-year-old has played a total of 3,420 top-flight minutes this season – an average of 855 minutes per Watford manager.
Despite the Hornets facing relegation on the final day of the season and scoring 64 goals, Foster still managed to keep a respectable nine clean sheets, and was Watford’s player of the season.
Dubravka has been a safe pair for Newcastle since joining the club in 2018 / Jan Kruger/Getty Images
Dubravka continued where he left off last season, having already played every single minute of the 2018/19 season.
It was another hugely impressive season for the Newcastle number one, picking up the Magpies Player of the Year award. His 11 clean sheets were the most for a goalkeeper in the bottom half of the table.
A particularly reliable season by Schmeichel/Michael Regan/Getty Images
The Leicester goalkeeper also failed to miss a minute in the Premier League for the second consecutive season as Brendan Rodgers’ plucky Foxes missed out on Champions League football in agonizing fashion on the final day of the season.
Schmeichel was as reliable as ever, keeping 13 clean sheets and saving his only costly mistake in the final minutes of the season. The Foxes were already pretty resigned to the defeat against Manchester United, and it was good of them to let Jesse Lingard score. What a nice guy.
Pickford ends up-and-down season with soft mistake against Bournemouth/Pool/Getty Images
Despite lapses in concentration, misjudged crosses and a flurry of shots in Pickford’s game, the Everton number one has remained first choice at Goodison, playing every minute in all of the Toffees’ matches during the 2019/20 campaign. .
Remarkably, Pickford has not missed a single minute of Premier League football for three consecutive seasons. The 26-year-old kept nine top-flight clean sheets, and although his starting spot on Merseyside looks secure, he could be under threat for the England number one jersey next year.
Pope enjoyed an excellent season for Burnley / James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images
The Burnley number one could have claimed the Golden Glove on the final day of the season if they had managed to keep out Brighton, but had to settle for second place behind Manchester City’s Ederson.
It was still a remarkable campaign for Pope, who played a key role in the Clarets’ impressive 10th-place finish. He kept 15 clean sheets and forced himself into contention for the England number one spot.
Not bad for a boy who was playing in the eighth tier of English football just nine years ago.
Ryan has played every minute in the Premier League this season / James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images
It was an impressive first season in charge at Brighton for Graham Potter, as his side secured their Premier League status with a game saved, and conceded the same number of goals as fourth-placed Chelsea.
Ryan kept nine clean sheets for the Seagulls, including in the final game of the campaign against Newcastle to confirm his side’s survival.
Cody’s transformation into a sweeper has proven to be an impressive move/Pool/Getty Images
In a Wolves team full of silky, energetic, Portuguese talent, it speaks volumes for Cody’s ability that the former Huddersfield man is regarded as one of their most valuable players.
The Wolves captain has not missed a minute of league action since October 14, 2017. He is just 16 games away from equaling goalkeeper Phil Parkes’ record of 127 consecutive league appearances, which was set back in September 1973.
Rice’s banger against Watford capped off another brilliant season for the midfielder/Pool/Getty Images
The West Ham midfielder was named Hammer of the Year after an impressive campaign, which saw him scoop the 2016/17 and 2017/18 Player of the Year awards.
Still only 21, Rice was a figure of consistency for the Hammers. Not known for his scoring prowess, his lone goal this season was an absolute belter. The midfielder has been linked with a return to former club Chelsea this summer, as the Blues look to shore up their backline.
Tarkowski was one of two Burnley players to play every minute in the Premier League this season / Pool/Getty Images
Burnley’s response to Virgil van Dijk. The Clarets enjoyed a particularly strong end to the campaign, while Tarkovsky turned in his best individual season to date.
His average partnership with Ben May in front of Nick Pope was integral to Burnley’s success. The defender has already made two appearances for England – could we see a 40% Three Lions backline made up of Burnley players come Euro 2021?
Van Dijk was the only player to play every minute of Liverpool’s title-winning season / Laurence Griffiths / Getty Images
Liverpool’s answer to James Tarkowski. Van Dijk was one of the final pieces of Jurgen Klopp’s jigsaw when he arrived at Anfield in 2018, and two-and-a-half years on, he has proven his worth.
The defender was a key part of the Liverpool side that claimed a sixth European Cup triumph in 2019 before helping the Reds end their long wait for the Premiership title during the 2019/20 season. In a team full of superstars, Van Dijk is the most important part of Liverpool’s success.
Baldock was the only Sheffield United player not to miss a minute of Premier League action / Visionhaus/Getty Images
Sheffield United were one of the stories of the 2019/20 Premier League season, as Chris Wilder’s relegation-favourite side put together an unlikely European challenge. He was a hard worker, infectious, a team unit. And did you know that their centre-backs overlap?
Baldock was often overlapped as opposed to overlapping, with Chris Basham chipping him down the right. In a team built around team spirit and hard work, the right-back typified Sheffield United’s graph in a big old shift of the season.
It’s been a successful debut campaign for Maguire/Pool/Getty Images.
Time is money, so it was only right that the world’s most expensive defender played every minute in the Premier League this season.
Maguire enjoyed a solid first season at Old Trafford, helping to break the hearts of former club Leicester on the final day of the season to secure Manchester United’s place in the Champions League at the expense of the Foxes.
Ward-Prowse has scored five Premier League goals for Southampton this season / Justin Satterfield/Getty Images
Southampton enjoyed a superb second half of the campaign to finish a respectable 11th, having looked set for a season of struggle after a 9-0 defeat at home to Leicester in October.
Ward has been there for all the highs and lows of the Prowse campaign, and the fact he’s played every single minute this season shows he’s an exciting, all-action midfielder.