Any club with ambitions of winning the Premier League title needs to assemble a strong squad if they want to achieve their aims.
Liverpool’s title win in 1965/66 highlights how football has changed, with manager Bill Shankly using just 14 players during the season.
The top clubs now have at least two players for every position and regularly rotate their squads to ensure they can cope with the demands of modern football.
However, a common theme of most title successes is there is generally one player who can be pegged as the difference-maker during the season.
With that in mind, we have produced a four-part series which looks at which player was most responsible for each title win during the Premier League era.
We kick things off by assessing the last three seasons, before taking a look at each of the three previous decades in the English top flight.
Ruben Dias – Manchester City – 2020/21
Manchester City went into the 2020/21 season with a point to prove after being blown away by Liverpool during the previous campaign.
Pep Guardiola’s side struggled at the back on their way to losing nine games and finishing a whopping 18 points adrift of the Reds.
They addressed their defensive issues during the summer transfer window, signing Ruben Dias from Benfica in a player-plus-cash deal.
Dias was a rock at the back for Man City as they regained the title with a 12-point margin over local rivals Manchester United.
Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City – 2021/22
With Sergio Aguero ending his goal-laden spell with the club in 2021, Man City went into the following season without a central striker.
Guardiola adjusted his tactics to perfection, guiding City to another league title success after an epic battle with Liverpool.
Kevin De Bruyne was pivotal to their challenge, bagging 15 goals and eight assists in 30 league appearances.
City coped admirably when De Bruyne was out of the team, but they looked a completely different proposition when he was pulling the strings.
Erling Braut Haaland – Manchester City – 2022/23
Having won four titles in the previous five seasons, Man City were well on course to establishing a dynasty heading into the most recent campaign.
Signing Erling Braut Haaland from Borussia Dortmund proved to be the icing on the cake, providing City with what kids might describe as a goalscoring ‘cheat code’.
The Norwegian striker netted 36 goals in the Premier League, beating the previous record of 34 set by Andrew Cole and Alan Shearer.
With City also winning the Champions League and FA Cup, Haaland can look back on his debut season in English football with plenty of pride.
Read More
Indispensables – Players Who Won The Premier League, 1992-2000
Indispensables – Players Who Won The Premier League, 2001-2010
Indispensables – Players Who Won The Premier League, 2011-2020
