Team of the Season – Branislav Ivanovic

Branislav Ivanovic refined his breathless brand of two-way full-back play to a fine art this season, posting his greatest haul of attacking returns while ensuring that solid defensive principles weren’t neglected in the process. The ever-consistent Serb was subsequently named in the PFA Team of the Year for his efforts and deservedly earns a spot in our own interpretation.

The Statistics

Ivanovic swiftly established himself as the prime defensive pick in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL), notching two goals, an assist, five bonus points and a clean sheet during Chelsea’s opening three fixtures.

Having started at 7.0, the Serbian international then hovered around the 7.2 mark for the first half of the campaign, before a hugely profitable seven-match stretch – which harvested two goals and three assists – attracted a surge of investors and triggered a price rise to 7.6. By virtue of the Blues’ eight clean sheet in their final 18 matches, Ivanovic remained a popular pick till the last and ended the season with a 30% ownership.

Ivanovic is famed for his rampaging runs down the flank and penchant for scoring in bursts – traits that are reflected in his underlying statistics. The former Lokomotiv Moscow defender headed up the defender leaderboards with regards to goal attempts (44), shots inside the box (30) and shots on target (11). Furthermore, Ivanovic was a creative powerhouse, ranking third in terms of key passes (36) and first for successful passes in the opponents’ final third (378). Only Leighton Baines (11 – two goals, nine assists) contributed to more goals than the title-winning full-back (10 – four goals, six assists) over the course of the season.

With a total score of 179 points, Ivanovic topped the FPL defender rankings and placed sixth in the overall standings. Eden Hazard, with his unrivalled 233-point haul, was the only player on Chelsea’s roster to boast a superior tally. In spite of these attacking exploits, Ivanovic was awarded just 13 bonus points in 38 appearances, trailing John Terry (14) and Cesar Azpilicueta (19) in that respect.

The Prospects

Chelsea were the standout defensive team of the 2014/15 league season, recording more clean sheets (17) than any other outfit. Moreover, the London club conceded the fewest goals (32), big chances (35) and shots inside the box (208) – a feat surely aided by the excellent shielding qualities of enforcer Nemanja Matic. As such, one Chelsea defender is likely to be a staple among the starting squads in next season’s FPL, with Ivanovic and Terry tussling for the same berth.

Despite starting last term at a higher price than Terry (7.0 to 6.5), Ivanovic was the premier choice for much of the campaign, yet the latter’s late flourish (two goals in the last five Gameweeks) greatly strengthened the Blues captain’s case for inclusion.

Given that the pair were two of only four outfield players to manage every minute last term, their consistency of minutes under Jose Mourinho is clearly crucial to how we view their prospects. It remains to be seen whether Terry’s ageing limbs will be able to handle another full season without a rest, though, and Ivanovic, for many, remains the prime pick amongst the Blues’ rearguard.

A price hike to 7.5 isn’t out of the question, though irrespective of any cost adjustments, Ivanovic is sure to enjoy a high ownership due to his favourable returns per unit of investment. Aside from Harry Kane – who’s a special case due to his unforeseen emergence – Ivanovic is by far the cheapest among the top six highest-scoring players of the concluded season. Considering only three midfielders and two forwards managed to better his overall score, then, he makes a strong claim for investing.

Key to his appeal is the Serbian’s consistency. Ivanovic’s penchant for picking up points at both ends of the pitch meant that he produced either attacking or defensive returns in 24 of his 38 appearances, and he only seems to be improving with age. Having carded his best points tally (beating the previous season’s 159) and attacking output (surpassing his four goals and five assists in the 2010/11 campaign), Ivanovic seems to be enjoying a greater freedom to bomb forward and his raids down the right will surely be pivotal to Chelsea’s title tilt once again.