Of course, this is the most subjective of subjective lists, so I'm sure you'll disagree with at least one of our suggestions. Let us know in the comments, or via Facebook and Twitter, and if enough of you think we've cocked it up we'll do a reader's team as well!
So, read on to see our choices, presented in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Is your player of the season involved?
Goalkeeper - Julian Speroni (Crystal Palace)
Long-serving Palace 'keeper Speroni must have spent a large part of this season thinking it may be his last at the club. Out of contract in the summer, he has nevertheless played a huge role in the Eagles excellent campaign. You won't find him at the top of the statistical tables, but he has made a habit of pulling off crucial saves in the most important matches, including a match-winning display at West Ham to guarantee Palace's Premiership status.
Speroni has played every minute of every game this season, and when you look at Palace's goals for and against his impact stands out even more. Despite scoring just 28 goals in 37 games this season, they have a better goal difference than Newcastle, thanks to keeping it so tight at the other end. In fact, only five clubs have conceded less - Chelsea, Man City, Everton, Man United and Arsenal. It's in large part thanks to the veteran Argentine that Palace are in such rarefied company.
Honourable mentions: Brad Guzan has been one of the few bright points of a disappointing season for Aston Villa, while Wojciech Szczęsny has repaid Arsene Wenger's faith with a very solid year.
Honourable mentions: Brad Guzan has been one of the few bright points of a disappointing season for Aston Villa, while Wojciech Szczęsny has repaid Arsene Wenger's faith with a very solid year.
Left back - Luke Shaw (Southampton)
Already tipped by many to have a good season, Shaw has met and exceeded even the most optimistic expectations. One of a number of talented young English players to come through the Southampton youth system, Shaw has become a regular starter for the Saints and made his England debut in February. Still just 18, he has already matured into a defender equally at home in the opponent's half, putting in over 130 crosses this season. Of course, we all know what happened to the last attacking left-back Southampton produced...
Honourable mentions: We disregarded Leighton Baines, who lived up to his own high standards rather than being 'most improved' - and who also missed some of the season through injury. Had his replacement Brian Oviedo not been injured in turn, he might also have been a contender. César Azpilicueta has done very well to displace Ashley Cole at Chelsea, while Joel Ward deserves plenty of the credit for Palace's defensive displays.
Honourable mentions: We disregarded Leighton Baines, who lived up to his own high standards rather than being 'most improved' - and who also missed some of the season through injury. Had his replacement Brian Oviedo not been injured in turn, he might also have been a contender. César Azpilicueta has done very well to displace Ashley Cole at Chelsea, while Joel Ward deserves plenty of the credit for Palace's defensive displays.
Right back - Seamus Coleman (Everton)
Rather like Luke Shaw, Coleman's excellent season probably didn't come as a surprise to many, but the clear improvements in all-around play this year put him head and shoulders above the competition. Coleman was an excellent defender last season, and picked up five assists, but this year he's added goals to his game. Six, to be precise, including particularly good efforts against Southampton and Swansea. Yet he has also helped out defensively, keeping eleven clean sheets this season.
Honourable mentions: Mathieu Debuchy has had a good season under the radar at Newcastle, while Ahmed Elmohamady has proved a potent attacking threat at right wing-back for Hull. Liverpool's Jon Flanagan also deserves a mention, filling in on both sides of the pitch over the season.
Centre back - John Terry
Centre back - Martin Skrtel
Another player who many thought might have left last summer - including himself! Skrtel is an uncompromising defender, although there are question marks over his decision-making. Despite the occasional defensive lapse, he has been a huge part of Liverpool's success this season, in particular at the other end of the field. A huge threat from set-pieces, his seven goals include vital strikes against the likes of Arsenal and Man City. So, on how he has improved enough to force himself back into Brendan Rodgers' plans, Skrtel takes the second centre-back slot.
Honourable mentions: This was one of the hardest positions to decide upon, and might well be the most controversial. In terms of how well they've played, names such as Gary Cahill, Jose Fonte and Sylvain Distin could all be in the mix. But in terms of improvement, the closest to the side were the already-mentioned Mertesacker, who is a different player to last year's lumbering liability, and Curtis Davies. Once describing his own performance as that of a "pub player", this season he has finally shaken off the 'Championship player' tag as part of a mean Tigers defence.
Holding midfielder - Jordan Henderson
Continuing our theme of player's written off before a ball had been kicked, suffice to say Jordan Henderson did not have the easiest of times following his £20 million move to Liverpool in 2011. Forced to justify himself in the press, it was only towards the end of last season that he began to be talked about as one of Liverpool's better players. Another player who Brendan Rogers has transformed despite nearly selling him to Fulham, Henderson this season has been immense. In the shadow of the incredible talents of Luis Suarez, the exciting attacking play of Sturridge, Sterling and Coutinho, and of course the one-man media darling Steven Gerrard, Henderson has played a vital, if unspectacular, role in the first team.
Almost ever present in the side, Henderson's main job is to break up opposition attacks and help Liverpool build towards their exciting front players. But his own contribution in attack should not be forgotten - four goals and seven assists are a more than respectable tally for a midfielder, especially one usually deployed so deep. Back involved with the England squad this season, Henderson would not be an unpopular choice for a seat on the plane to Brazil - and who'd have thought we'd be saying that eighteen months ago?
Holding midfielder - Tom Huddlestone
Finally an established first-team regular for the first time since he first came to prominence at Derby County, Huddlestone is showing what week-in, week-out football can do for a player. After almost 90 appearances in just two seasons for the Rams (becoming a key player at the age of just 16) he left for Spurs, but never quite cemented his place at White Hart Lane. Injuries, changes of manager, form - they all contributed to ensuring he only played more than 30 games in a season once (in 2009-10). Almost a forgotten man under AVB, salvation came in the form of a £5 million move last summer to the newly-promoted Tigers. Tipped by most to struggle, Hull have instead spent the season in comfortable mid-table, along with reaching the Cup Final.
Huddlestone's role in this is hard to overestimate. Not only does his defensive nous and tough tackling help protect an ageing defence, he also is the impetus behind much of Hull's best attacking play. Memories of the long-ball set piece specialists that blighted the Premiership under Phil 'Orange' Brown have been banished as Huddlestone and midfield partner Jake Livermore have spearheaded an easy on the eye passing game. Most notably of all, Huddlestone finally got his first goal in over two years in late Decemeber, leading to the "most eagerly anticipated hairstyle change in Premier League history"!
Honourable mentions: A lot of names came up in our discussions here, so in no particular order, very honourable mentions go to: Jonjo Shelvey, Mile Jedinak, Jordon Mutch, Emanuele Giaccherini, Gareth Barry, Jake Livermore, Fernandinho, Steven Gerrard and Morgan Schneiderlin
Attacking midfielder (left) - Adam Lallana
The picture above is included for a reason. It's almost expected now that Southampton will have a large number of talented and creative young players in their side, but it feels like a long time since we could say the same about England - especially on the left-hand side. Lallana has been a regular in the Saints team since their season in League One, and he more than any other player typifies how they have developed since then.
Apparently the subject of a £30 million tug of war between Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea, Lallana has blossomed this season into a truly world-class midfielder. We here at Stoppage Time would start him in Brazil, and his place in the PFA Team of the Year is well deserved.
Attacking midfielder (right) - Aaron Ramsey
What if Aaron Ramsey had never been injured? You don't need to be an Arsenal fan to think the Gunners would have been much closer to the title race if the influential Welshman had not missed almost half the season. Eight assists and nine goals in just 22 starts is a phenomenal record for any player, never mind one who, like so many others on this list, might have been seen as a weak link back in August. Despite his injury problems, and the Gunners' mid-season malaise, Ramsey could still win the first trophy of his career by the end of the season. If he plays as well as he has been, don't bet against him lifting the FA Cup in a couple of weeks time.
Attacking midfielder (centre) - Yaya Toure
An uncontroversial selection in almost everyone's team of the season, there was much debate here at Stoppage Time HQ about whether the Ivorian midfielder should be in the side. He is, unquestionably, one of the best midfielders in the world, never mind the Premier League, but is he "most improved"? We've decided he is, mainly on the basis of his new-found scoring touch. Having scored 21 goals in 3 seasons, Yaya has notched 19 in this Premiership campaign alone. It is no exaggeration to say that without him, City would not be favourites for the title - or perhaps even still in contention.
There's not too much to say about Toure that hasn't been said already but we should add that his overall team play is still just as effective as ever, and his defensive contributions should not be forgotten. Furthermore, his goals have come at crucial times - including 15% in the last ten minutes of matches.
Honourable mentions: Again, a difficult category to narrow down, with Eden Hazard, David Silva and Wayne Rooney missing out only because of meeting their already huge expectations. New to the Premier League, Christian Eriksen, Marko Arnautovic, Andre Schurrle, Adnan Januzaj and Willian all had good seasons, while Ross Barkley, Jay Rodriguez and Nathan Redmond will be hoping to continue their exciting development.
But our most honourable mentions go to two English wingers who have had very different careers. Young talent Raheem Stirling has fought his way back into the Liverpool side and played an increasingly important role as the title race progressed. Our other nominee who only missed out by a whisker is Jason Puncheon. After spells at Wimbledon, Barnet, Fisher Athletic, Millwall and Blackpool, among others, Puncheon has been one of Crystal Palace's most potent threats this year.
Striker - Wilfried Bony
WHAT? NO SUAREZ? OMG! WTF!
Right, now we've got that out of the way, why have we picked a player who is only 8th in the goalscoring charts to lead our team of the season? Well, it was a tough call, and it has a lot to do with the "most improved" ethos that we've been trying to focus on. Any of the top ten goalscorers could easily be selected for having a fine season, and of course Luis Suarez sits atop that pile. But most improved? He might have scored even more than most would have predicted, but most expected an excellent season from the Uruguayan. For the same reason, Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero are excluded.
At that point, the award could still have gone to close contenders Olivier Giroud or Romelu Lukaku. For the former, key misses and poor performances in the biggest games have scuppered his chance, while for the latter - well, it's easier to score goals in a better team, and Lukaku is another player who has lost his way a little in the second half of the season. Loic Remy was another name bandied about, and had as good a claim as any.
So why Bony? Well, I should first admit he was picked through gritted teeth for this writer, who had him in his fantasy team from August until December (when he scored just four of his fifteen Premier League goals). However, since returning from injury, the Ivory Coast striker has increasingly resembled international team mate Didier Drogba - powerful in the air, good with the ball at his feet and a constant goal threat who doesn't stop for ninety minutes. As we said above, it's a lot easier to score goals in a good side, and Swansea have rarely been that for more than one game in a row this season. Coming from the Dutch Eredivisie is never easy, even as top scorer - just ask previous winners Mateja Kezman and Afonso Alves. Yet Bony has scored goals regularly, even in a side often decimated by injuries. If the Swans can keep Michu fit next season, he and Bony could be a partnership to be reckoned with.
The team in full:
So it's over to you. Tell us your team of the season in the comments below, or via Twitter or Facebook.
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