There can be little doubt that this years Premier League has been one of the most bizarre in recent memory. You have Manchester United, the existing (and 3-time back to back) Champions having lost 5 games already and sitting in second. you have Liverpool, a team who competed all the way only to finish in second last season sitting way back in seventh. You have Man City, with a new manager after the last one was sacked having being given a target of 70 points after 38 games and reaching 32 in 18. You have Birmingham, Fulham and Stoke all sitting rather comfortably in the top half of the table and Portsmouth, FA Cup winners only 2 seasons ago, failing to pay players wages three times already this season despite a major takeover at the start of the season.

All in all it has been something  that no one could have predicted. So with that I bring to you my personal team of the mid-season 09/10.

Goalkeeper: Joe Hart (Birmingham City)
The real standout keeper of the season so far has been Birmingham’s on loan, Joe Hart. Hart has been responsible almost single handedly for keeping Birmingham in games with some shot stopping of the highest order and there can be little doubt that he is playing himself right into the World Cup squad for England in 2010. Joe looks a completely different player this season, perhaps this is down to less of a pressure situation at Birmingham to the one he had at the newly taken over Manchester City, perhaps it’s someone who has seen a real gap in the market for a quality England keeper after failing from Robert Green and Ben Foster as well as an injury to David James. Either way I’m sure there can’t be many complaints about Joe Hart being my first choice.

Right-back: Vedran Corluka (Tottenham Hotspur)
Playing out of position from his preferred Center-back role, Corluka has been a revelation at Tottenham Hotspur by bringing well needed height and strength  as well as coolness and composure. Corluka seldom gives the ball away and will run for the full 90 minutes to help out Aaron Lennon, no mean feat in itself, but it also capable of putting in a few tasty crosses of his own. So comfortable has Corluka been in fact, that he’s been keeping out natural right-backs whilst making it look like he’s been doing it his whole life.

Center-back: Richard Dunne (Aston Villa)
Perhaps the real reason Mark Hughes ended up getting sacked was because of this major blunder. Who on Earth would swap the ever reliable, tough tackling, consistent and gentlemanly Richard Dunne for the clumsy, inconsistent and error prone Joleon Lescott? Well, aside from Mark Hughes? Richard Dunne has been the model of consistency in the back-line of Aston Villa, slotting in there seamlessly and forming a brilliant partnership with the likes of Carlos Cuellar and James Collins. Whilst being the defensive rock Aston Villa have needed since the sad retirement of Martin Laursen, Dunne has also helped to cover the loss of the Dane’s set-piece attacking play by wading in with a couple of important goals already, including one against his former employers earlier in the season.

Center-back: Roger Johnson (Birmingham City)
A relative unknown prior to Birmingham’s promotion last season, Johnson’s all-action displays have caught the eye week in, week out resulting in many fans requesting a place in the England squad. Johnson has truly bridged the gap between Championship and Premier League with aplomb and should Birmingham falter come the end of the season there will be no shortage of suiters for the 26-year old.

Left-back: Ashley Cole (Chelsea)
Just ahead of Patrice Evra, Ashley Cole has had a fantastic season, showing his quality both offensively and defensively. Whilst his performances in an England shirt haven’t been too clever as of late, his showings in a Chelsea shirt have shown him to be amongst the top left-backs in the world, terrorizing the left flank and even weighing in with a couple of goals this campaign. Cole has been Chelsea’s stand out defensive performer and is a certain pick for England’s starting World Cup XI come the summer.

Right-wing: Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur)
Lennon, Spurs’ “player of the year” last season, has kicked on even more so this year, producing more and more match winning performances, and a noticeably improved final delivery and the ability to go either inside or out, making himself more of a goal threat. People often forget that Lennon is only 22 years old and still learning the game so further improvement is likely to still come and I’m sure Spurs fans would like to see a higher goal return, but there can be little doubt that the fast wide-man has enough in his locker to worry and left-back in the game.

Central-midfield: Nigel De Jong (Manchester City)
For me, De Jong has been a bit of an unsung hero at Manchester City, getting about the pitch, breaking play up and making the simple pass, he reminds me of a younger Claude Makelele. Never afraid to put his foot in where it hurts and the energy to keep going until the final minute, De Jong has put in some fantastic performances already this season, none better than his amazing performance in the Chelsea game just before Christmas. Given his recent form it does seem a little confusing that Manchester City would sign Patrick Vieira.

Central-midfield: Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
The ridiculously talented Spaniard may be going in the summer, but he’s definitely not going with a whimper if he does. Fabregas has never really had a bad season in an Arsenal shirt, but few would deny that this is his best. Involved in almost every good attacking move, Fabregas has become an integral part of Arsenal’s “beautiful game”. Fabregas has already hit 9 goals this season and bagged 10 assists for the cause, which has seen Arsenal fight their way back into contention for the league. The fact that he’s only 22 years old really is mind-blowing.

Left-wing: James Milner (Aston Villa)
One of Englands most talented young players, Milner really can play anywhere on the pitch and although he has been deployed predominantly in the center of midfield this season, he can also swap onto either wing, interchanging with Ashley Young and Stewart Downing. It’s Milners industry that gets him a place in this team, his never say die attitude and willingness to work going forwards and back means that he has to be in England’s World Cup squad.

Forward: Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
In scintillating form this season, the Ivorian has dominated almost every defence he’s come up against. Brute strength, deceptive pace and clinical finishing have seen the forward hit the back of the net 14 times in 18 games this season. Drogba is sadly showing what he is capable of and had he tried like this last season under Scolari then things may have worked out differently for the Brazilian manager, but that aside, he has to be in the list. I just wish he’d sort his annoying attitude and constant harassing of the referees, a similar trait shared by Fernando Torres.

Forward: Darren Bent (Sunderland)
I’ve always been a fan of Darren Bent and thought he was left out to dry at Tottenham. Last seasons top scorer for Spurs, it seemed odd that Redknapp was so willing to ship him out, even berating a miss he made last campaign, humiliating the hit-man. Since joining Sunderland Bent has been a man re-invigorated, hitting the back of the net with the kind of consistency that he showed at Charlton many years ago. It seems to be universally unpopular to praise Bent, much in the same way Andy Cole had it throughout his duration at Manchester United. Bent is showing what a top striker he really is.

On the bench: Shay Given, Thomas Vermaelen, Patrice Evra, Abou Diaby, Clint Dempsey, Carlos Tevez and Jermaine Defoe.