Friday 21 December 2018 12:00, UK
As another exhilarating year of footballing action draws to a close, the Soccer Saturday pundits have picked their team of the past 12 months.
The climax of 2018 is nearly upon us, which means it is a good time to sit back and reflect on some of the best sides of the footballing year.
There have been some standout candidates and here the Soccer Saturday pundits select their best ones...
What Cardiff have done is phenomenal on that budget. I'd like to see Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola go and work their magic at Cardiff. To do what they've done in 2018 is a feat.
Fulham and Wolves spent a fortune in the summer, it's worked for one and not so much the other, but Cardiff are just about keeping their heads above water.
Undoubtedly, it's Man City. What Pep Guardiola is doing is modelled on the concept of Barcelona. It's a Barca without Messi, but in certain ways he's actually got more creativity in this City team when Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero and David Silva are all on form. You can then throw in Riyad Mahrez and Leroy Sane.
I'm not sure too many people thought this could be done in the Premier League because his first season didn't bring much at all. However, there's a certain stubbornness in genius. He did spend money, but he let them go and play so undoubtedly, they are my team of the year.
I think with what they have done having come up from the Championship, and then gone on to cement a place in the top half, Wolves have to be in with a shout for team of 2018. Obviously Man City have been unbelievable, but in their own way, what Wolves have done is remarkable.
You can't look beyond Man City really, to get 100 points and over 100 goals and all those stats they produced last season was phenomenal. They've continued that this season even with Kevin De Bruyne missing, but it was that back end of last season when they were incredible and you can't argue with them as the team of the year.
