UEFA have announced their best 18-man squad from the 2018/19 Europa League campaign – and the list features eight Chelsea players and three Arsenal stars.
The two London giants contested this season’s final in Baku, with Maurizio Sarri’s men running out 4-1 winners against Unai Emery’s side, earning the Blues’ second Europa League title in six years and denying the Gunners the chance of playing Champions League football next term.
Jorginho has drawn a lot of criticism during his first season in the Premier League after arriving from Napoli last summer with Maurizio Sarri, but the midfielder was a key performer in the Blues’ Europa League run and is also featured on the 18-man selection.
? #UEL Squad of the Season 2018/19 ?
UEFA's Technical Observers have selected their 18-man squad from this season's UEFA Europa League… ?
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) May 30, 2019
Fellow big-money summer signing Kepa Arrizabalaga has also made the cut, having kept a tournament-best 13 clean sheets, whilst defenders David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta also feature on the list after effectively stifling Arsenal’s prolific attacking stars in Baku.
Meanwhile, the Gunners’ impressive run to the final saw them overcome the likes of Napoli and Valencia en route to the final, and their performances have not gone unnoticed by UEFA.
Defenders Laurent Koscielny and Sead Kolasinac were virtual ever-presents in Emery’s side in the latter stages of the competition, and both are included in the 18-man selection, along with star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was the third top scorer in the tournament.
Elsewhere, Eintracht Frankfurt emerged as the surprise package of this season’s Europa League, and their run to the semi-finals has seen five players from the Bundesliga side named on the list, including Real Madrid-bound striker Luka Jovic, along with two Benfica players.
Goalkeepers
Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea)
Defenders
Alex Grimaldo (Benfica)
Sead Kolašinac (Arsenal)
Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal)
David Luiz (Chelsea)
César Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
Danny da Costa (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Midfielders
Makoto Hasebe (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Filip Kostić (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Jorginho (Chelsea)
N’Golo Kanté (Chelsea)
Forwards/Wingers
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)
Olivier Giroud (Chelsea)
Luka Jović (Eintracht Frankfurt)
João Félix (Benfica)
Pedro Rodriguez (Chelsea)
Eden Hazard (Chelsea)