We now have a rather vast football-shaped hole in our lives after the culmination to the Premier League season on Sunday.
Because this summer, given the lack of a major tournament, is a little different to last year.
Chelsea are champions, Tottenham ‘applied the pressure’ once again but fell short and Hull, Middlesbrough and Sunderland are all saying goodbye to the top flight.
All week we’ll be reviewing the season and the best players throughout the campaign according to Dream Team points scored.
And to kick it off, we’re looking at the five best goalkeepers.
Take it away, Hugo…
1 Hugo Lloris (Tottenham) – 135 points
The winner by quite some distance.
Lloris has been exceptional in a miserly Spurs defence that has conceded just 24 goals all season, of which a paltry nine came at fortress White Hart Lane.
The Frenchman’s kicking could definitely improve, but every other aspect of his game is world class and his stellar consistency brings a calm presence to a still young Tottenham team.
Sure Lloris has the privilege of a rock-solid backline in front of him, but when called upon he’s also made some vital saves.
2 Fraser Forster (Southampton) – 118 points
Perhaps a surprise inclusion in the rankings, but when you consider Southampton’s run to the League Cup final it makes more sense.
Forster’s form dipped in the first half of the season but since Christmas he’s been excellent, particularly in the absence of Saints captian Virgil van Dijk.
The England stopper also kept a couple of clean sheets in their brief time in the Europa League, while he racked up an amazing 37 points against Liverpool alone by keeping four clean sheets against the Reds in all competitions.
3 Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea) – 114 points
Courtois has shaken off a torrid 2015/6 campaign to return to his formidable best this time around, winning the Premier League Golden Glove for the second time in his career.
Like Lloris, he has the beauty of playing behind a stoic defence with the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz and Gary Cahill all excellent this season.
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The Belgian, who is still just 25, has kept 17 clean sheets this season despite a run of 11 Premier League games without one at point in 2017.
Even when he isn’t keeping shutouts he’s scoring highly though, illustrating how he’s making key saves when it really matters.
4 Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester) – 100 points
Leicester may have flirted with Premier League relegation for a while, but their performances in the Champions League will live long in the memory.
Schmeichel played a huge part in that enduring European journey, saving two penalties against Sevilla in the knockout stages after four successive clean sheets in their group games.
Despite missing eight games in the middle of the season with a hand injury he’s still scored regularly, finishing the season strongly with 18 points from two games against West Brom and Watford.
5 Petr Cech (Arsenal) – 95 points
Arsenal’s customary late season form eventually proved too little too late in their bid to make the top four, but three clean sheets in his last five games saw Cech sneak into the top five.
The former Chelsea goalkeeper’s powers are definitely waning but he’s still a match-winner when on form.
It remains to be seen whether he’ll still be Arsenal’s first choice next season ahead of a summer of huge upheaval at the club.