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Team of the season so far
- Updated: January 5, 2017
Tottenham’s win over Chelsea on Wednesday night not only breathed life into the title race but means that every team in the Premier League has now played 20 games.
The break for the FA Cup offers a chance for us to catch our own breath and reflect on the team of the season so far based on WhoScored.com’s unique statistical player ratings.
To feature in the line-up, players must have made more than 10 appearances. Here’s how the team looks so far…
Jordan Pickford (Sunderland) – 7.07 rating
There’s no surprise that clubs are thought to be queuing up to poach Pickford from Sunderland so as far as the Black Cats are concerned. While his injury is a big blow, it’s perhaps come at the right time over the transfer window. The 22-year-old has made the second most saves in the league (73) despite missing four matches, with a string of unbelievable stops ensuring David Moyes’ side enter 2017 with hope of survival.
Kyle Walker (Tottenham) – 7.43 rating
After an excellent season last time around, Walker has picked up where he left off and, along with Danny Rose on the opposite flank, plays a crucial role in Mauricio Pochettino’s system at Spurs. The England international has made impressive strides defensively in recent years but his attacking output is still the right-back’s greatest strength. He has created 1.5 chances per game this season, resulting in four assists thus far.
Nicolas Otamendi (Manchester City) – 7.66 rating
While Manchester City’s defending as a whole this season has come in for widespread criticism, Otamendi has rarely been at fault, instead having to watch on as the likes of John Stones, Aleksandar Kolarov and Claudio Bravo have made costly errors. The Argentine has actually made the most tackles per game (2.6) and won the most aerial duels per game of any centre-back, while also ranking among the league’s top 10 players for interceptions per game (3.1).
Virgil van Dijk (Southampton) – 7.45 rating
It’s little wonder that Virgil van Dijk is being tipped as the next Saints star to leave the club, with the Dutch centre-back emerging as one of the league’s most …
