Title rivals Liverpool and Manchester City dominate Premier League team of the season
As the PFA announce their Premier League team of the season, we at WhoScored.com unveil our own best XI, using our unique rating system to allocate the highest rated players per position over the course of the league campaign.
Given the nature of the title race and the quality of football produced by both Manchester City and Liverpool, it’s unsurprising the league’s top two dominate our best rated XI, though there are also notable mentions for those battling at different levels of the league table.
There are still three league games left to go in the season and ratings will change in that time but this is the best rated XI as things stand, with additional information about their Football INDEX share prices.
Goalkeeper: Lukasz Fabianski (West Ham) - 6.96 rating
Football INDEX share price - £0.22
West Ham’s recruitment strategy hasn’t always been their strong point in recent years but the pick-up of Lukasz Fabianski last summer has proved astute business. The former Arsenal shot-stopper is arguably one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League outside the league’s top-six sides and the 34-year-old has made at least nine more saves than any other goalkeeper in the division this season (132).
Left-back: Lucas Digne (Everton) - 7.36 rating
Football INDEX share price - £0.77
Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson has rightly received a lot of praise this season but he isn’t the only left-back that has flourished on Merseyside this season. Everton have endured a fairly miserable campaign but summer signing Lucas Digne has been exceptional for the Toffees since joining from Barcelona. The 25-year-old has played a direct hand in eight league goals in his maiden Premier League campaign, with all four of his goals coming from outside the box. In fact, only Christian Eriksen (5) has scored more long-range goals than Digne in the Premier League this term.
Centre-back: Fabian Schar (Newcastle) - 7.31 rating
Football INDEX share price - £0.31
It took some time for Fabian Schar to establish himself as a first-team regular for Newcastle this season but the 27-year-old has been one of the unsung heroes of the Premier League campaign. The Switzerland international, another summer signing, has been immense for Newcastle at the back and played a key part in their battle to beat the drop. Newcastle’s win ratio in the league this season drops from 52.6% when Schar has started to just 6.3% when he has not featured from the off. Schar has also weighed in with three goals, including a goal of the season contender against Burnley, which was Newcastle’s first of the season from outside the box.
Centre-back: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) - 7.43 rating
Football INDEX share price - £2.83
Virgil van Dijk, who has reportedly pipped Raheem Sterling to the PFA Player of the Year award, has not only cemented his position as one of the Premier League’s best players this season but he is arguably one of the best players on the planet. The Netherlands international has transformed Liverpool’s defence into one of the meanest in Europe, illustrated by the fact Liverpool have kept more clean sheets than any other team (19) in the Premier League and conceded the fewest goals in the division (20). Van Dijk has also scored three goals, registered two assists and won the WhoScored Man of the Match award four times in the league this term.
Right-back: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Crystal Palace) - 7.27 rating
Football INDEX share price - £1.99
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has the same WhoScored rating as Ricardo Pereira and Trent Alexander-Arnold but just edges the aforementioned duo based on minutes played. The Crystal Palace starlet has been a revelation for the Eagles over the last 14 months and it would not be a surprise to see him make a big money move at the end of the season. No player has made more tackles and interceptions combined than Wan-Bissaka in the Premier League this season (201), while the 21-year-old has been dribbled past just nine times, which given the nature of his position and the players he has marked, is nothing short of extraordinary.
Left wing: Eden Hazard (Chelsea) - 7.81 rating
Football INDEX share price - £5.04
Chelsea are struggling to hold onto fourth place but they would be so far off the pace for Champions League football next season if it wasn’t for Eden Hazard. The 28-year-old is the highest WhoScored player in the Premier League this season and more than deserves a potential summer switch to Real Madrid. Hazard was the first player to register double figures for goals (16) and assists (13) in England’s top-flight this season and has played a direct hand in at least two more goals than any other player (29). Not only is Hazard the only player to reach double figures for WhoScored Man of the Match awards in the Premier League this season, but he has been named the star man at least five more times than any other player (13). His startling displays keep Sadio Mane out of the team.
Central midfield: Fernandinho (Manchester City) - 7.31 rating
Football INDEX share price - £0.27
Like a fine wine, Fernandinho is only getting better with age and Manchester City have a tough task on their hands to find a worthy replacement. The 33-year-old has played an integral part in City’s success this season, as Pep Guardiola’s side look set to become the first team to successfully defend their Premier League crown in a decade. Fernandinho has typically been brilliant when City are out of possession, making 2 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game. Given the nature of his play, it’s remarkable he has only collected five yellow cards in the league this season. The 33-year-old has also registered three assists for the second league campaign in a row.
Central midfield: Paul Pogba (Manchester United) - 7.35 rating
Football INDEX share price - £7.50
Despite the criticism surrounding Paul Pogba this season, the Manchester United midfielder has posted some staggering statistics. Edging City duo Bernardo and David Silva out of the best rated XI, Pogba has astonishingly played a direct hand in 22 league goals this season - more than any other central midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues. The Frenchman’s campaign was in danger of drifting under Jose Mourinho but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s arrival really brought the best out of the 2018 World Cup winner during a devastating two-month period. At the end of December Pogba became the first Premier League player to register successive WhoScored 10 ratings in the Premier League since Harry Kane in May 2017. His goals and assists have also earned United an additional 22 points in the league this term.
Right wing: Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) - 7.69 rating
Football INDEX share price - £4.99
It’s been a phenomenal season on and off the pitch for Raheem Sterling this season and he can count himself unfortunate not to have been crowned the PFA Player of the Year. Sterling is enjoying his best ever season in goal and has been a major factor behind Manchester City’s unrelenting Premier League title pace. Sterling has scored 17 goals and provided 10 assists in the Premier League - one of three players to register double figures for goals and assists in the division. Furthermore, only Eden Hazard has won the WhoScored Man of the Match award more times than Sterling (8) in the Premier League this season.
Striker: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) - 7.52 rating
Football INDEX share price - £4.59
Suggestions Mohamed Salah is suffering from second season syndrome are misplaced. The Egyptian ace has been a constant threat for Liverpool this season even if his shooting boots have deserted him at times. The 26-year-old is still the joint top scorer in the Premier League this season (19 goals) and has also provided seven assists. Salah isn’t just a goalscorer for Liverpool but the former Chelsea forward has also brought into Jurgen Klopp’s all-action pressing, illustrated by the fact no player has won possession in the attacking third more times than Salah in the Premier League this season (35). Of players to have started at least 15 league matches this season, only two players have managed a greater proportion of their touches inside the opposition penalty area than Salah (17.7%).
Striker: Sergio Aguero (Manchester City) - 7.55 rating
Football INDEX share price - £1.56
Sergio Aguero needs only one more goal to emulate Alan Shearer as only the second player in Premier League history to score 20+ goals in six separate seasons and if he can find the back of the net once more in Manchester City’s final three league matches he will follow in the footsteps of only Thierry Henry to score 20+ goals in five successive Premier League campaigns. Aguero has adapted to Pep Guardiola’s demands brilliantly and re-asserted himself as one of the best strikers in the world in the last few years. Aguero is level with Mohamed Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the golden boot race this season but is in a league of his own when you discount penalty goals (17 goals). Furthermore, only one player has converted more clear-cut chances than Aguero in the Premier League this season (13).
