Kevin De Bruyne and Joelinton feature in WhoScored’s Premier League Team of the Season so far
MOST Dream Team gaffers will know that our match ratings are provided by WhoScored.
Our data-loving pals use a sophisticated stats-based algorithm to determine which players earn bonus points from 7+ ratings and which individual claims the Star Man award in any given fixture.
Naturally, it makes sense to check in with WhoScored every now and then to see which players are ranking highly.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at their Premier League Team of the Season so far…
GOALKEEPER: Kepa Arrizabalaga (£3.4m)
GETTYHe’s a keeper[/caption]
Nick Pope (£5.3m) has one finger in the Golden Glove having kept 12 clean sheets, three more than his nearest rival, and with 126 points to his name he’s by far and away Dream Team’s best goalkeeper.
However, it’s Chelsea’s custodian who has the highest average rating (7.22).
Arrizabalaga has impressed since replacing Edouard Mendy (£3.2m), who is as prone to errors as injuries this season, and a run of three consecutive clean sheets has propelled him up to third in the rankings among keepers.
The Spaniard was signed for an enormous transfer fee in 2018 and has largely disappointed but he’s finally showing the kind of form that put him on the map at Athletic Bilbao.
DEFENDERS: Kieran Trippier (£6.6m), Fabian Schar (£4.8m), Ben Mee (£3.4m), Joao Cancelo
Pope may have missed out on this XI but Newcastle make up half of the back four.
Trippier’s average rating of 7.68 is the second-highest among all players and no asset has claimed more Star Man awards than the England international’s seven at the time of writing.
Schar is second only to his vice-captain among defenders in terms of Dream Team points and so his presence won’t come as much of a surprise – although few if any would have predicted the extent of the Swiss centre-back’s success prior to Game Week 1.
New year, new Mee!GETTY
We wrote an entire article full of overdue appreciation for Mee’s efforts earlier this week.
The 33-year-old’s appearance in WhoScored’s XI is yet further confirmation of how effectively the ex-Burnley captain has improved Brentford’s defence.
With the Bees pushing for European qualification, Mee has chipped in with three useful goals on top of his reliable performances at the back.
Well, well, well, look who it is at left-back, Manchester City’s recent exile.
Cancelo’s form dropped off a cliff following his return from the World Cup but his average rating of 7.03 underlines how good he was during the first third of the campaign.
The Portugal international earned 99 points before he was loaned to Bayern Munich.
For those who feel Cancelo’s inclusion doesn’t wash, Fulham’s Kenny Tete (£2.7m) has the next-best average rating (7.01) among full-backs.
MIDFIELDERS: Bukayo Saka (£4.2m), Kevin De Bruyne (£7m), Martin Odegaard (£3.4m), Joelinton (£3.7m)
Team of the Year candidate?
League leaders Arsenal provide 50% of the midfield.
Saka and Odegaard have 27 goal involvements between them in the league this season and both have been key contributors to the Gunners’ title charge so far.
The pair’s efforts have translated to Dream Team success without any friction as both are among the exclusive group of just five midfielders with 100+ points to their name at this stage.
De Bruyne leads the way in that regard with a tally of 135 points and his average rating of 7.58 is only bettered by three players.
The Belgian may have slacked off a tad in recent weeks but he’s still the leading assist provider by a comfortable margin – he has 11 in 20 league outings.
Joelinton completes the midfield and while the St James’ Park faithful will say he’s fully deserving of his place for his wholehearted displays, it’s interesting that his consistent performances aren’t reflected in the Dream Team rankings.
72 points represents a decent return for the Brazilian but he’s currently outside the top 15 assets in his position.
It’s worth noting here that had WhoScored not been so strict on positioning, Bruno Fernandes (£5.8m) would have filled the final spot in midfield.
FORWARDS: Erling Haaland (£9.1m), Gabriel Jesus (£5.3m)
Injured but not forgotten
Man City’s prolific poacher has the highest average rating (7.7) in the Premier League this season, a fair reflection of his mountainous goal tally.
Haaland has scored 25 goals in 20 league appearances since his move from Borussia Dortmund and probably already has a place on his mantelpiece cleared for the Golden Boot.
His tally of 256 Dream Team points is also ludicrous.
Arsenal’s No9 has been injured for a few weeks now and some Dream Team bosses may have forgotten how influential he was during his side’s flying start.
Jesus scored five goals and assisted five others in his first 14 games but it was the way he linked the attacking unit together that ensured a string of lofty ratings.
Trippier and Haaland are the only players with a higher average rating than the Brazilian’s 7.6.
Harry Kane (£7.9m) and Ivan Toney (£5.5m) narrowly miss out.
