Sam Maguire is on hand to piece together an alternative Premier League Team of 2022, using data to select players from across the calendar year.
- Stats correct before Boxing Day
A prolific month or two is not going to move me, with the span being a full 12 months, so, sadly for him, Miguel Almiron doesn’t make the cut.
If I was looking at 2022/23 form alone, he would be a shoo-in...
Goalkeeper: Nick Pope (Burnley & Newcastle United)
He was a revelation between the sticks for Burnely and he’s been instrumental for Newcastle United following his summer move to St James’ Park. The Magpies have conceded just 11 times in the Premier League this term despite having an Expected Goals Against total of 18. It would be extreme to suggest the 30-year-old shot-stopper is single-handedly keeping Eddie Howe’s men in the race for a top four spot, but he’s definitely a key factor.
It was a similar story at Turf Moor last season when the Clarets conceded 53 goals from an xGA total of almost 63. Pope has genuinely been one of the best shot-stoppers in the league over the last 12 months and his place in this XI is more than deserved.
Right-back: Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United)
Signed from Atletico Madrid in January, Trippier has been one of the standout players in the Premier League following his return to England.
The 32-year-old has been directly involved in seven goals for the Magpies across the calendar year and ranks impressively for a host of creative metrics including Key Passes, Passes into the Penalty Area, Crosses into the Penalty Area, Progressive Passes and Expected Assists.
He pulls his weight defensively too, making up one of the best defensive units in the Premier League over the past 12 months with Howe’s side conceding just 31 goals across the calendar year.
Centre-back: Kurt Zouma (West Ham United)
Zouma got a big money move to West Ham ahead of the 2021/22 season. The 28-year-old has seamlessly slotted into David Moyes’ system and has been one of the standout performers across a few key defensive metrics. For example, he is a juggernaut in the air, winning 75% of his aerial duels across his time with the Hammers.
Over the last 12 months, he’s in the 80th percentile above on FBref for clearances, shots blocked, errors and dribbled past. Opponents rarely beat him and he’s solid in one-on-one duels. He’s also in the 88th percentile for aerial duels won. Zouma isn’t too shabby in possession either, finding a teammate 88% of the time. All in all, he’s a solid centre-back who comes out on top in the majority of situations.
Centre-back: James Tarkowski (Burnley & Everton)
He’s in for a lot of the same reasons as Zouma.
Tarkowski may have been one of the constants in a relegated Burnley side and he’s now anchoring a struggling Everton team, but he continues to impress on an individual level.
He is in the 99th percentile for blocks, the 94th percentile for clearances, the 97th percentile for aerial duels won and the 93rd percentile for aerial duel success rate. Tarkowski also ranks highly for through balls, key passes and Expected Assists.
Now, I know a lot of these metrics are tied to volume and he will be busy due to playing in struggling sides, but that shouldn’t detract from how he is managing to win his individual battles on a consistent basis.
Left-back: Marc Cucurella (Brighton & Chelsea)
Full-backs who can influence things in the final third are fashionable at the moment. The likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andrew Robertson and Joao Cancelo regularly get the plaudits while the former two are often at the top end of the assists table.
But I wanted to single out Cucurella.
He is a ball-playing full-back who is often heavily involved in the build-up. He isn’t a final phase player, so doesn’t show up that well when looking at shot-creating actions or expected assists, but he does show up well in a number of other areas. The former Barcelona youngster ranks highly for passes attempted, progressive passes and passes into the final third. Cucurella is also superb defensively, ranking in the 85th percentile or above for tackles, % of dibblers tackled, tackles in the offensive third, blocks and ball recoveries.
Centre-midfield: Moises Caicedo (Brighton)
This was a tough call. It was either going to be Caicedo or his teammate, Alexis Mac Allister. I opted for the Ecuoador international because of the impact he’s had on the Seagulls. Granted, he didn’t break into the team properly until April, I think he’s done more than enough to justify his inclusion.
The Liverpool and Chelsea transfer target has transformed the middle third for Brighton and he is a big reason as to why they find themselves in seventh position this season. He seems to cover every blade of grass and is often coming out on top in his individual duels - ranking highly on FBref for tackles, interceptions, blocks and aerial duels.
Centre-midfield: James Ward-Prowse (Southampton)
Southampton may be rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table but had it not been for the performances for James Ward-Prowse last season, they might not even be in the English top-flight this term.
The captain has 13 goal involvements during the calendar year. He assisted two goals in the win over Spurs and scored in draws against Leeds United and Brighton as the Saints picked up important points in their bid for survival.
Despite the team’s struggles, Ward-Prowse is one of the most potent midfielders in Europe with an average of 0.22 goals per 90 over the last 12 months. He is also in the 93rd percentile for expected assists (0.21 per 90) while being one of the best dead-ball specialists in the world.
Centre-midfield: Rodrigo Bentancur (Spurs)
Again, this was another difficult choice as Mason Mount was in with a shout. However, the Chelsea man, dispute having such an impressive 2021/22 campaign, was much more productive in the first half of the season. His 2022 hasn’t been the greatest in terms of output and that is why he doesn’t make the cut.
Instead, I’ve chosen Bentancur. Signed by Spurs during the winter window, he is now arguably their most important midfielder. Not only does he help set the tempo with his 77 passes per 90, he also chips in with goals and assists (four and six since the switch, respectively) while also contributing defensively, showing up well on FBref for tackles, interceptions, blocks, clearances and aerial duels won.
By no means a one-man midfield, he is something of a throwback to the box-to-box midfielders of the 00s.
Right-wing: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
The versatile 21-year-old is developing into a fairly productive right-winger for Arsenal. Across the last 12 months, he has scored 11 goals and chipped in with nine assists. His contributions in the final third have helped the Gunners to top spot in the league this term, much to the surprise of, well, everyone.
Saka is only going to improve with experience but his numbers this year have been quite remarkable, and not just for someone his age. Any attacker would be happy with his return of 0.35 goals and a non-penalty xG of 0.30 across the year. He is also a creative menace too, involving himself in close to five shot-creating actions on a per 90 basis.
The England international isn’t in the same sphere as Mohamed Salah yet, but he will have the Liverpool forward in his sights in the near future.
Left-wing: Dejan Kulusevski (Spurs)
Am I cheating here? Perhaps. I know Kulusevski primarily plays on the right but Saka deserves that spot. However, the on-loan Juventus forward needs to be in this XI, so he is getting the left-hand side role.
Since arriving in January, he has been a cheat code for Antonio Conte’s side. He has six goals to his name and has assisted 13 times already. He is in the 94th percentile across the year for goal-creating actions. The 22-year-old is also in the 90th percentile for ball recoveries. These two metrics in isolation help paint a picture of the Sweden international and they really highlight why Conte is such a fan.
He gets the ball and he does something with it. What more do you want?
Centre-forward: Ivan Toney (Brentford)
A few players were considered for this role but there was only ever going to be one winner.
Toney has been in incredible form for Brentford over the last 12 months and has 19 goals to his name in 2022. He has also assisted a teammate on five occasions but he’s in this XI because of his ability to put the ball into the back of the net.
He has scored against Manchester City, Spurs and Manchester United, while also scoring two or more on five occasions.
