Tuesday 15 May 2018 14:39, UK
The final day of the season confirmed Swansea’s relegation to the Championship, bringing to an end their seven-year Premier League stay. They will join Stoke City and West Brom in England’s second tier next season, yet despite the trio’s drop into the Sky Bet Championship, there is still plenty of quality in the three squads. Here, WhoScored.com run through their best-rated XI of those relegated this campaign…
Lukasz Fabianski - Swansea (6.89)
Feasibly, any three of the relegated goalkeepers could have made the cut, but Lukasz Fabianski pips Jack Butland and Ben Foster with a WhoScored.com rating of 6.89. The Pole's 136 saves may have been second to Butland's 142 in the Premier League this season, but it's the Swansea number who had the superior save success rate (71.7%) of the three relegated shot-stoppers. Fabianski also successfully claimed the second most crosses (39) and made the most penalty saves (3) in England's top tier this term.
Craig Dawson - West Brom (7.01)
West Brom's sole representative in the best-rated relegated XI is Craig Dawson having attained a WhoScored.com rating of 7.01, the highest of all Baggies players. The 28-year-old won 4.1 aerial duels per game this season, with a 62.7% aerial success rate reinforcing a statistically calculated WhoScored.com strength of 'aerial duels'. Despite West Brom's defensive shortcomings, Dawson was a consistent performer at the back as his rating signifies.
Kurt Zouma - Stoke (7.12)
Kurt Zouma can take some solace in that he won't spend much longer at Stoke with the young French centre-back returning to Chelsea upon the culmination of his loan deal at the Bet365 Stadium. Zouma, though, impressed during his stint with the Potters, with a return of 61 interceptions among the top 15 Premier League players this season. The 23-year-old's form saw him return a WhoScored.com rating of 7.12 and despite Stoke's relegation, he did his reputation no harm.
Ryan Shawcross - Stoke (7.09)
Zouma's centre-back partner makes the cut, with Ryan Shawcross' WhoScored.com rating (7.09) the second best at Stoke this season. The 30-year-old missed 11 of the Potters' 38 league matches this season and it could have been so different for Stoke had he been fit for the entire campaign with their win ratio rising to 22.2% from 9.1% when he started. His 5.7 aerial duels won per game was the highest of all defenders in England's top tier this term as Shawcross dominated aerially once more.
Erik Peters - Stoke (6.73)
Rounding off the defence is Dutch left-back Erik Pieters. He made the same number of interceptions as Zouma (61), while returns of 3.4 clearances and 2.3 tackles per game saw the 29-year-old gain a WhoScored.com rating of 6.73. Pieters was a solid performer in the Stoke defence, with the Potters, like with Shawcross, disappointing in the defender's absence this season.
Xherdan Shaqiri - Stoke (6.87)
This season was Xherdan Shaqiri's most prolific in a Stoke shirt after he scored eight and registered seven assists. The Potters netted just 35 league goals this term, which means the Swiss star had a direct hand in 42.9% of their goals scored. His 28 crosses from open play was the second most in the Premier League this season and his good form in the final third saw him return a WhoScored.com rating of 6.87.
Joe Allen - Stoke (6.87)
Continuing the Stoke trend is Joe Allen, who too earned a WhoScored.com rating of 6.87 this term. The Wales international scored two and registered six assists for the Potters, the latter his best return in a Premier League season. Allen ranked highly at Stoke for passes per game (37.7) and pass success rate (81.1%) under Mark Hughes and Paul Lambert, while 2.7 tackles per game was also a notable return.
Badou Ndiaye - Stoke (7.02)
January arrival Badou Ndiaye features alongside Allen in the middle of the park in this XI with a WhoScored.com rating of 7.02. The Senegalese star is unlikely to stick around for too long after Stoke's relegation was confirmed and his performances could well attract Premier League interest this summer. Indeed, 4.1 tackles per game was second only to Wilfred Ndidi (4.2) of those to make 10 or more appearances this term to reinforce a statistically calculated WhoScored.com strength of 'tackling'.
Eric Choupo-Moting - Stoke (6.93)
Signed as a replacement for Marko Arnautovic, Eric Choupo-Moting didn't endure the worst debut campaign in England. His five goals and five assists helped him gain a WhoScored.com rating of 6.93, while a return of two successful dribbles per game was more than any other Stoke player. Like Ndiaye, he's unlikely to stick around following Stoke's Premier League departure; his goalscoring performances in England's top tier could convince a number of top-flight sides to take a punt on the Cameroonian forward.
Peter Crouch - Stoke (6.85)
Rounding off the Stoke contingent is experienced striker Peter Crouch with a WhoScored.com rating of 6.84. The 37-year-old netted five goals, four of which came from the bench, the joint-most in the league, for the Potters this season, while a conversion rate of 21.7% was one of the better returns of those to have scored five of more Premier League goals this term. No player won more aerial duels per game than Crouch (7.8) in England's top tier this campaign as he showcased his importance for Stoke once more.
Jordan Ayew - Swansea (6.91)
Jordan Ayew suffered his second relegation in three years in England after Swansea's Premier League stay came to an abrupt end. The Ghanaian scored seven goals and registered a further two assists for the Swans to contribute towards a WhoScored.com rating of 6.91. Ayew also had a knack for drawing fouls having been fouled the second most times (87) in the Premier League this season, which provided another route to goal for Swansea, while 2.1 successful dribbles per game capped off a commendable campaign for the 26-year-old despite the Swans' relegation.
