No players from West Ham or Arsenal in stats-based Premier League XI; Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold lead season chart with staggering statistics; four Liverpool players make XI, with two from Man City; Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Man Utd, Wolves and Tottenham also represented
Tuesday 8 February 2022 07:20, UK
Which players would make the best Premier League XI so far this season? We used the Sky Sports Power Rankings to find out...
The rankings are based on 35 Premier League matchday stats and we used the season accumulative chart to select the top-performing XI so far.
Four Liverpool players feature in the stats-based XI, with two from league-leaders Manchester City - but which players nailed starting berths?
Wolves stopper Jose Sa has been a revelation since replacing Rui Patricio between the sticks at Molineux. The Portugal international stands out across all metrics. Firstly, only league-leaders Manchester City have conceded fewer goals.
The 29-year-old is also among the elite for saves, clean sheets, expected goals prevented and ranks joint-top among keepers for creating three chances and notching one assist.
Just missed out: Aaron Ramsdale, Ederson, Edouard Mendy & David de Gea
Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has league-high numbers galore: 10 assists, 58 chances created, 173 crosses and seven successful through balls. Quite simply, staggering.
On top of that, the England full-back is among the top 10 for reclaiming possession in the defensive, middle and attacking thirds and ranks second for touches and passes in the final third.
Manchester City Joao Cancelo completes the full-back pairing. The 27-year-old tops the division for passes attempted and completed, both overall and in the final third, has made more touches than any other player and has notched five assists.
Does Virgil van Dijk and Thiago Silva sound like a solid centre-back pairing? Absolutely. Statistically, the duo have been the top central defenders in the Premier League this season.
Just missed out: Ruben Dias, Antonio Rudiger, Andy Robertson & Reece James
The usual suspects vied for starting berths in the centre of the park. Tactically, we could have included a defensive midfielder, but this XI is for statistical giants, so we opted for the three midfielders with the most points.
First up is Bernardo Silva. Coming in at No 4 in the overall form chart, the Portuguese has shone for Pep Guardiola's side this term after nearly leaving the club in the summer.
On paper, his statistics excel across the board, while his relentless work-rate, which is not actually factored in the points algorithm, is epitomised by his 248km covered to date - only Christian Norgaard has run farther.
Next up is Bruno Fernandes. Manchester United's talisman is still delivering with a team-topping 57 chances created, 1,045 passes attempted and 91 crosses, while ranking second at the club with seven goals and five assists.
The final midfield berth goes to Crystal Palace youngster Conor Gallagher after an explosive campaign, racking up 10 goal involvements and ranking among the elite for creating chances and winning duels.
Just missed out: Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Mason Mount & Tomas Soucek
Mohamad Salah is the first name on the team-sheet, collecting a league-topping 49,700 points to date - gleaned primarily from his chart-topping 16 goals.
Despite missing two games on international duty with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations, the prolific winger has also notched nine assists - only Alexander-Arnold has carved more.
Liverpool team-mate Diogo Jota has filed the void while Salah and Mane represent their nations and has also ousted Roberto Firmino's regular starting place at the club when options are at full strength - and slots into our XI up top.
The 25-year-old sits runner-up in the goals chart with 10 goals - of which three have been scored from headers - and is notably effective at reclaiming possession deep in his own half.
Tottenham winger Heung-Min Son lands the final spot in the team, having registered eight goals and three assists in the Premier League this term - more than club target man Harry Kane.
The South Korea international has also attempted 107 crosses - only Alexander-Arnold, James Ward-Prowse and Andy Robertson have fired more.
Just missed out: Raphinha, Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen & Sadio Mane
