EPL 2022-23 Season - BEST XI

After a drama-packed season we continue with our post-season review. We’ve had the fun task of trying to cram many standout players into just a bare 11. Check out our selections and let us know how they compare to yours!

GK - David Raya (Brentford) - Raya played every single minute of every game throughout the season and was a big contributor to Brentford’s upper-half results. He proved his worth with the best save percentage (77%). He also provided great distribution in addition to his shot-stopping abilities.

LB - Pervis Estupinan (Brighton) - Here’s our Brighton representative and rightly so after having secured Europa League football for 2023-24. He had a huge debut season and did exactly what his manager asked of him, making himself a constant attacking threat (1 goal plus 7 assists) and tenaciously giving attacking opponents a torrid time.

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CB - Manuel Akanji (Man City) - Another debutant, Akanji was an unsung hero of the Man City side. Dias and Stones will likely get the accolades from many and could easily feature here, but Akanji provided great consistency throughout the season in a team that features its fair share of rotation.

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CB - William Saliba (Arsenal) - What an amazing season for the young center-back in his first season for Arsenal. For the last couple of seasons, fans had been calling for Saliba to be given a chance, and their wishes were finally granted. Saliba showed maturity, leadership and coolness well above his years as Arsenal lit the league on fire in the early stages. He also chipped in with a couple of goals. He played every minute of every game until injury caused him to miss the final 11 games. It’s no coincidence that Arsenal went off the boil in that latter period. The race for the league title would’ve been a different story had Saliba stayed fit.

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RB - Kieran Trippier (Newcastle) - Featured in every single game for the Magpies as they’ve quickly risen to be a big side moving forward. Trippier’s experience and maturity was pivotal to an unexpected 3rd place finish; not helped at least by his nine assists and a goal.

LW - Marcus Rashford (Man United) - Rashford proved exactly what he’s about when he’s not spending prolonged periods on the sidelines. He missed only three games last season and made it count: 17 goals plus 7 assists, pushing United to a Champions League finish.

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DCM - Declan Rice (West Ham) - 2022-23 was a poor domestic season for West Ham, but it would’ve been far worse if Rice had not featured in all but one game. He improved his attacking returns with four contributions in total, but his stats were mostly near the top (e.g. winning possession most times: 334) as well as impressive ball-carrying and passing stats. Stalwart.

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ACM - Martin Odegaard (Arsenal) - Captain fantastic would’ve been a worthy recipient of the Premier League title. The future looks bright for a young Arsenal squad, and Odegaard is leading the way. We all knew he could pass and create, as exemplified by his eight assists, but who knew he had 15 goals in him too! He often popped up at key times to secure points in their title charge.

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RW - Kevin De Bruyne (Man City) - KDB had plenty of competition from Arsenal’s and others’ wide-men, but partnered with Haaland he recorded a huge 18 assists. De Bruyne really stepped up towards the end of the season, especially with the victory over Arsenal (two goals plus an assist), shifting the momentum to Man City for the title.

FWD - Erling Haaland (Man City) - He is (literally) head and shoulders above everyone else on this list, setting records in an eye-popping EPL debut season following his transfer from Borussia Dortmund: 36 goals (including four hattricks) plus nine assists. What else is there to say? Oh yeah — He worked tirelessly off the ball to press opposing defenders in their own end, forcing some of the turnovers that led to extra goals. I’m already looking forward to seeing him play again next season!

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FWD - Harry Kane (Tottenham) - He was overshadowed by Haaland, but take nothing from the England Captain who had a brilliant season. Kane did what he does best, scoring: a personal best of 30 goals along with nine assists. He also contributed in enough little ways to actually earn more points in Fantrax than Haaland. That’s even more impressive considering how Spurs struggled all season.

What do you think of our selections? What changes would you make? Please log in and let us know in the comments!

Stats from Opta Analyst.