Data analysts name the Premier League Team of the Season so far | OneFootball

The 2023/24 Premier League has hit the half-way mark. A trio of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City are all battling it out at the summit, while Unai Emery’s well-rehearsed Aston Villa are also heavily in the mix, too. Chelsea and Manchester United have flattered to deceive, while Bournemouth, after their brief period of struggle, are in fine form as they sharply climb up the table. All three promoted sides – Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town – all find themselves making a habit of dwelling in the drop zone. And breathe.

It’s been a tumultuous season of unscripted drama, goals, excitement. Some lesser-known players have emerged as great talents, while some - who many expected to be their side's standout star - have shied away from the spotlight. As a result, picking a Team of the Season at the half-way mark is always an onerous task. Subjectivity and team bias often gets in the way when giving it your best shot - so it's typically best to leave it to the experts.

Fear not, though, as the folks over at Opta have done just that after crunching the numbers and, as such, have mustered their ultimate 'Opta Player Ratings' for all those plying their trade in the English top tier. For a detailed explainer on how they calculate their final ratings, click here! Without further ado, let's run through their Team of the Season shouts.

Goalkeeper - Alisson (Liverpool)

Opta Player Rating: 76.7

Another respectable half-a-season is under Alisson’s belt – with him being a key component to Jürgen Klopp’s table-topping side, albeit at the half-way point. Not only has the Brazilian kept the most clean sheets in the Premier League (6), but his involvement in the Reds’ build-up play is also the third-best of a goalkeeper in the division, behind Ederson and James Trafford.

Unanimously seen as the best Premier League goalkeeper, there’s no surprise to see the large-framed Brazilian standing in between the sticks. Throughout 2023, even when Liverpool were at a low point in their recent history, Alisson was reliable, ever-present and Liverpool’s best player by a country mile. A man you could depend on – and that’s something Klopp has certainly done again since the current campaign got underway.

Right Back – Kyle Walker (Manchester City)

Opta Player Rating: 79.5

Do not let Kyle Walker’s ripe old age of 33 fool you. The Englishman, ranked as the 19th best Premier League defender of all time, has the perfect concoction of everything a modern-day defender requires to be considered one of the best.

With enough pace and physicality to give any winger a torrid time, the Yorkshireman is a threat when marauding up the flank and his 605 passes in the opposition half – the most from any defender – is a testament to his importance to his side’s attacking exploits. An astute defender, too, Walker is very worthy of his place on the right.

Centre Back – Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

Opta Player Rating: 75.9

Virgil van Dijk was once considered, without a shadow of a doubt, the best central defender in world football. Such was Liverpool’s substandard form in 2022/23, the former Southampton ace also had his share of struggles.

The towering Dutchman is enjoying somewhat of a redemption arc this season, acting as a key member of Jürgen Klopp’s men once again, with him leading the division standings for duel win rate (81.8%). Even to the extent where he’s ranked as the world’s eighth-best defender – perhaps a bit low for someone of his credibility and status, but even Van Dijk himself would agree he’s still a shadow of his former self.

Centre Back – Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace)

Opta Player Rating: 74.9

Pipping Arsenal duo William Saliba and Gabriel, Rúben Dias and the rest to Opta’s second central defender spot is Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi, which seems a little odd given the Eagles are currently occupying a spot in the bottom half of the table. That said, the nine-cap England international has been a crucial figure for them, despite their poor form, and has been courted by a series of top-level Premier League outfits ahead of January.

Formerly of Chelsea, Guehi has been his side’s most successful passer with 51.3 per 90, though it’s evident his ball-carrying abilities needs ample work, with 24 other centre backs in the Premier League boasting better averages in that regard.

Left Back – Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal)

Opta Player Rating: 80.5

Perhaps a controversial selection here with Arsenal ace Oleksandr Zinchenko, hailed as Ukraine’s best Premier League player today, chosen to strut his stuff in the left back berth. That said, the likes of Andrew Robertson, Ben Chilwell and Luke Shaw have all had seasons blighted by injuries and Manchester City do not have an out-and-out left-sided defender.

Heavily involved for the Gunners while they’re in possession, no other player in Arteta’s squad averages more touches than Zinchenko does with 92.8 per 90, all while his open-play attacking sequence involvements in the league (by a defender) is only bettered by north London rival Pedro Porro.

Defensive Midfield – Rodri (Manchester City)

Opta Player Rating: 87.2

If you have ever wondered how influential Rodri is to Pep Guardiola’s footballing blueprint, watch a game in his absence. Able to scan in front of the back four, all while picking out players in front of him with punchy passes – it’s no surprise to see him make GIVEMESPORT’s Champions League Team of the Season so far.

The Spaniard has, once again, been simply faultless in 2023/24, having completed the most successful passes in the opposition half (833) and in the final third (373) than any other Premier League player – a statistic made even more impressive given he has much fewer games under his belt than most.

Defensive Midfield – Declan Rice (Arsenal)

Opta Player Rating: 80.9

What Declan Rice has brought to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side is indispensable. A sense of calmness in and out of possession, while his knack of clutching last-gasp goals has often saved their bacon. The north Londoners’ hefty outlay definitely raised a lot of eyebrows, but his following performances would have silenced any doubters.

One of the most integral pieces of Mikel Arteta’s title-chasing puzzle, the England mainstay has been as reliable going forward as he has been defensively. Considered the second-best Premier League transfer of the summer window, the 24-year-old has been ever-present as the beating heart of Arsenal’s midfield, registering the ninth-most minutes of any top flight player.

Attacking Midfield – Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United)

Opta Player Rating: 78.6

Where would West Ham United be without Jarrod Bowen’s goals? Opta deemed their season as ‘erratic’ and we’d be inclined to agree. A reliable source of goals throughout, however, has been the Englishman, with him notching 11 goals in the Premier League thus far – which is just one adrift of his career-best season.

Only the goal-gobbling Erling Haaland has a superior rate of non-penalty goals, with the City talisman’s 0.77 per 90 bettering Bowen’s 0.65. In the absence of Michail Antonio, the former Hull City ace, a winger by trade, has proven his versatility across the front line, which will, most certainly, be an attractive prospect for any sides vying for his signature.

Attacking Midfield – Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)

Opta Player Rating: 79.7

Being Arsenal’s creator-in-chief without a free-scoring striker must be difficult – but in the case of Martin Odegaard, he still performs out of his skin on a regular basis. Galvanised by the armband, the Norwegian has been as influential as ever in 2023/24, being involved in a whopping 115 open-play sequences that have resulted in a shot on goal.

Only Dejan Kulusevski has bettered that return, while Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United is the only player to have attempted more final third passes than the Gunners captain, who has registered 434 since the start of the 2023/24 campaign. With Arteta adding both Kai Havertz and Declan Rice to the engine room, the north Londoners’ fourth-highest earner has proven his adaptability – a key aspect when attempting to guide your soldiers to domestic gold.

Attacking Midfield – Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)

Opta Player Rating: 81.6

Guardiola would, quite simply, struggle to compute without the Portuguese magician picking up little pockets of space, while simultaneously leaving no prints in the snow. The midfielder, who is the Premier League’s ninth-highest earner this season, is simply a terrific footballer, whose talent is relatively underappreciated.

In such a star-studded squad, a player of Bernardo Silva’s ilk is always going to go under the radar, given his goal returns are never fruitful enough to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. It’s the intangible aspects of football in which he stands out, with his open-play chance creation numbers (27) placing him inside the league’s top five. What a sensational footballer.

Striker - Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)

Opta Player Rating: 84.2

Following Harry Kane’s sad-to-see departure to Bayern Munich, many Tottenham fans were left scratching their heads to see who would replace him – but they didn’t need to look any further than their left-winger. Son Heung-min not only took over the captaincy duties in north London but also has the responsibility of being the figure deployed at the top of the tree – though, he has done so in fine fashion.

Having notched 16 goal contributions (11G, 5A) in the first half of the season, only Haaland and Mohamed Salah have bettered him – both of whom will be disgruntled by their absence in Opta’s Team of the Season so far. Son has been imperative to his team’s season, though, and the South Korean icon has proved to be the perfect leader in Spurs’ Ange Postecoglou-inspired era.