Exclusive: EPL 2022 Combined Best Players 11 of the League

Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Aleksandar Mitrovic to lead the attack as we look at the best players 11 of the league after 8 Gameweeks in the EPL 2022-23.

It’s been 8 gameweeks so far, and the EPL 2022 has been seeing a unique challenge of accommodating the World Cup mid-season in December. There have been a lot of double Gameweeks for teams and tighter schedules, and that would continue. Even then, the league has been really exciting so far. We have seen some of the smaller teams doing really well. Whereas we have also seen some top teams struggle at the start of the season.

With World Cup around the corner, the players have been playing with full potential; wanting to showcase their talent. There have been some beautiful and consistent performances in these 8 Gameweeks of this season. So, let’s us look at the best players 11 of the league after Gameweek 8 of the EPL 2022-23.

Stats Wizard Methodology:

To select the best 11 players in EPL 2022, we have taken various skill sets into consideration. We have taken a position-wise selection for the team. Each skill set has been given a different weightage in our calculations. In case of a tie among players, the level of opposition has been taken into consideration.

Attack: We have analyzed the forward line performances basis the attack rating calculated from the overall aspect of the game such as goals scored, assists, shot accuracy, touches inside the box, successful dribbles, and offsides.

Midfield: The midfield performances have been analyzed by looking at the various aspects like goals scored, assists, total passes, pass accuracy, touches, successful dribbles, duels, duels won, and interceptions.

Defense: Defensive skill sets which are included in our selection criteria are clean-sheets, tackles, tackles won, duels/duels won, aerial duels won, clearances, interceptions, block shots, crosses, assists and goals.

Goalkeeper:

#1: Nick Pope (Newcastle United)

Matches: 7 // Cleansheets: 3 // Saves Made: 30

Nick Pope is our best Goalkeeper of the season so far. He has had three clean sheets in the first 7 games of the season against Nottingham, Brighton and Crystal Palace. In addition, some of his great saves came during the games against quality teams like Manchester City and Liverpool. Ederson from Manchester City is another choice as a Goal Keeper. But since Manchester City have a great defense, Ederson could make just 7 saves in 7 games.

Defense:

#2: Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)

Matches: 7 // Cleansheets: 4 // Duels won 65% // Tackles won 92%

Undoubtedly, Cancelo is the best left-back in the league currently. He is not just a great defender, but also a constant attacking threat too. While he has 0 assists and 1 goal only in 7 games, his movement and his eye to create goal-scoring situations out of nothing keeps the opposition teams under pressure. His solo goal came against Newcastle where he run through the opponent’s half and then finished with a shot from outside the box. 

#3:  Kieron Trippier (Newcastle United)

Matches: 7 // Cleansheets: 3 // Duels won 51% // Tackles won 88%

Newcastle United’s right-back has been a reliable source of returns at St James’ Park this season; showing consistent impact at both ends of the pitch. His free-kick against Manchester City was just amazing, and his free-kick duties shall allow us to see more such goals in the season. He has combined one goal with three clean sheets along with some really good defensive stats. 

#4: William Saliba (Arsenal)

Matches: 7 // Cleansheets: 3 // Duels won 55% // Tackles won 40%

Saliba has been a reliable defender for Arsenal who is also contributing to the attack. With statistics like 93.2% pass accuracy along with 2 goals scored and 1 assist in 7 games, he has cemented his position firmly in the Arsenal team. He scored a beautiful goal against Bournemouth, and is a constant danger during set-pieces. He takes the third spot in the defence of this 3-4-3 formation.

Midfielders:

#5: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

Matches: 7 // Goals + Assist: 7

Kevin DeBruyne has been one of the top midfielders in the EPL over the years, and this year has been no different. His amazing game-reading ability and his tight yet accurate passes are exactly what Manchester City have been looking for from him. Partnering him with Erling Haaland has been noteworthy as well. His stats for the first 7 games include 6 assists and 1 goal along with 81% passing accuracy, 66% tackles won, 46% duels won and a massive 37 crosses. He is a great asset for any manager to have him in his team.

#6 Pascal Groß (Brighton)

Matches: 7 // Goals + Assist: 5

Brighton have had an amazing start this season, and are riding on the form of their midfielder Pascal Groß. The 31-year-old has provided 2 assists and scored 3 goals in their games this season. His pairing along with Mac Allister has managed to keep the club in the Top 4 after 6 games this season. His goal against Leeds was the only goal of the game, and his crucial contributions and all-round skills, have earned him a place in our team.

#7 Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)

Matches: 7 // Goals + Assist: 5

Bernardo Silva is another player from Manchester City who has been amazing in the midfield along with KDB and Foden. He is one of the under-rated stars at Manchester City. He has scored 2 goals and provided 3 assists in the 7 games for the team along with a 90% pass accuracy and 75 % shot accuracy.  His goals against both Nottingham and Crystal palace were cool and composed, and it shows how he is a threat once he gets the ball inside the box.

#8 Rodrigo Moreno (Leeds United)

Matches: 5 // Goals + Assist: 5

Rodrigo from Leeds United has started this season with a bang. In only his first 3 games, he scored 4 goals and 1 assist. He scored 2 goals against Southampton, 1 against Wolves and 1 goal and 1 assist against Chelsea. The team is highly relying on his midfield experience while attacking and looking for goals. He surprised the experienced Chelsea defence by scoring and adding an assist in the fixture, which also resulted in a shocking defeat for Chelsea.

Forwards:

#9: Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

Matches: 7 // Goals: 11 // Mins per Goal: 52

Haaland has been consistently scoring for Manchester City. He seems to be a perfect fit for Pep Guardiola’s side which was missing a striker last season. His hattrick against Nottingham came in just 38 minutes, and he went on to score another hattrick in the next game against Crystal Palace. He is scoring from inside the box, outside the box, tap-ins as well as solo goals. There seems to be nothing this guy cannot do, and he is a must-have in any top XI team.

#10: Harry Kane (Tottenham)

Matches: 7 // Goals: 6 // Mins per Goal: 103

Harry Kane has been among the league’s top scorers for the last 5 years now, and this season has been no different. 6 goals and 1 assist in 7 games along with 2 MOM awards just shows how important he is to the team. With Son out of action for 5 games, the attack was completely dependent on Kane. Undoubtedly, he has delivered. Spurs have been unbeaten in their 7 games under Kane’s captaincy, and that gets him the captain’s armband for our team.

#11: Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham)

Matches: 7 // Goals: 6 // Mins per Goal: 105

Fulham have played against Spurs, Arsenal and Liverpool in their first 7 games, and have managed to stay 6^th in the league with 3 wins and 2 draws. Mitrovic has been one of the key players for them this season. He has scored 6 goals in 7 games so far. Two of his goals came in the opening game against Liverpool, which ended in a 2-2 draw. He then followed it up by scoring the winning goal against Brentford. Mitrovic also scored goals against Arsenal and Spurs, making 4/6 goals against the top teams in the league. He has therefore taken the final spot in our attacking set-up.

EPL 2022-23: Combined Best Players 11 After Gameweek 8

Nick Pope (GK), Joao Cancelo, Kieron Trippier, William Saliba, Pascal Grob, Kevin De Bryne, Bernardo Silva, Rodrigo Moreno, Harry Kane (C), Erling Haaland & Aleksandar Mitrovic

So, that completes the best team in the league so far. Meanwhile, apart from the ones mentioned above, the noticeable omissions are Ivan Toney, Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Ruben Dias, Reece James, Gabriel, Rashford, Foden, Martinelli and Odegaard.

Thanks for reading! What’s your best players 11 so far for EPL 2022? Please email your thoughts to footbalyticsofficial@gmail.com

ALSO READ: Exclusive: UCL 2022-23 Best Players 11 After Group Stage Match Day 2

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Ayush

Ayush is an author at Footbalytics. He is an avid football fan. He loves to play and follow the sport, and has been following club football since 2005, and has been playing the fantasy premier league for over 10 years.