Premier League Team of the Season so far

The Premier League has paused once again ahead of the season’s second international break.

The first eight games of the 2023-24 campaign have brought with them a multitude of excellent individual performances – but who has stood out the most?

We used the Twenty3 Toolbox to pick out players that ranked in the division’s top three for as many metrics as possible and compiled them into a cohesive formation.

Goalkeeper: José Sá (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

José Sá has not been afforded a great deal of protection between the sticks for Wolverhampton Wanderers so far this season.

In fact, only Sheffield United’s Wes Foderingham has faced more shots than Sa’s total of 53.

However, the 30-year-old has performed admirably in the face of such a bombardment and has also demonstrated his dominance in the air.

Sá has recorded 27 goalkeeper exits and won all nine of his aerial duels – both more than any other shot-stopper in the division.

Right-back: Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United)

After a quiet start to the campaign, Kieran Trippier has reinforced his reputation as one of the most creative full-backs in the Premier League.

The Englishman boasts a league-leading xA of 3.48 and has also assisted a division-high 29 shots, culminating in four assists.

The 33-year-old’s threat from set-pieces is a particularly useful weapon, having found a team-mate with 18 of his 24 free-kicks – the most in the competition.

Furthermore, Trippier has also contributed a great deal to Newcastle United’s open-play build-up, featuring in more possessions (396) and sequences (497) than any other player.

Right centre-back: Thiago Silva (Chelsea)

The first member of this team’s centre-back pairing is the evergreen Thiago Silva.

Very little blame for Chelsea’s stop-start season can be laid at the feet of the veteran defender, whose composure at the back and quality with his feet have been invaluable in a young side.

The 39-year-old Brazilian has completed more passes than any other player in the Premier League (649), with 210 of those going forward – an impressive pairing.

Left centre-back: Lewis Dunk (Brighton and Hove Albion)

Another central defender with an abundance of ability on the ball is Brighton and Hove Albion skipper Lewis Dunk.

The 31-year-old orchestrates the Seagulls from the back, receiving 553 passes and attempting 681 of his own – both league-leading figures.

Dunk regularly looks to get his team on the front foot with his use of the ball, attempting a division-high 251 forward passes and completing 210 of those – the joint-most alongside Silva.

Left-back: Antonee Robinson (Fulham)

Completing the back four is Fulham left-back Antonee Robinson.

The American full-back has been the busiest defender in the Premier League this term, ranking first for defensive actions attempted (128) and completed as well as defensive duels attempted (83) and completed (57).

While Trippier on the opposite side has been afforded the licence to bomb forward and affect the final third, Robinson has protected his flank well by doing a great deal of unglamorous, gritty work off the ball.

Defensive midfielder: Pape Sarr (Tottenham Hotspur)

Tottenham Hotspur’s superb start to the season has seen several Spurs stars receive plenty of plaudits.

However, a perhaps underrated member of Ange Postecoglou’s side is midfielder Pape Sarr.

The 21-year-old Senegal international has recorded 10 dangerous ball recoveries in the opposition half – more than any other player in the competition.

His tenacity has been crucial to laying the foundations for Tottenham’s expressive attacking style.

Right central midfielder: James Maddison (Tottenham Hotspur)

There was plenty of competition for the more advanced midfield spots in this team, with Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes posting strong underlying numbers despite his side’s general malaise.

However, James Maddison’s contribution to Tottenham’s fast start to the season sees him edge his Portuguese counterpart out.

His four assists are evidence of his remarkable creativity thus far – no player in the competition has featured in more sequences ending in a shot than his 67.

Left central midfielder: Enzo Fernández (Chelsea)

Enzo Fernández’s impressive performances have largely been overlooked due to Chelsea’s struggles this term, but his use of the ball has been both accurate and ambitious.

Being deployed in a more advanced midfield role by Mauricio Pochettino has agreed with the 22-year-old, who ranks top of the Premier League for final third passes attempted (114) and completed (87) as well as through-balls attempted (37) and completed (14).

The Blues’ issues in front of goal certainly do not stem from a lack of service – Fernández has kept his forwards well-supplied so far.

Right winger: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

Mohamed Salah went under the radar at the start of the campaign but he has been unerringly consistent – his tally of nine goal contributions (five goals, four assists) is matched only by Erling Haaland.

The Egyptian’s underlying numbers are equally impressive – he ranks first in the Premier League for expected goal contribution (8.57), suggesting he has more than merited his return.

Liverpool’s talisman is showing no signs of slowing down, and his all-round threat has been a potent weapon for the Reds.

Centre-forward: Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

There is simply no leaving Erling Haaland out, is there?

The Norwegian machine is still in pole position with eight goals as he bids to retain his Golden Boot, and few could argue that he does not deserve his haul, given he ranks first in the Premier League for both xG (6.23) and post-shot xG (8.34).

Even if you take away his two penalties, he still leads the competition for non-penalty shots on target (17), non-penalty xG (4.62) and non-penalty post-shot xG (7.47).

Left winger: Pedro Neto (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

The final – and perhaps most surprising – entry on this list is Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Pedro Neto.

The 23-year-old unexpectedly leads the assist charts after eight games, laying on five goals for his teammates.

His underlying numbers are also impressive, completing 14 crosses and winning 49 attacking duels.

All visualisations in this article were produced with the Twenty3 Toolbox. For more information, please get in touch below.