Premier League Team of the Half-Season – 2022/23
Every Premier League team has now played at least half of their games this season, which means everyone can now start mapping out their awards races (I’m sure that’s how it works).
Today, we’re taking a look at the team of the season so far, one of the only things we didn’t acknowledge in our awards piece prior to the World Cup break. Smaller sample sizes are easier to deal with at individual level and I will not be taking any further questions.
Here’s 90min’s official Premier League Team of the Half-Season…
Premier League Team of the Half-Season – 2022/23
1. GK: Nick Pope
Pope’s been one of the signings of the season / Stu Forster/GettyImages
Club: Newcastle United.
Defining moment: Diving with his head for a ball bouncing across the ground at Anfield.
Ok, a lot of people knew Nick Pope was good, but ’12 clean sheets in 20 games’ good? That’s absurd.
The lanky goalkeeper has been a huge reason behind Newcastle’s rise to the top four so far this year.
Honourable mentions: Bernd Leno, David Raya
2. RB: Kieran Trippier
What a comeback story / Richard Sellers/GettyImages
Club: Newcastle United.
Defining moment: Becoming the most valuable non-striker FPL asset of all time for some reason.
Kieran Trippier turned 32 earlier this season and he’s playing some of the best football of his career by miles. Fair enough.
Honourable mentions: Diogo Dalot, Ben White
3. CB: Gabriel Magalhaes
Gabriel’s stepped up / Marc Atkins/GettyImages
Club: Arsenal.
Defining moment: Growing a decent hairline.
William Saliba has grabbed the headlines, but the performances of Gabriel Magalhaes have gone under the radar. He’s been sensational and deserves a bit more credit.
Honourable mentions: Fabian Schar, Raphael Varane
4. CB: Sven Botman
Solid / Craig Mercer/MB Media/GettyImages
Club: Newcastle United
Defining moment: Being the best player ever to miss out on a place in his country’s World Cup squad.
Louis van Gaal, you are a wise man, but the decision to not take Newcastle rock Sven Botman to the World Cup with the Netherlands is going to age like milk. He’s been extraordinary since arriving on Tyneside.
Honourable mentions: William Saliba, Lisandro Martinez
5. LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko
He loves it / Catherine Ivill/GettyImages
Club: Arsenal
Defining moment: Stepping out from Manchester City’s shadow.
Oleksandr Zinchenko always looked a tidy player at Manchester City, but with a more important role in this Arsenal side, you can see why Mikel Arteta was so determined to reunite with him at the Emirates Stadium.
Honourable mentions: Luke Shaw, Dan Burn
6. RM: Bukayo Saka
Terrific little player / Catherine Ivill/GettyImages
Club: Arsenal.
Defining moment: Turning into prime Gareth Bale against Manchester United.
Already a back-to-back winner of Arsenal’s in-house Player of the Year award, Bukayo Saka will be challenging for the big gongs this season.
The winger is already on course to record double figures of goals and assists.
Honourable mentions: Miguel Almiron, Riyad Mahrez
7. CM: Casemiro
You seem surprised, Case / James Gill – Danehouse/GettyImages
Club: Manchester United.
Defining moment: Watching Manchester United lose 4-0 to Brentford and deciding to fix the club himself.
This spot was one of the hardest to choose from, but Casemiro just about edges it because of the transformative effect he’s had on Manchester United’s midfield.
Stepping out of the shadows of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, the Brazilian has provided the Red Devils with a stable base they’ve lacked for over a decade.
Honourable mentions: Rodri, Bruno Guimaraes
8. CM: Martin Odegaard
Captain Fantastic / James Williamson – AMA/GettyImages
Club: Arsenal.
Defining moment: ‘Look at me…I am the captain now’.
There were still a couple of red flags next to Martin Odegaard’s name after Arsenal’s 2021/22 season fizzled out. Could be really be an on-field leader worthy of the captain’s armband? Could he step up when it matters? Could he add more goals to his game?
He’s answered all those critics this year.
Honourable mentions: Granit Xhaka, Kevin De Bruyne
9. LM: Marcus Rashford
The absolute boy / Matthew Ashton – AMA/GettyImages
Club: Manchester United.
Defining moment: Finally devising an iconic celebration.
For most of his professional career, Marcus Rashford has been one of the Premier League’s most inconsistent and streaky star names.
But it looks like he’s finally put it all together again after a dismal 2021/22 season. He now has the ability to match his worldwide reputation.
Honourable mentions: Gabriel Martinelli, Kaoru Mitoma
10. CF: Harry Kane
Kane has been Spurs’ shining light / Chloe Knott – Danehouse/GettyImages
Club: Tottenham Hotspur.
Defining moment: All those wins he dragged this Tottenham Hotspur side to.
Antonio Conte’s Spurs have struggled a lot this season, but thanks to the goals and performances of Harry Kane, they’re just about managing to stay afloat in the race for a top-four place.
He’s also on the verge of becoming the club’s all-time leading scorer.
Honourable mentions: Ivan Toney, Aleksandar Mitrovic
11. CF: Erling Haaland
Aren’t you tired of scoring yet, mate? / James Gill – Danehouse/GettyImages
Club: Manchester City.
Defining moment: He’s got 25 goals in January for goodness sake.
Erling Haaland is a goal machine. We knew it before, we know it a lot more now.
Honourable mentions: Rodrigo, Gabriel Jesus
Breakdown by clubs
Starters
- Arsenal – 4
- Newcastle United – 3
- Manchester United – 3
- Tottenham Hotspur – 1
Honourable mentions
- Arsenal – 5
- Newcastle United – 4
- Manchester United – 3
- Manchester City – 3
- Brentford – 2
- Fulham – 2
- Brighton & Hove Albion – 1
- Leeds United – 1
Source: 90mins
