Picking the Best Premier League XI from Outside the Top 6 Clubs
The Premier League has reached its climax—races for places exist at both ends of the table.
Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur are waging battle for the title and top four positions.
At the bottom, EPL newcomers Queens Park Rangers, Burnley and Leicester City are in the drop zone, but seven clubs are 10 points from relegation with nine matches left to parse. (Two clubs have 11 fixtures remaining, and Leicester City play Chelsea 29 April.)
It is safe to assume turnover will be ubiquitous over the next two months.
Despite many of their struggles, the bottom 14 clubs (every team barring Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Southampton) have gems. Were one asked to compile a starting XI composed of teams outside of European places, what might they come up with?
Using the 4-2-3-1 formation and a vast player pool, we have tested the proverbial waters.
GK: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)
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Aston Villa have only scored 19 goals this season, the worst record in the Premier League and four less than next-to-last Sunderland.
Surprisingly, their abject offensive display has not subjected them to the relegation zone, which can be largely attributed to goalkeeper Brad Guzan.
The 30-year-old American has made 87 saves this season. By comparison, Manchester United's David De Gea has made 78 saves, and Tottenham Hotspur's Hugo Lloris has saved 94 but conceded 42 goals to Guzan's 38.
LB: Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur)
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In the wake of Ashley Cole's international retirement before the 2014 World Cup, there was some conjecture about the state of England's left-back situation. This season, Danny Rose has added his name to contention alongside Leighton Baines, Luke Shaw and possibly Ryan Bertrand.
Sixty-three tackles and 50 interceptions from 22 Premier League appearances are the undervalued statistics one finds in Rose's ledger. The more audible ones are his two goals and four assists.
Keeping last summer's £10 million transfer Ben Davies benched, Rose has claimed the trust of new Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino. It bodes well for the 24-year-old's future at White Hart Lane.
CB: James Tomkins (West Ham United)
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Going by the numbers, James Tomkins has had a fantastic 2014/15 season.
Top 10 in clearances, tackles, aerial duels won and shots for Premier League centre-backs (while leading central defenders in assists with three), the West Ham United man warrants his place.
From 29 November to 20 December, the Hammers went undefeated, winning four of five matches and, for a moment, were third in the Premier League. Tomkins started all five games during that stretch, even scoring the winner vs. West Bromwich Albion on 2 December.
CB: Ryan Shawcross (Stoke City)
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When talking Stoke City, people are normally quick to point out their tempestuous past, but starting last season and certainly this, Stoke have been a more controlled product.
Mark Hughes' side seems poised for a solid mid-table finish using both long balls and slick movement to maintain its place with great effect.
One of the more bullish players in seasons past, Ryan Shawcross has completed 87 long balls this season, sixth best for centre-backs, and has received just four cautions in 2,022 Premier League minutes.
RB: Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur)
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Missing the first four-and-a-half months of the 2014/15 campaign recovering from an abdominal operation, Tottenham Hotspur's Kyle Walker began the season shackled.
After 16 domestic matches, there are signs the England international is beginning to find his legs, but rust is still apparent. Blessed with fantastic pace and an attacking mentality, his game (when at 100 percent) looks perfectly suited for Pochettino's system.
How this extended hiatus affects Walker's England status, in comparison to Southampton's Nathaniel Clyne for instance, will be a situation to monitor as an international break looms.
CDM: Cheikhou Kouyate (West Ham United)
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Attacking players get much love in contemporary football. For proof, the last footballer without an attacking mindset to win what equals the Ballon d'Or was Fabio Cannavaro in 2006. While goalscorers receive plaudits, the most important position in football is quickly becoming the central holding midfielder.
West Ham United bought Cheikhou Kouyate for £7 million from RSC Anderlecht last summer. In his inaugural Premier League season, the Senegalese midfielder has proven to be a terrific purchase.
Strong, quick and poised on the ball, the 25-year-old ticks every box for Sam Allardyce.
CM: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea City)
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Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas, with 15 assists, is the poster child for "field vision" in the Premier League this season, but there are others around with an eye for passes. Swansea City's Gylfi Sigurdsson is next in line with eight assists and chipping in with five goals.
The Swans are a competent Premier League outfit at this point. Roberto Martinez, Paulo Sousa, Brendan Rodgers and Michael Laudrup established an effective system—elevating from League One—and Garry Monk has simply continued the tradition. This consists of wide play, free-flowing football and scoring goals.
Slowed by the Europa League last season, this year the Welsh outfit—thanks in part to its Icelandic midfielder—is firmly in mid-table.
RAM: Yannick Bolasie (Crystal Palace)
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Before Alan Pardew returned to his former playing club Crystal Palace on 2 January, the Eagles had won just three games in 20 attempts, compiling 17 points.
Left two days before the league campaign started by Tony Pulis, it seemed the south London side was destined for the drop but has rebounded since the new year. Sixteen points from nine games has almost doubled Palace's point total and their survival hopes.
Two players seems to have new life under Pardew, one being Wilfried Zaha and the other Yannick Bolasie. The Congolese winger is a nightmare to mark; mercurial in every sense of the word, Bolaise has three assists in his last six matches.
CAM: Christian Eriksen (Tottenham Hotspur)
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How a player the class of Christian Eriksen finds himself outside the top four, much less the top six, is more an indictment of Tottenham Hotspur than the player himself.
Scoring seven goals last season, the 23-year-old central midfielder has nine goals this season with nine matches left to navigate.
With no goals and just one assist in all competitions since the end of January, it would seem Eriksen has entered the worst part of his Spurs career, but the north London club as a whole has slowed down. Since beating Chelsea 5-3 on New Year's Day, Tottenham have won eight of 17 fixtures.
LAM: Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle United)
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Newcastle United are in something of a free fall. Dropping 35 points of the last 51 available, any footballer from St. James' Park on a "Best XI" should be questioned—the comments section is open.
Moussa Sissoko can only play to the level of his team-mates. It is far easier and more human to play to your peers' level than elevate them, and the French international has become stuck in the mire that invariably surrounds Newcastle.
Were the former Toulouse product to move elsewhere, whether to another Premier League side or another league altogether, one could imagine the 25-year-old wreaking havoc with his speedy, powerful runs from midfield.
ST: Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
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Great strikers in the bottom 14 are numerous: Romelu Lukaku, Christian Benteke, Diafra Sakho, Saido Berahino, Charlie Austin and on the list goes—but only one man has become a true cult hero this season.
Harry Kane could be a one-season wonder—we have no clue—but in the meantime, enjoying his exploits should be enough. Sixteen goals in 19 Premier League 19 starts for the 21-year-old is simply ludicrous considering 2014/15 is his first year of consistent top-flight football.
Form or class?
The age-old question with youth.
A bit of both might be the correct answer.
Comments Section: Who Ya Got?
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With over 300 players in the Premier League's bottom 14 teams, terrific players have, unfortunately, been left on our fantastic bench.
Choose your XIs and place them in the comments section, including the formation you would deploy as manager.
Whether Hugo Lloris, Bojan Krkic (out injured until 2015/16), Ross Barkley or any number of quality footballers the clubs host, they are at your disposal—along with the selected options.
The possibilities truly are endless.
*Stats via WhoScored.com; transfer fees via Soccerbase.com where not noted.
