The international break has rolled back around and with it a chance to take stock of the Premier League season so far.
The first ten games of the new campaign have thrown up a few surprises – none of three promoted teams find themselves in the drop zone at this stage and the race for Europe is wide open with teams such as Brighton and Everton excelling.
Here is a look at the players who have defined the opening weeks as Daily Mail Sport, in collaboration with stats gurus Sofascore, compile our team of the season so far…
GK: Emiliano Martinez – Chelsea
Sofascore rating – 7.63
Many will be surprised to see the Argentine’s name here instead of Arsenal‘s David Raya or Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen, but despite Chelsea‘s defensive woes it is their £7million summer signing that makes the cut.
Martinez has been out for the last three games after sustaining a nasty head injury away at Everton but his average match rating remains the highest out of all the division’s shot-stoppers.
A look at the stats tells you why. Despite only keeping one clean sheet so far, Chelsea’s new No1 has prevented 1.64 goals, had 13 high claims and 0 errors leading to goals.
The big man has also looked extremely competent with the ball at his feet, something that Blues keepers have struggled with in previous years, and has even created three chances from his own box so far this season.
Emiliano Martinez has been out for three weeks with a head injury he sustained at Everton but has still done enough to make our team
CB: Lewis Dunk – Brighton
Sofascore rating – 7.52
There was always going to have to be at least one of this Brighton team in our XI. We all knew they were an excellent outfit coming into the season but perhaps even Fabian Hurzeler may not have envisaged his side sitting second after ten games.
The linchpin of this side has of course been their skipper, Lewis Dunk. A local boy who came through the ranks at Brighton and has spent virtually his entire career at the club, he continues to impress at 34 years of age.
Dunk has played in nine of Brighton’s ten games this season looking solid in each, leading his side to six wins and keeping a clean sheet in each victory. And his personal defensive stats make for excellent reading as well – he has won 22 aerial duels and registered 31 recoveries already this season.
But there are some things that can’t be quantified, such as Dunk’s impact on the Brighton dressing room and the guidance he gives such a young squad which must be immense – after all, he is a year older than his own manager.
CB: James Tarkowski – Everton
Sofascore rating – 7.50
Next up is another old school English centre-half who has captained his team to an excellent start to the season.
The big man is rolling back the years as the Toffees look to push for Europe
In recent years the Toffees have become far more familiar with the bottom of the table than the top but at present are making a serious push for the European places and are currently in sixth place, level on points with fifth.
And the 33-year-old has been vital to David Moyes’s new system, providing stability and strength to a defence that has conceded just ten goals – with only Arsenal (five), Brighton (seven) and Leeds (eight) conceding fewer.
Again similar to Dunk, Tarkowski’s stats show the veteran’s ability to adapt to the demands of the modern game, having 108 line-breaking passes, creating four chances and one big chance so far this season.
The skipper has also come up trumps in close games, bagging a crucial goal in a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth and getting an assist in the 1-0 win over Ipswich.
CB: Jan Paul van Hecke – Tottenham
Sofascore rating – 7.87
Completing the back three is the only one out under 30, but is also the man with the highest average match rating in this team.
Considering Tottenham’s defensive record this season, one of their defenders making it in may come as a bit of a shock but anyone that has watched the north Londoners this season will know that 26-year-old Van Hecke is hardly the reason for their woes.
The Dutchman has been magnificent since moving from Brighton and reuniting with his old boss Roberto De Zerbi, playing every single minute of the Premier League season so far.
Van Hecke epitomises the modern centre-half, having the second most one-line breaking passes (162), the most two-line breaking passes (37) and the most passes into the final third (138) out of any player in the league – and has even bagged two goals for Spurs as they have started to pick up some form.
CDM: Granit Xhaka – Sunderland
Sofascore rating: 7.56
Despite Sunderland’s poor start, the Black Cats’ skipper anchors our midfield with the highest average match rating in his position this campaign. Most would have been expecting Pascal Gross to take this position in an XI such as this considering his eight goals and assists and all-round stellar showing this season.
Xhaka is a surprise entry considering Sunderland’s form but the stats tell us that the skipper is still performing
But the boffins have Xhaka here instead and the numbers show why. The Swiss international has excelled in a number of areas despite Sunderland’s faltering start having the second-most passes into the final third (132) and the joint most line-breaking passes into the box (21).
LM: Jeremy Doku – Manchester City
Sofascore rating: 7.65
Moving onto the midfield, we have perhaps the most electrifying winger in the league this season.
Manchester City have tailed off with three defeats on the spin but Jeremy Doku still remains a major source of headaches for the league’s full-backs and a full-time entertainer for us viewers.
When he first joined the league the Belgian was criticised for a lack of consistency but recently he appears to have put that all behind him. Doku does only have one goal and one assist this season, but that does not tell the full story.
He has completed the most dribbles in the league this season (27), won nearly 60 per cent of his duels and has created 4.25xG while on the pitch.
He also provided us with arguably the performance of the season so far when he changed the game off the bench away at Liverpool, scoring a goal-of-the-season contender to down the Reds.
RM: Bukayo Saka – Arsenal
Sofascore rating: 7.41
The first and only man from the champions and league leaders to get into our team is Bukayo Saka.
Saka appears to be getting back to his best as the champions get off to an excellent start in their title defence
It was always going to be hard for the man the fans call ‘Starboy’ to keep up his form from last season but in actual fact his desire to bring more silverware to the Emirates appears more prevalent than ever.
We all know what he can do going forward and the Englishman has netted three goals in the league, but this year he has improved his defensive game massively, winning 43 duels, 11 tackles and registering 23 recoveries already.
Saka has struggled with his fitness for the past year or so and although he has played their first seven Premier League games, has been on the sidelines since mid-October with a thigh injury.
CM: Morgan Rogers – Chelsea
Sofascore rating: 7.49
Despite a testing start to the season, Chelsea are the team with the most players to make the list – though few will quibble with this man’s inclusion.
Morgan Rogers proved himself to be a special talent at Aston Villa and there won’t be many Chelsea fans doubting the wisdom of paying £117million for his services after his flying start.
Morgan Rogers has been a revelation at the bridge thus far, scoring six goals in all competitions and assisting five more
The Englishman has lit up Stamford Bridge with six goals and five assists in all competitions and has instantly formed a deadly front three with best friend Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro.
The Blues have struggled for form under new manager Xabi Alonso but no criticism can be laid at the feet of Rogers who will hope his goals can bring some much-needed consistency to west London.
CM: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – Everton
Sofascore rating: 7.48
Completing the midfield is a man who is finally getting his flowers after months of quality and consistency. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is one of the many reasons Everton fans are excited for the first time in a while.
The Englishman became an instant fan favourite at the Hill Dickinson after moving from Chelsea last year but this season has gone up a gear in every way, running games from start to finish with surgical passing, clever dribbling and an incredible work rate.
Only seven players have covered more ground in the league than his 101km (63 miles), and he has also contributed three goals and an assist – as well as delivering a magnificent 79 defensive contributions. His spot in this team could not be more deserved.
ST: Joao Pedro – Chelsea
Sofascore rating: 7.67
Going into the strike-force these next two names are simply must haves, and the first of the two is the mercurial Joao Pedro.
Joao Pedro has the best goals and assists ratio to games in the league with eight in six games
After an excellent debut season in blue the Brazilian took the risk of taking on the infamously cursed Chelsea No9 shirt. But it appears to have only spurred him on further as he has enjoyed a stellar start to the campaign in front of goal.
It only took him two minutes to get on the score sheet this season in Chelsea’s opening game away to Fulham and he just hasn’t stopped scoring since.
Pedro has five goals and three assists in just six Premier League games and has become a menace for opposition defences. Unfortunately for gaffer Xabi Alonso his side have been unable to match that consistency, having won five, drawn one and lost four in the league.
But the Spaniard will hope to have his star man back soon – in the six games Pedro has managed to play this season the Blues have lost just one.
ST: Erling Haaland – Manchester City
Sofascore rating: 7.68
It would not be an elite Premier League XI without this man in it.
Even with all the controversy surrounding Manchester City, Erling Haaland manages to roar on and continue scoring at an alarming rate. It is yet another season where he props up the Premier League goal scoring table with nine in ten games.
For a City side in transition away from a decade under Pep Guardiola Haaland’s goals this season have been so crucial in smoothing the process and getting important wins.
The big Norwegian has bagged winners against rivals Manchester United, Ipswich and Coventry as well as netting the vital opener in their 3-0 win at Anfield. Yet again, he is proving he is the ultimate goal machine.
