WhoScored.com run through their 2019/20 Championship Team of the Season...
Friday 24 July 2020 14:23, UK
The final day of the Championship season provided entertainment and then some as West Brom confirmed their automatic promotion spot alongside Leeds, while Swansea snuck into the playoffs at the death.
Here, WhoScored.com run through their team of the season using their unique rating system...
The first of three Fulham representatives features between the sticks. Marek Rodak was solid for the Whites in goal as Scott Parker's side earned a playoff spot. The Slovakian youngster kept 13 clean sheets in his 33 outings and ranked among the top 10 goalkeepers for saves per 90 (3) this season.
What's more, of the goalkeepers to make more than 10 league outings, Rodak's save success rate (75 per cent) was better than any other shotstopper to yield a WhoScored.com rating of 6.77.
The sole representative for champions Leeds, which says more about the impressive team performances from Marcelo Bielsa's side rather than the reliance in individual quality. Luke Ayling was solid at the back as his WhoScored.com rating (7.26) suggests. To go with his four goals and four assists, the 28-year-old chipped in with averages of 1.9 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per 90 to help make the WhoScored.com team of the season.
Millwall's only player in the best XI is centre-back Shaun Hutchinson. The defender was a towering presence at both ends of the pitch for the Lions, as he bagged six league goals, five of which were headers, and won an impressive 208 aerial duels, both enough to rank among the top 10 players in the Championship to help reinforce a statistically calculated WhoScored.com strength of 'aerial duels' and contribute towards a rating of 7.29.
Partnering Hutchinson at the back is Cardiff's Sean Morrison. Only Preston's Patrick Bauer (249) won more aerial duels than Morrison (243) in the Championship this season. The 29-year-old scored four and assisted two for the Bluebirds, while no player won more WhoScored.com man of the match awards than Morrison (10) to contribute towards his inclusion in this team with a rating of 7.26.
No defender registered more assists than Joe Bryan (7) in the Championship this season, with the left-back the final defender in the best XI. Bryan was a regular attacking threat down the Fulham left as he averaged 1.3 key passes per 90, while off the ball; he made more tackles (117) than any other player in England's second tier this term to reinforce statistically calculated WhoScored.com strengths of 'key passes' and 'tackling'.
The first and only Swansea player to make the WhoScored.com Championship team of the season, Andre Ayew played a key role in securing the Swans' spot in the playoffs. Indeed, the Ghanaian scored 15 times and provided an additional seven assists for Steve Cooper's side and was the third most fouled player (99) in the Championship this season to help garner a WhoScored.com rating of 7.35.
Matheus Pereira proved to be an inspired signing for West Brom, with the Baggies lucky to be making his loan move permanent this summer. Indeed, the Brazilian ranked first for key passes (116), clear-cut chances created (20) and assists (16) in the Championship this season to return a WhoScored.com rating of 7.41.
QPR may have disappointed this season, but the same can't be said for Eberechi Eze. The young midfielder is likely to be plying his trade in the Premier League next season and deservedly so as Eze partners Pereira in midfield having garnered a WhoScored.com rating of 7.36.
The 22-year-old was one of three players to return 10 WhoScored.com man of the match awards with his 14 goals, eight assists and 136 successful dribbles - more than any other player - to help nail down a place in this XI.
The first of two Brentford players, Said Benrahma ended the campaign as the WhoScored.com player of the season in the Championship as he returned a rating of 7.51. Like Eze, Benrahma picked up 10 WhoScored.com man of the match awards and was in fine form post-lockdown to help push him to top spot. The Algerian scored 17 and provided eight assists for the league's top scorers as he ranked highly for successful dribbles (132) and key passes (91) to cap a fine campaign.
The second Brentford player to make the cut, Ollie Watkins narrowly missed out on the Championship's Golden Boot as he bagged 25 league goals for the Bees, more than his previous two seasons combined. No player scored more clear-cut chances than Watkins (18) to reinforce a statistically calculated WhoScored.com strength of 'finishing' and earn a rating of 7.28.
Rounding off the WhoScored.com Championship team of the season is the league's top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic. The Serb hit the back of the net 26 times for Fulham this season, one more than Watkins, while only Benrahma (166) had more shots than Mitrovic (151) to help the 25-year-old to a WhoScored.com rating of 7.24.
