01/05 - 19:00
01/05 - 20:00
With the 2021/22 season now done and dusted, Playmaker has taken on the challenge of naming its best XI per division from across the top four tiers of English football.
Following on from our Premier League XI, we’re now taking a look at the Championship after a dramatic season.
Let us know if you agree with our selection, or whether you think we've boobed and cast aside worthy candidates! Off we go...
GK Lee Nicholls: Back in August, Nicholls would have been an unlikely candidate for the team of the season. But the former MK Dons stopper has been an ever-present figure for Huddersfield Town in a season that saw the Terriers reach the play-off final. 2021/22 has been something of a breakout year for the 29-year old.
No other goalkeeper has been on the receiving end of as many shots as Nicholls this season, yet he kept 18 clean sheets this season while making 148 saves – more than anyone.
📈 Best save %s in #Championship in 2021/22 (inc. P/Os; 20+ games played):
— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) May 18, 2022
7⃣9⃣%: 👊Samba (117/149*), 👊Nicholls (145/184)
7⃣7⃣%: Travers (120/156), Foderingham (81/105)
7⃣5⃣%: Rodak (69/92)
* saves/shots on target against #NFFC @samba_brice #htafc @LeeNicholls pic.twitter.com/X6htT7QA5V
RB Djed Spence: Nottingham Forest’s expert use of the loan market has helped them make a return to the Premier League for the first time in 23 years. The stand out member of Forest’s on-loan players was Middlesbrough wing-back Djed Spence, who has been one of the revelations of the season.
This season, the 21-year old has caught the attention of Europe’s biggest clubs (they will be surely fighting for his signature this summer) and there are few players in his age group to show such dribbling prowess. Indeed, no other under-21 player in the Championship completed as many successful dribbles as Spence (74) and only four other players in the league in total rank ahead of him.
CB Lloyd Kelly: Leading his team from the back, Lloyd Kelly has been a crucial part of Scott Parker’s defence this season with Bournemouth finishing a strong second place in the Championship. Not only did the Cherries secure their return to the Premier League, but they also conceded the fewest goals (39) in the league in the process.
Attackers had a tough time whenever they faced Kelly. Indeed, of all the regular centre backs in the Championship this season, none were dribbled past fewer times than Lloyd Kelly – it only happened seven times all season.
LB Harry Toffolo: The Huddersfield full-back will no doubt be feeling that he should have won a penalty in the play-off final instead of being booked for diving – and he has a point. However, that disappointing end shouldn’t overshadow what a fantastic campaign the 26-year old has had for the Terriers.
Toward the end of the season, Toffolo was prolific, scoring five in his last seven games followed by an assist in the play-off semi-final first leg against Luton Town.
📈 Most productive defenders (#Championship; 2021/22):
— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) May 20, 2022
14⚽: 💥TOFFOLO (6G, 8A)💥
10⚽: Naismith (2G, 8A)
9⚽: I Jones (1G, 8A), Flint (6G, 2A)
8⚽: McNair (5G, 3A)#htafc @htafc @Harry_Toffolo pic.twitter.com/BRlNIKGvPg
RW Harry Wilson: After leaving Liverpool, the club where he began his career, Wilson has shown exactly what he is capable of. Under Marco Silva, the Welsh winger has improved in just about every department and has been an effective outlet for the Championship winners all year. A player with as much talent as Wilson should be playing in the Premier League.
Wilson finished the league campaign with an impressive 29 goal involvements, hitting double figures for goals (10) and assists where he finished with 19 in total – the most in the Championship.
CM Philip Billing: Billing has been superb for Bournemouth this season and was crucial for the Cherries at the business end of the season. With the Terriers breathing down their necks, the Danish international was directly involved in all three goals (scoring two) in a big win over Blackburn and assisted Kieffer Moore’s late winner against Nottingham Forest.
You could say that Billing has had a ‘perfect 10’ of a season, scoring 10 and assisting 10 from central midfield.
CM Fábio Carvalho: One of the revelations of the Championship season, the Portuguese Under-21 international has already confirmed his transfer to Liverpool. This season the classy playmaker – who has drawn comparisons with the likes of Deco and Rui Costa – has shown everyone what a mountain of potential he possesses.
The Fulham midfielder scored 10 and assisted eight goals in 36 games for Fulham this season, and was one of the standout teenagers in Europe. It will be fascinating to see how he develops next season under Jürgen Klopp.
📈 Most productive teenagers in 2021/22 (top 4 tiers):
— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) May 23, 2022
18⚽: 📝Fabio Carvalho (10G, 8A)📝
13⚽: Elliot Anderson (7G, 6A)
7⚽: Daniel Jebbison (7G), Louie Barry (6G, 1A)
6⚽: Alex Scott (4G, 2A), Luke Plange (4G, 2A)#LFC #YNWA pic.twitter.com/jo4AsS7Wd1
LW Brennan Johnson: Another highly promising youngster, Johnson has been electric for Nottingham Forest this year. The 21-year old’s pace, dribbling, and unpredictability have been a nightmare for defences all year – they’ll be thankful to see him in the top flight with Forest next year instead.
Only one other under-21 player from the top five UEFA leagues and the EFL combined was involved in more goals than Johnson, this season – Erling Haaland. The Norwegian was involved in 29, with Johnson just behind him on 28 – one more than Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior (27) could manage.
FW Andreas Weimann: Bristol City’s Andreas Weimann has been back to his very best season and managed to reestablish in the Austrian national team with new Das Team manager Ralph Rangnick calling him for his first squad last week as well.
Perhaps the most remarkable stat from Weimann’s stellar campaign is that his 22 goals and 10 assists mean that he is just one of three players in England to score 20 or more and assist 10 or more this season, alongside Mohamed Salah and Scott Twine.
This goal in particular was a beauty:
⚠️ Warning: Absolute filth from Andreas Weimann. ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/879QveInJU
— Bristol City FC (@BristolCity) April 30, 2022
FW Aleksandar Mitrovic: What else can you say about Mitrovic’s season? 43 goals in 44 games and a whole host of individual awards – no more prestigious than topping the inaugural Playmaker Top 72. The Serbian has proved repeatedly this year that he is too much for Championship defences to deal with, they simply haven’t been able to stop him.
When it comes to the numbers, well, he’s topping pretty much everything. Even if Mitrovic hadn’t scored six penalties this year (more than anyone) he would still have finished the season on 37 (still more than anyone). The only question that remains is if he can find that form in the Premier League again.
FW Dominic Solanke: Despite Aleksandr Mitrovic’s amazing season, we shouldn’t overlook Dominic Solanke who still produced a more prolific campaign than most this year. The former Liverpool and Chelsea forward has led Bournemouth back to the big time not only with his contributions but also his all-around play – Solanke just doesn't stop running.
His 29 league goals might seem paltry compared to 43, but in all but three Championship seasons since the rebrand, Solanke would have finished the season top scorer.
And that wraps up Playmaker's 2021/22 Championship Team of the Season.
Of course, we couldn’t mention everyone so apologies to the likes of Lewis O’Brien, Morgan Gibbs-White, Kal Naismith, and the rest who have made it a superb season in the second tier. Let us know if there are any other stand-out performers we missed below!
🏆#Playmaker's 2021/22 #Championship Team of the Season:
— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) May 31, 2022
2⃣1⃣ Nicholls
2⃣ Spence
5⃣ Kelly
3⃣ Toffolo
1⃣0⃣ Wilson
2⃣9⃣ Billing
2⃣8⃣ Carvalho
2⃣0⃣ Johnson
1⃣4⃣ Weimann
9⃣ Mitrovic
9⃣ Solanke#EFL #FFC #AFCB #HTAFC #NFFC #BristolCity pic.twitter.com/Wz5if1VRRm
