Underrated XI from the 2014/15 season

The 2014/15 season is nearing its conclusion – a season that has so far been filled with twists and turns. We’ve seen many players hog the limelight this season and some of them have been doing so for many years, while some others are enjoying their rise to stardom. Amidst all these players, there are some players who go about the job silently without making a fuss or making many headlines. Some of them may shun the limelight altogether while some may never get the credit they deserve for their performances. These players are like the ‘Dark Knight’.Here is a list of the Underrated XI of the 2014/15 season and we have used a 4-4-2 formation for our purpose.Note: Statistics have been obtained from Squawka and WhoScored.

#1 Goalkeeper: Lukasz Fabianski - Swansea City

Lukasz Fabianski has always been a very good shot stopper, but the Polish International has not gained enough recognition because he played second fiddle to compatriot Wojciech Sczcesny at Arsenal for a major part of his career. In fact, if Fabianksi plays two more league games for Swansea this season, he will match his appearance tally for Arsenal in league matches across seven seasons.

The Pole has been the first choice keeper for the Welsh club this season and has been pivotal to their best ever season in the Premier League, but even then he hasn’t made the headlines very often as other goalkeepers like David De Gea and Thibaut Courtois have been thrust into the limelight more often.

A small comparison with keepers like De Gea, Courtois, Joe Hart and Hugo Lloris, who are some of the top keepers in the league, will give an idea about the impact Fabianski has made this season.

The 29-year-old has 11 clean sheets this season, which is more than any of the keepers mentioned above. In addition to this he makes 2.69 saves per goal conceded and 3.13 saves per match, both of which are the highest figure among all these keepers.

#2 Right Back: Nathaniel Clyne Southampton

For me, Nathaniel Clyne has been the best right-back in England this season, but unfortunately for the Saints man, he may not feature in this season’s Team of the Year because of Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic. The Serb has scored four goals and has four assists for the Blues this season while Clyne only has two goals to his name and goals and assists get more headlines than defensive work.

Clyne averages 1.97 interceptions per game, 0.21 blocks per game and wins 2.10 tackles per game, all of which are more than Ivanovic.

The Saints full-back, who recently turned 24 was deservingly called up to the England National team this season and went on to make his debut. The poor form of Liverpool’s Glen Johnson and an injury to Kyle Walker has given Clyne a perfect opportunity to cement his place as England’s first choice right back.

His performances haven’t gone completely unnoticed though, and if newspaper reports are anything to go by, then the Southampton man is set for a summer move away from St. Mary’s to one of the Premier League giants.

#3 Centre Back: Martin Skrtel Liverpool

The inclusion of Martin Skrtel in the list may come as a surprise to many, as Liverpool’s defense has been left exposed quite a lot this season. However the truth is, if it wasn’t for the Slovakian, the Reds’ defense would have been even more fragile and it was clear in the game against Arsenal last weekend, when their defense crumbled without the suspended 30-year-old.

According to a statistical comparison by Sky Sports between Gary Cahill, Jose Fonte, Phil Jones, Vincent Kompany, Laurent Koscielny, John Terry and Martin Skrtel, the Liverpool defender came out on top ahead of all these defenders in many criteria. Skrtel’s tackle success rate is 90.32% which is nearly 3.5% more than John Terry in second.

In addition to this, he has made 150 headed clearances which is 54 more than Terry, who again comes in second, as well as 33 blocks, which is also 10 more than the Chelsea captain in second position.

These statistics give a clear idea of how important Skrtel has been for Liverpool, but sadly for him, his performances have been overshadowed by his club’s poor defensive record and his stamping controversy.

#4 Center Back: Jeremy Mathieu FC Barcelona

When Barcelona signed a soon to be 31-year-old center back for €20 million, it was a decision that raised several eyebrows. Firstly, because the club may not get many good seasons out of the player as he was on the wrong side of 30. Secondly, the fact that Mathieu was never even considered for the French national team obviously raised questions about his quality.

The veteran centre back put all questions and doubts about his quality to rest very quickly and established himself as a regular in defence right from the offset of the current season. He played an integral part in the Barcelona side that started the league season without conceding a goal in eight straight games.

Mathieu’s defensive stats are quite impressive. He averages 2.76 interceptions per game and 3.24 clearances per game. His strength in the air has also helped in dealing with Barcelona’s well know weakness at defending set pieces and he has helped turn it into another weapon in the Catalan’s artillery. In the last two games Barcelona have played, he scored one goal each which helped in saving 4 points for his side.

Mathieu was never given enough appreciation at Valencia, but a move to Barcelona has done him a world of good and he was finally called up to the French national team this season.

#5 Left Back: Juan Bernat - Bayern Munich

When you talk about a Bayern Munich left back the first name that pops into our head is that of David Alaba and when you talk of Spain’s left back, the first name that we think of is easily Jordi Alba. Of course Alba and Alaba are two of the best left full backs in the game right now, but their competition is with Juan Bernat, who is fast improving and could pose a major threat to Alba and Alaba in the future.

Bernat started his career as a left winger but was later transformed into a left back and enjoyed an impressive breakthrough season last time around with Valencia. Bayern Munich quickly moved for the young full back and bought him in the summer and it was expected that he would play second fiddle to Alaba, but it has been anything but that.

The Spaniard has established himself as a regular starter at Bayern Munich and it is not easy by any means to get a starting spot in the German club’s side. He has so far played 39 times for the Bavarians, of which 34 have been starts.

He also went on to make his international debut this season and marked it with a goal.

#6 Central Midfield: Michael Carrick - Manchester United

If I had to single out a player from the Manchester United squad without whom the club have struggled this season, it would be Michael Carrick without any doubt. The Premier League giants were without the services of the veteran midfielder during the start of the season due to a lengthy injury and it is no secret that United got off to a sluggish start. The 33-year-old returned to the team early in November and played a pivotal role in turning the club’s fortunes around.

His first start of the season came in a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace and following that game United went on a 10-game unbeaten streak which included 7 wins of which some were against the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Southampton.

In fact with Carrick in the side, United only lost one game in between November 8 and January 23 across all competitions, before an injury ruled him out for over a month. During this period of his absence, the Red Devils lost one and drew another out of the four games they played.

United are now playing some of the best football they have played all season and Carrick has acted as the brain from midfield keeping everything ticking while other players add to the accolades by getting the goals.

#7 Central Midfield: Gabi Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid captain Gabi is a player whose international call up is long overdue. The 31-year-old central midfielder has been part of the Madrid club since 2011 and has played a very important role for his club in winning several honours during that period.

Gabi’s positional sense, tackling ability and aggressive nature make him the spine of Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid. His work is not eye-catching and, therefore, goes unnoticed by many. And other players around him get a lot more plaudits than he gets for the dirty work he has to do.

According to Whoscored, no other player has made more tackles than Gabi in the La Liga and this alone speaks volumes about the effort he puts in.

It’s the tenacity and grit of players like Gabi that make Atletico Madrid, with their high pressing and hard tackles. Sadly, Gabi will fall into the category of many central midfielders who fly under the radar.

#8 Right Wing: Karim Bellarabi - Bayer Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen are a club who have benefitted hugely in the last season by sending their players on loan. The German side sent Christoph Kramer and Karim Bellarabi on loan last time around and both players have matured immensely during that period and have also gone on to become German internationals.

Bellarabi, who returned to Leverkusen at the start of the season following an impressive loan spell at Eintracht Braunschweig, scored the fastest goal in Bundesliga history on the opening day of the current season.

The 24-year-old’s pace and dribbling skills make him a very effective winger and he has been spearheading the Leverkusen attack this season. Bellarabi is among the leading goal scorers in the league with 11 goals to his name and the Leverkusen man has also set up his teammates with 7 assists this season.

Bellarabi’s fine performances at club level have also gained him recognition from German coach Joachim Low and he has made the winger a regular at the International level.

#9 Left Wing: Christian Eriksen - Tottenham Hotspur

When Tottenham Hotspur sold Gareth Bale and used that money to buff up their squad, things didn’t go as planned, but the North London side acquired a gem of a player in Danish international Christian Eriksen. He adapted to the English game quickly and had an impressive first season during which he won many admirers especially because of his set-piece skills.

The Dane has stepped up his game in the current season, but the form and performances of his teammate Harry Kane have often overshadowed the contributions from Eriksen. The 23-year-old has 11 goals and 5 assists to his name this season and has scored many late winners for Spurs this time around. In fact, he is only second to Harry Kane in the Premier League when it comes to points won from an individual’s goals.

A player of Eriksen’s calibre deserves to play in the Champions League and right now it seems unlikely that the Spurs will finish in the top 4. Given the situation, don’t be surprised if a host of European giants do battle for the former Ajax man’s signature in the summer.

#10 Striker: Carlos Bacca Sevilla

Back in 2007, Carlos Bacca was a bus conductor. And when he wasn’t working on the bus, he was a fisherman. Forward to 2014, and the Colombian scored against European giants Real Madrid to put a severe dent in their title ambitions. Bacca’s determination has driven him forward, but he remains one of Europe’s most underrated strikers.

The 28-year-old is currently the third highest scorer in La Liga with 17 goals; behind only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Bacca moved to Sevilla in 2013 and finished his first season in Spain with 21 goals to his name and a Europa League winners medal. He has been able to carry that form into the current season and is currently on 20 goals for the season.

The Colombian’s form and performances have already attracted interest from many European clubs and it is a possibility that he will move from Sevilla in the coming summer.

#11 Striker: Olivier Giroud Arsenal

Olivier Giroud is often criticized for his lack of goals or the chances he misses and sometimes he is made the scapegoat for Arsenal’s defeats. But if you watch Arsenal’s game closely, you will realize how important the Frenchman is to the team and why Arsene Wenger trusts the 28-year-old.

The Frenchman missed quite a number of games at the start of the season due to injury, but he recovered quickly and since his return, he has been on a great run of form and has been finding the back of the net consistently.

Even when Giroud doesn’t score, he is a very important player for the Gunners as he uses his physique to good effect and holds the ball very well to bring his teammates into play. In addition to this, his one touch passing is quite impressive and if you look at the highlight reels of some of Arsenal’s best team goals in recent times, you will notice Giroud in the build-up or at the end of quite a lot of them.

Giroud may not be as flamboyant as some of the other strikers or may not be the most skilled player one comes across, but the Frenchman knows to play effectively and has 18 goals this season, some of which have come in huge games against the likes of Manchester City, Everton, Manchester United and Liverpool. To put things in perspective, Giroud’s minutes-per-goal is better than league leaders Diego Costa and Harry Kane.

Honourable Mentions: Fraser Forster (Southampton), Jose Fonte (Southampton), Ki sung-yeung (Swansea), Nacer Chadli (Tottenham Hotspur), Franco Di Santo (Werder Bremen), Alexander Meier (Eintracht Frankfurt), Andre-Pierre Gignac (Marseille), Nabil Fekir (Lyon), Daniel Parejo (Valencia) and Jose Gaya (Valencia)