West Ham United players Lukasz Fabianski and Felipe Anderson have been included in Sky Sports’ ‘best of the rest’ Premier League Team of the Season.
The broadcaster revealed the news on their website on Tuesday, with the two Hammers qualifying for a team made up of top flight players outside of the top six teams.
Fabianski has made 126 saves this season, more than anyone else in the Premier League. His exploits have done enough to earn him his place here over the likes of Watford’s Ben Foster and Everton’s Jordan Pickford.
Winger Anderson has made amongst the most dribbles of any qualifying player, and beat out stars like Everton’s Richarlison and Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha.
OPINION
Firstly, it seems bizarre that West Ham midfielder Declan Rice hasn’t been included in this line up. The 20-year-old has been one of the finest central midfielders in the top flight this term and certainly amongst the best outside of the big six. He has been magnificent, so to see him ignored is a surprise. This is a team based on statistics, though, so that might explain it. However, Fabianski certainly deserves his place between the sticks. While Foster has also been tremendous, the Hammers shot-stopper has had to deal with much more coming his way and that’s probably why he got the nod here. Anderson’s inclusion is slightly curious, though. He was phenomenal in the first half of the season but has declined sharply since the turn of the year. When you consider that Zaha, arguably the best player outside of the top six, didn’t make it into this team, it makes you question the importance of statistics.
