With the prospect of a Premier League All-Star game a hot topic of conversation, what would the North vs South teams look like if chosen using the stats sheet?
New Chelsea owner Todd Boehly kick-started the idea of an All-Star game with his recent comments. Boehly suggested that an exhibition game would be a perfect way to increase revenue in English football.
“Ultimately, I hope the Premier League takes a bit of a lesson from US sports,” said Boehly, quoted via Sky Sports. “And really starts to figure out, why don’t we do a tournament with the bottom four sports teams? Why isn’t there an All-Star game?
“People are talking about more money for the pyramid. In the MLB All-Star game this year, we made $200 million from a Monday and Tuesday. So, we’re thinking we could do a North vs South All-star game for the Premier League, for whatever the pyramid needed quite easily.”
The Chelsea owner’s ideas drew contrasting opinions from those in the football world. But that has not stopped pundits and fans from choosing their own squads for a hypothetical game.
SPITCH
Fantasy football game SPITCH, using data from Opta Stats, also chose their teams for a North vs South match.
Unlike other fantasy games, SPITCH factors in a massive number of stats (via Opta) that can earn managers points. As well as the traditional goals and assists, players can score points for different pass types, successful tackles, blocks, and other elements.
As a result, players in all types of roles can rack up big point totals in their games. With this in mind, who makes a data-driven All-Star game?
North vs South teams: The North
Many football fans will be unsurprised to see that Manchester City have five players in the North’s starting XI.
Erling Haaland leads the attack, with his phenomenal goalscoring record making him the top points earner on SPITCH so far. Kevin de Bruyne, Rodri, and Bernardo Silva are joining him from Man City.
Rodri’s inclusion highlights his importance to the City side, as he has racked up most of his points from passing and ball recoveries. Finally, Joao Cancelo is the fifth Cityzen in the North XI.
A pair of teams then have two players in Team North. One of these is Newcastle, who have Fabian Schar and Kieran Trippier in the XI. The duo has been key to a Magpies defence that is joint-top in clean sheets this season.
Liverpool also have two players – but they are from opposing ends of the pitch. Virgil van Dijk completes the back four. Meanwhile, Roberto Firmino joins Haaland up top. Firmino’s massive performance against Bournemouth, where he had five attacking returns, certainly boosted his score.
In goal, Nottingham Forest’s Dean Henderson is the North’s keeper. His two penalty saves, and 25 total shot stops, give Henderson the highest GK score overall.
Finally, James Maddison completes Team North. Despite Leicester’s awful start to 2022/23, the midfielder has statistically performed well.
How does Team South stack up compared to Team North, then?
The South
The team representing the South has a much more varied squad featuring players from seven clubs. Firstly, Thiago Silva and Reece James give Chelsea two representatives in the starting XI.
Also in the Southern back-four is Joachim Andersen. The Crystal Palace man has gathered points via impressive interception and passing stats. West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell then completes the defence, holding the least points across the two teams.
Meanwhile, Brentford and Spain shot-stopper David Raya is between the sticks for this Team South vs Team North match. Like Dean Henderson, Raya is near the top of the save charts, with 26.
Just three teams fill the six midfield and attacking spots for Team South. Brighton make up 50% of the midfield with Solly March and Pascal Gross. Gross deservedly gets a place due to his excellent start to 2022/23.
North London then completes the line-up. Spurs duo Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg are there for Spurs, with Kane the top scorer on the South side. Finally, Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard make the team as key cogs in Arsenal’s strong start to the season.
These two team selections, courtesy of Spitch and their Opta-driven scores, would undoubtedly make for a fascinating encounter. Who knows? Maybe we will see a Premier League All-Star game at some point in the future.
Data courtesy of fantasy football app, SPITCH, powered by Opta. Sign up here. 18+ only
Featured Image Credit: Getty