OPTA Premiership Team of the Season

**Karlos** · 16/05/2005, 1:35 PM

With the premiership now completed opta have released the premiership team of the season based on the statistics. As usual there will be a bit a debate over whether the selections are correct etc but one would have to concede that based on the statistics and the look of the team on paper - you could imagine such a line-up being hard to beat.

more info on the breakdown of stats here http://skysports.planetfootball.com/....asp?id=276892

Petr Cech

Lauren Ricardo Carvalho John Terry Gabriel Heinze

Robert Pires Frank Lampard Patrick Vieira Arjen Robben

Thierry Henry Wayne Rooney

**paul_oshea** · 16/05/2005, 3:32 PM

duff has done way more than either wingers this season.typical.change your nationality to english and you will be the next george best.

**Karlos** · 16/05/2005, 3:36 PM

with all due respect what you have claimed is nonscence. I said from the start it's based on the 'statistics' and 'statistics' alone. That is why someone like Robben would get in ahead of Duff - he obviously got a greater percentage than Duff based on his stats even though he would have played less games. I never said it was correct but it isn't biased either

**Roo69** · 16/05/2005, 3:38 PM

Stats don;t lie, but IMO Veria, Henry, Robben or Pires should be no where near that team on over all prefromances over the entire season. I think this was Veria's worst season yet at Arsenal, Henry and Pires had very yo-yo seasons and Robben was injured far to often.

**paul_oshea** · 16/05/2005, 3:39 PM

based on statistics ya i spose i jumped in a bit heavy handed, but duffer did it where it mattered most and where it is hardest to do in the champs league, with some great performances and the most assists. pires is overrated imo.well over rated at that.

**paul_oshea** · 16/05/2005, 3:40 PM

yes exactly.

viera must have been attending the same school of acting as holland, because he was mr invisible for most of the season, his performance against united at arsenal was very poor also.

**aido_b** · 16/05/2005, 3:41 PM

Andy Johnson anybody ?????

**Karlos** · 16/05/2005, 9:14 PM

Originally Posted by Roo69

Stats don;t lie, but IMO Veria, Henry, Robben or Pires should be no where near that team on over all prefromances over the entire season. I think this was Veria's worst season yet at Arsenal, Henry and Pires had very yo-yo seasons and Robben was injured far to often.

Would agree on Vieria for sure but not on the other two Arsenal lads. Henry has more goals and assists than anyone in the league (3 out of 4 seasons running now) and Pires was the top scoring midfielder in the premiership scoring more than almost every striker in the league bar 2 or 3 including Rooney who is included and playing 33 games i think in the league. That is excellent for someone in his position at his age. If that's a yo yo season then let's be having more of that!!

(CORRECTION: not sure if Lampard over-took him with his goal at the weekend, might have done! CORRECTION: no he didn't, Pires finished 3rd top scorer behind Henry and Johnson - overrated, yeah right!)

)

agree with ya on Robben but he's obviously got in on what he done in the games he DID play - for me anyway, Duff tailed off alot towards the end of the season

As i said its a healthy debate but bear in mind the team is based on what the statistics prove and that alone.

**Dodge** · 16/05/2005, 9:25 PM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

duff has done way more than either wingers this season.typical.change your nationality to english and you will be the next george best.

Thats why they picked players from Holland and France in those positions is it?

RushIan · 17/05/2005, 1:36 PM

statistics are a load of Crap - Dont believe in them, and i have'nt done since I read a while ago that 75% of Statistics are Pure Crap.

Statistically speaking of course

**Hibs4Ever** · 17/05/2005, 2:09 PM

What the fcuk is Rooney doing in there. He's SH*T

**Karlos** · 19/05/2005, 12:01 PM

For those who are interested here's a different set of stats from the Actim Index. I know Eirebhoy is a big fan of these ones!

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/stats/r...pe=ALL&cc=5739

oh and what's that - there's the vastly over-rated Robert Pires sitting in 3rd yet again - he's making a habit of that these days after finishing 3rd top goal scorer in the premier league too!!!

**eirebhoy** · 19/05/2005, 12:18 PM

It looks to me that once you're a winger they only take into account your attacking stats (goals, assists, etc.) so even though Duff has saved Chelsea from conceding a load of goals with his off the ball work, it doesn't do anything for his stats.