Championship Team of the Season 2020/21

Now that the dust has settled on the 2020/21 Championship season, WhoScored.com run through their best XI of the campaign.

Goalkeeper: Tim Krul (Norwich) – 6.87 rating

Norwich’s No 1 returned a save success rate of 76.7 per cent in England’s second tier this term, while only Freddie Woodman (20) kept more clean sheets than the Dutchman (17), who garnered a WhoScored.com rating of 6.87 this season.

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Centre-back: Michal Helik (Barnsley) – 7.25 rating

Helik is the first of two Barnsley defenders in this side, having enjoyed a superb debut campaign in England, and maximised his proactive approach to defending, ranking second for clearances (234) and third for interceptions (102) to help Barnsley to a top-six finish.

Centre-back: Grant Hanley (Norwich) – 7.19 rating

A key reason for Norwich’s title success was their quality in possession having ranked first for both possession (58.3 per cent) and pass success rate (82.8 per cent) with head coach Daniel Farke demanding his defenders play out from the back. Hanley was a key performer in that regard having made more accurate passes (2570) than any other player and yielding the best pass success rate (89.1 per cent) in the division. That said, Hanley was on hand to alleviate pressure on the Norwich goal by any means necessary where required, ranking third for clearances (211).

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Centre-back: Mads Andersen (Barnsley) – 7.19 rating

Pipping Helik to top spot in both clearances (242) and interceptions (113) was Barnsley team-mate Andersen. The 23-year-old was dominant in the air as he won more aerial duels (308) than any other defender in the 2020/21 Championship season to feature alongside Helik and Hanley in defence.

Right midfield: Emiliano Buendia (Norwich) – 7.78 rating

With a rating of 7.78, Buendia is the WhoScored.com Championship player of the season. The Norwich star was one of two players to register double figures for both goals (15) and assists (16), with the latter more than any other player. Buendia created at least 37 more goalscoring chances (122) than any other player, and ranked first for accurate through balls (10). In addition, the Norwich star won more WhoScored.com man of the match awards (14) than any other player.

Central midfield: Nick Powell (Stoke) – 7.10 rating

Only two players were fouled more times than Powell (114) in the Championship this season as the 27-year-old grew into an important player for Stoke. Powell scored 12 and provided an additional five assists for the Potters this term.

Central midfield: Michael Olise (Reading) – 7.06 rating

Partnering Powell in the middle of the park is Reading’s Olise. The teenager finished the season with 84 key passes to his name, that the third-best return, and 12 assists, that second to player of the season Buendia, and is deserving of his inclusion in this side.

Left midfield: Arnaut Danjuma (Bournemouth) – 7.21 rating

A key player in Bournemouth finishing inside the play-off spots was Dutch winger Danjuma. The 24-year-old ended the campaign with 15 goals and seven assists to his name, with 14 of those goals and assists combined coming in his final 13 appearances of the campaign.

Striker: Adam Armstrong (Blackburn) – 7.15 rating

Armstrong may have been unable to help Blackburn to a top-six finish, but it wasn’t for want of trying as the Rovers hitman netted 28 times this season. He was one of four players to earn a perfect 10 rating in a Championship match, achieving the feat in Blackburn’s 5-2 win over Huddersfield last month.

Striker: Kieffer Moore (Cardiff) – 7.56 rating

Spearheading the charge in this XI is Cardiff powerhouse Moore. The Welshman won the WhoScored.com man of the match in 12 of his 42 appearances as Cardiff sought to maximise his standing to good effect, with Moore winning more aerial duels (440) than any other player in the Championship this season. The 28-year-old also netted 20 times and provided one assist.

Striker: Ivan Toney (Brentford) – 7.41 rating

Toney wrote his name into the history books on the final day of the season as his goal against Bristol City on Saturday took him to 31 league goals for 2020/21, that a record in a Championship campaign. With an additional 10 assists, Toney joins Buendia as one of only two players to have registered double figures for goals and assists this season.

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