The Debrief: Alternative Premier League team of the season with help from GeniusIQ stats you might have missed

Welcome to The Debrief, a Sky Sports column in which Adam Bate uses a blend of data and opinion to reflect on some of the key stories from the latest Premier League matches. This week:

Let's finish with something a little different as we build an alternative team of the season with the help of GeniusIQ data.

The only rule is that we are excluding the eight names who were on the shortlist for Premier League player of the season. No Gabriel, Declan Rice, David Raya, Erling Haaland, Antoine Semenyo, Igor Thiago, Morgan Gibbs-White or Bruno Fernandes.

By looking past those obvious picks, let's examine some of the numbers that tease out a few more of the standout performers...

Senne Lammens (Man Utd)

Manchester United relied on a revamped forward line and, once Michael Carrick was in charge, boasted the best playmaker in the Premier League operating in his optimum position. But do not underestimate the platform that was provided by their goalkeeper.

Arriving as an uncapped 23-year-old signing from Antwerp, Senne Lammens was a revelation in his first season as a Premier League player. The statistics suggest that he prevented more goals than any other goalkeeper in the competition this past season.

Matheus Nunes (Man City)

Pep Guardiola infamously declared that he did not envisage Matheus Nunes as capable of playing in his midfield but it is to the Portugal international's credit that he has been repurposed as an effective right-back at Manchester City. He had a strong season.

Nunes was diligent defensively but it was his engine that marked him out, constantly providing the outlet on that flank. In fact, the stats show that Nunes was available to receive possession of the ball in the final third more than any other player this season.

Adrien Truffert (Bournemouth)

At left-back, Bournemouth's Adrien Truffert boasts some remarkable numbers. He made almost twice as many overlapping runs as any other player in the Premier League and was also top of the list for underlapping runs too. The Frenchman ran and he ran.

Bournemouth's high-tempo approach needs players willing to do that and Truffert covered more ground while sprinting than anyone else. There is quality to his game too but it is that energy that was key to helping Andoni Iraola produce such an exciting side.

Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton)

The best ball-carrier in the Premier League is not some flashy winger but a Brighton centre-back. Jan Paul van Hecke was the only player in the competition to carry the ball over 10 kilometres this season, taking the ball forward far more times than anyone else.

It was a key element of Brighton's success because the Dutchman was effective at committing opponents and progressing their play. Indeed, he ranked just ahead of Man City's Jeremy Doku in terms of bypassing the most opponents with his carries.

Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth)

Back to Bournemouth, for a different type of centre-back who was just as important to his team's system in Marcos Senesi. The experienced Argentinian was the rock that held a rebuilt Cherries defence together with his physicality but also his fine passing.

While Van Hecke bypassed opponents by carrying the ball, Senesi did it with his distribution - bypassing more defenders that way than anyone else in the Premier League. In fact, only Bruno Fernandes broke the back line more with those passes.

Elliot Anderson (Nott'm Forest)

Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson has developed into a supreme footballer who is wanted by the top sides in the country. His team might well have gone down without him and there are a load of metrics around that illustrate his importance.

His use of the ball is excellent but his physical numbers stand out too. Anderson covered more ground than any other player and pressed more too. Interestingly, the expected-goals value of his interceptions was also the highest in the Premier League.

Granit Xhaka (Sunderland)

Another who covered huge distances for his side, perhaps surprisingly, was Granit Xhaka. At the age of 33, some assumed there must be a catch for him to pitch up at newly promoted Sunderland. Instead, Xhaka has taken the club into the Europa League.

Sunderland's captain and player of the year ranked in the top 20 for distance covered and the top 10 for possession won in midfield, while Anderson was the only midfielder to make more final-third entries with the ball. Add the intangibles and he was a superstar.

Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool)

At Anfield on Sunday, the names of Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson were sung loud and proud but there were also chants after the final whistle aimed at Dominik Szoboszlai. He was obviously Liverpool's best player this season, driving them on.

His spectacular free-kicks against Arsenal and Man City were among the highlights but it was the intensity of his work that separated him from everyone else in a Liverpool shirt. He made 1,536 high-intensity runs while pressing, a Premier League high.

Jeremy Doku (Man City)

This was the year that Jeremy Doku took a step forward in his career, becoming a decisive player for Man City at the business end of the season. There were stunning goals, while he also completed more dribbles than anyone in the Premier League.

His key role in Guardiola's team is shown by the fact that he was one-on-one against his opponent more times than any other player this season. Those situations led to more goals than anyone else too. Doku's end product should be questioned no more.

Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

Ollie Watkins would have been a long way from any team of the season, alternative or otherwise, but for a late flurry that secured a top-four finish for Aston Villa. He was the Premier League top scorer from mid-April onwards with seven goals in six games.

But the underlying numbers for Watkins were always strong. The England international has long been a willing runner, best illustrated by his 520 runs challenging the back line. While Igor Thiago made 476, the next man on the list made 354. It sets Watkins apart.

Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal)

Although we are ruling out three Arsenal players who made the Premier League player-of-the-year shortlist, let's finish with one to mark their season of seasons. New striker Viktor Gyokeres was the top scorer for the Premier League champions, after all.

The much-maligned Swede has been only a qualified success but he still ranked second for holding the ball up in the Premier League and - as the table above shows - fourth for runs attacking the back line. Gyokeres gave Arsenal something different and it worked.

(c) Sky Sports 2026: The Debrief: Alternative Premier League team of the season with help from GeniusIQ stats you might have missed