Mitoma joins Brighton teammates Ferguson and March in Premier League January best XI
This team of the month for January is dominated by Brighton and Newcastle, who have three players each, after they remained unbeaten throughout the opening month of 2023. Players from Brentford, Manchester United, Southampton and Tottenham are also represented in the team.
Brentford continued their good form from the end of last year, maintaining their unbeaten run throughout their three games in January, winning two and drawing the other. They only conceded a single goal in that time with David Raya pivotal in keeping the team secure at the back. He made 11 saves in those three games, including five in a tough away game against Leeds, as well as making 43 ball recoveries, which no other player could better in the Premier League in January, along with four high claims, the third highest value last month. Raya earned a WhoScored rating of 7.31 as a result.
Kieran Trippier (Newcastle) – 7.68
Newcastle stretched their unbeaten run in the Premier League to 15 games in January, drawing two of their three games in the month and winning the other against Fulham. They also extended their clean sheet record to six games in a row in the league. Kieran Trippier made nine tackles and one interception to contribute towards the defensive resolve. However, despite the Magpies only scoring once, it was Trippier’s work offensively that underlined his impact best. No player made more key passes (15), accurate crosses (18) or created big chances (4) than Trippier throughout the month, earning him a WhoScored rating of 7.68.
Fabian Schar (Newcastle) – 7.60
Fabian Schar was also key to Newcastle’s solid backline. He earned the man of the match award in the hard-fought 1-0 win over Fulham and throughout the month, Schar made 15 clearances, eight tackles and four interceptions to aid in Eddie Howe’s side continuing their clean sheet record, earning a WhoScored rating of 7.60 as a result.
Ethan Pinnock (Brentford) – 7.37
Ethan Pinnock was rock solid at the back in a very positive month for Brentford, in which they only conceded against Liverpool. Pinnock made the most clearances in the month of any player (29), nine of which were headed clearances, while no player was able to dribble past the Bees centre-back in his 270 minutes of action. He also made four tackles and three interceptions, helping him to a WhoScored rating of 7.37 for January.
Maintaining three clean sheets in three tricky fixtures, it is no surprise that three of the backline are Newcastle players. Dan Burn was one of only five players to make a last man tackle in January in the Premier League and also made 10 clearances. Burn’s overall rating for the month was 7.03 as a result.
Brighton enjoyed a positive month, remaining unbeaten in their three games, winning two and drawing the other. They scored nine goals in the process, with Solly March contributing to four of those, with three goals and one assist. He scored his three goals from only 11 shots, while he also made five key passes. He was one of only three players to earn more than one man of the match award in the month (2) helping him to a WhoScored rating of 8.22, ensuring he was the player of the month.
James Ward-Prowse (Southampton) – 7.55
Southampton ended January bottom of the Premier League and lost two of their three games, winning the other 2-1 away to Everton. Both of those goals were scored by arguably their most important player in James Ward-Prowse, one of which came from one of his trademark free-kicks. He also maintained an 82.8% pass success rate throughout the month, while creating one big chance and nine key passes, earning him a WhoScored rating of 7.55.
Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) – 7.53
Manchester United started the New Year with back-to-back wins over Bournemouth and rivals Manchester City, before drawing away to Crystal Palace and then losing to Arsenal. They scored eight goals, which only two teams could better in the month. Bruno Fernandes was key to this, contributing to four of the goals with two goals and two assists, which no player could better, as well as creating 10 key passes, the fourth best return. He also had eight shots and registered 17 touches in the opposition box, returning a WhoScored rating of 7.53 as a result.
Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton) – 7.58
Kaoru Mitoma continued his rise to prominence, helping Brighton to carry on their great form as a result. He registered a conversion rate of 28.6%, scoring twice from seven shots, while also registering 22 touches in the opposition box, which was the fifth highest value in the month. His key attribute is of course his dribbling and he completed six of these, the third highest value, helping him to earn a 7.58 WhoScored rating.
Evan Ferguson (Brighton) – 7.58
The emergence of Evan Ferguson has been a rapid one, with the Irish international acting as the focal point in the Seagulls attack. In January, he registered two assists and scored two goals, contributing to 44.4% of his side’s goals. His conversion rate (33.3%) was the second best in January, showing the clinical nature of his game. Ferguson earned a WhoScored rating of 7.58 as a result.
Tottenham endured a mixed and busy January, playing five league games, three of which they lost and the other two they won. Harry Kane continued his bright start to the season, though, nothing three goals for his side, which only Erling Haaland (4) could better, and had the sixth highest value of key passes (6). His goalscoring is of course his main contribution, but his work off the ball is also key, as he won possession in the attacking third four times as well as registering 24 touches in the opposition box.
