Premier League Bottom Half Team Of The Season

Teams in the bottom half lack the quality that the biggest clubs in England possess and thus all have had a long and hard season.

However, a host of players have shone despite playing for teams in the bottom half (11th - 20th). The Football Addick will identify the best of those players and select his Premier League bottom half XI.

Who takes the goalkeeper spot out of Tom Heaton, Jordan Pickford and Kasper Schmeichel? Which West Ham player makes the squad? And how many players from the relegated teams make the XI? Find out the answer to all these questions in the following pages.

*For purposes of fitting in all the best performing players, The Football Addick has chosen an unconventional 3-4-3 formation.

Jordan Pickford looks set to have a bright future after a superb season for Sunderland

GK: Jordan Pickford
Heaton and Schmeichel have both had remarkable seasons, but Jordan Pickford ousted the others with his heroic performances for the league's bottom club.

Sunderland would have been in an even worse position had it not been for Pickford. Despite only featuring in 21 games in the league, he was 2nd for saves (135), 5th highest for high claims (46) and tied 2nd for punches (22).

CB: Ben Mee
Michael Keane may have got most of the plaudits for Burnley this season, but his centre back partner was also rock solid at the back.

Amongst all defenders in the Premier League, he made the most blocks (46) was 9th for interceptions (72), 2nd for clearances (300) and won the 5th most aerial battles (126).

CB: Michael Keane
Michael Keane has had an outstanding season. He has won his first England cap and looks set to move to one of the league's best clubs this summer.

Amongst defenders, he won the most aerial battles (152), made the second most blocks (44) and recorded the 4th most clearances (260). A move to one of the best Premier League clubs awaits.

CB: Ben Gibson
Middlesborough have had a dismal season, but one of their shining lights has been their academy product, Ben Gibson.

Counting only defenders, he was 6th for clearances (234), 9th for blocks (31), and recorded 11 clean sheets for a Middlesborough side that finished 19th with only 28 points.

Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fernando Llorente were both vital for Swansea as they steered clear of relegation

LM: Wilfried Zaha
Equipped with blistering pace and incredible trickery, Zaha has bamboozled numerous defenders this season.

Buoyed by the departure of Yannick Bolasie at the start of the season, Zaha has thrived as Crystal Palace's star man. He finished the campaign with seven goals and nine assists.

CM: Wilfred Ndidi
Ndidi only arrived in Leicester from Genk for £17 million in January, but it could be argued he was one of the main catalysts in their turn of form.

Despite missing half of the season, he featured 17 times for the 2016 Premier Champions and recorded an overall rating of 7.26 (Whoscored.com), the highest of any Leicester player.

CM: Gylfi Sigurdsson
Without Sigurdsson, Swansea would probably have gone down this year.

Possessed with great quality and technical skills in abundance, the Icelandic man finished the season with nine goals, as well as contributing 13 assists; the third most in the league.

RM: Michail Antonio
A pacey winger blessed with both pace and strength, Antonio also has a knack of scoring goals; particularly with his head. He top scored for West Ham this season with nine goals; seven of which came from his head.

Despite suffering a season ending injury in April, he was awarded the 'Hammer of the Year' by the West Ham supporters for his contributions this season.

Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha both made The Football Addick's Bottom half team of the season

ST: Christian Benteke
A powerful striker with good technical skills, Christian Benteke's career seemed to have stagnated following a disappointing spell at Liverpool, but he looked back to his best this season.

This season, the former Aston Villa man scored 17 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions for the South London based side, including seven headers. He also won an incredible 322 aerial battles; 110 more than any other player in the league.

ST: Jermaine Defoe
Sunderland were terrible this season. But not Defoe. Despite being just shy of his 35th birthday, the veteran striker continues to prove that he can score goals at the highest level.

In a team that struggled to make a mark on an attacking sense, Defoe still managed to score 15 goals; 52% of Sunderland's total goals in the league this season.

ST: Fernando Llorente
Like Benteke and Defoe, Fernando Llorente recorded 15 goals in the league this season. His goals proved vital as they helped propel Swansea up the table and out of the relegation zone.

Standing at 6 foot 5, the Spaniard is quite simply a monster in the air. He won the 7th most aerial battles in the league (156) and scored the most headed goals in the league with nine.

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