Surprising scores in stats gurus Sheffield United player ratings for this season
We all have our opinion on who has - and who hasn’t - played well this season and those will vary widely.
We, at The Star, have our own player ratings after every match and there’s plenty of debate amongst Sheffield United fans about those.
But what about those who look at things from a different angle.
Stats site whoscored.com apparently “calculates player ratings live using a comprehensive, automated algorithm based on over 200 raw statistics from Opta, weighted by their influence on match outcomes.”
So how does that compare to those of us who look at them merely by eye, on the pitch?
Taking the season United have had into context and the impact some players have seemingly had to us watching, there are more than a few surprising figures in whoscored’s ratings.
Here’s what they have come up with (players who have appeared more than 15 times).
Djibril Soumaré - WhoScored Rating 6.32
The much-malingned midfielder has struggled to break into the team on a regular basis, mostly coming in when others are unavailable. His score is probably fair
Tom Cannon - 6.35
The striker hasn’t had loads of opportunities, particularly since Patrick Bamford came in but he’s also not done a great deal when on the pitch either.
Tyrese Campbell - 6.50
A big fall-off from last season, general performances have been a far cry from what he produced in his first campaign.
Michael Cooper - 6.61
One of last season’s best players just hasn’t looked quite as secure this time around but that said, the players in front of him aren’t as those who took United to Wembley for the Play-Off Final.
Harrison Burrows - 6.62
It’s becoming a bit of a theme this. Another who hasn’t hit the heights of the last campaign though he has enjoyed something of a purple patch more recently.
Jaïro Riedewald - 6.64
Surely too low on the list? It feels as though United are a much better team when the Dutchman is in it and there’s a noticable drop-pff in performance when he’s unavailable. Maybe his struggle to complete 90 minutes on a consistent basis is the reason for what seems like a low score.
Callum O’Hare - 6.73
Widely regarded as Sheffield United’s player of the season yet the rating from WhoScored suggests otherwise. O’Hare has been excellent this season and on a consistent basis which is what was missing in his first season at the club last year. He’s also added more goals to his game.
Patrick Bamford - 6.74
You’d think Bamford should be a bit higher up the scoring as well, considering the impact he has had since joining in November. Fans will wonder how differerent the season could have been if he had been at Bramall Lane from the beginning of the campaign.
Mark McGuinness - 6.76
OK, they play in different positions, but surely McGuinness hasn’t been better than Riedewald, O’Hare and Bamford? Apparently so.
Gus Hamer - 6.77
Still the most exciting player in the team and one that is most likely to make something happpen but it hasn’t felt like he’s done it quite as much this time around.
Femi Seriki - 6.80
A breakthrough season for the talented young defender. His attacking prowess will have helped get the rating up on this one.
Andre Brooks - 6.81
Adding a few more goals has made Brooks so important this year and he remains one of the few players in a United shirt who can truly get fans off their seats.
Sydie Peck - 6.83
This is a fair score. Consistently good and his leadership qualities have grown this season, too, though it feels like he’s much better with someone of the experience of Riedewald beside him. Another reason why that particular score feels so low.
Japhet Tanganga - 7.01
This seems a bit surprising but then again, it feels like United are defending a lot more this season compared to last so perhaps that’s bumping the numbers up. He’s been reasonably solid but in the top three best performers?
Tyler Bindon - 7.03
Another one that is fair from a scoring point of view. The youngster on loan from Nottingham Forest had a difficult start but has grown to become one of United’s best players this season.
Sam McCallum - 7.10
Maybe a bit high, but then again you only have to look at the drop off in performances from the team collectively and consistently since he picked up an injury that ended his season at the end of January. There’s a fair argument that he would have been Player of the Season had his campaign not been cut short.