Best XI: 2017 bottom-half Premier League team of the year
When the PFA Premier League Team of the Year was announced on April 20, only Manchester United shot-stopper David De Gea and Everton's Romelu Lukaku featured from sides outside the top three.
Deservedly so, a quartet of players from both Chelsea and Tottenham were honoured, with Liverpool's Sadio Mane given the nod as a representative of the Reds' lethal three-headed attack.
Related: Chelsea, Spurs stars headline PFA Team of the Year
Great teams have great players, and while that's an elementary and unnecessary notion, those selected among the division's best are often only as important to their sides as others guiding clubs to hopeful Premier League safety.
In an effort to praise those who lead their clubs with nary the recognition of the English top-flight's best, here's a look at theScore's Premier League Team of the Year from clubs languishing in the bottom half of the table:
GK - Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City)
Getting the nod ahead of Sunderland's Jordan Pickford and Burnley's Tom Heaton, Kasper Schmeichel maintained an exemplary standard of play this season while many of his teammates capitulated during Claudio Ranieri's final days. Considering the Leicester City Dane is playing behind a flat-footed Robert Huth and Wes Morgan's deputy Yohan Benaloune, conceding just 11 goals over the last nine league matches is relatively paltry.
DF - Ben Gibson (Middlesbrough)
Few players in the bottom half have boosted both their reputation and potential transfer fee this season like Middlesbrough centre-back Ben Gibson. With the Riverside locals staring down a Championship return, expect the 24-year-old to make a move in the summer, and deservedly so, as Gibson has played every minute of Boro's campaign while displaying a penchant for ball control rarely innate to English centre-halves.
DF - Harry Maguire (Hull City)
Fighting for its Premier League life, Hull City has bought into Marco Silva's ways, and among a squad of players thriving in the second half, Harry Maguire has been a pleasant surprise. Maguire is tops in the league among centre-backs for successful take-ons, and his two goals are a symbol of a defender who is deceptively strong in attack, especially in aerial duels.
DF - Michael Keane (Burnley)
Completing the English back-three is Burnley standout Michael Keane, who like Gibson, has played every minute of the season while emerging as a transfer target for the Premier League's marquee sides. A defender with a knack for a timely tackle, the Manchester United academy product may very well find himself sporting the Red Devils seminal red strip again next season a la Paul Pogba.
RWB - Michail Antonio (West Ham)
The first player to register three assists in a match this year during a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace, West Ham stud Michail Antonio has been the club's best player amid a dire campaign. His nine goals are tops among Slaven Bilic's charges, and the 27-year-old has started in eight different positions this season, highlighting his importance to a club that could have faced relegation were it not for his efforts.
LWB - Andrew Robertson (Hull City)
Narrowly edging influential Hull teammate and January signing Kamil Grosicki, Scottish international left-back Andrew Robertson, like Maguire, has enjoyed a brilliant spell under Tigers gaffer Silva. With 30 Premier League matches on the season, Robertson has paired deft dribbling skills with an eye for passing to the benefit of a side that appear likely to narrowly escape the drop.
MF - Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea City)
If there's a player in the bottom half who feels he deserves a move to a title contender more than Swansea City's Gylfi Sigurdsson, nine goals and a dozen assists have something to say about that. The Swans' lone creative player, Sigurdsson, 27, has been involved in more than half the club's goals this season (21), more than any midfielder in the league.
MF - Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City)
Despite joining Leicester's ranks in January, Wilfred Ndidi's addition has had an immediate effect on a side that looked likely to follow up a shocking league win with a Championship return. In 13 matches paired with the perpetually hydrated Danny Drinkwater, the £17-million ball-stopper's displays have been a massive upgrade on Daniel Amartey and Andy King, notably Man of the Match outings against West Brom and Stoke City.
AM - Manuel Lanzini (West Ham)
If Michail Antonio has been the Irons' best player, Manuel Lanzini has been the straw that stirs the east London lot's drink. Like Antonio, Lanzini is a versatile player, with the Argentine capable of playing up top or in an attacking midfield role. Lanzini, 24, has bagged a team-second-best seven goals and a pair of assists in 32 Premier League fixtures, including a near-perfect performance against the Baggies on Feb. 11.
AM - Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
Nightmare fuel for full-backs, Ivorian international Wilfried Zaha has starred for Palace this season, with six goals and nine assists leading the Croydon side for involvement in goals. With 13 starts on the left flank paired with 10 on the right wing, Zaha's pace and dribbling has proved to be a decisive factor in several matches as the Eagles enjoy a necessary run of form under Sam Allardyce. Like Keane and Pogba, Zaha is a former United player deemed surplus to requirements. Hindsight is a hell of a drug.
FW - Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace)
Hard not to watch Christian Benteke's brace in a win over Liverpool on April 23 and not feel amazing for the Reds outcast. Benteke, 26, leads England's top flight in aerial duels by some margin, and his 14 goals is top-10 in the league and best among players toiling in the bottom half. In the spirit of hindsight, for those keeping score at home, that's 28 league goals between Benteke and Mario Balotelli, two players Jurgen Klopp found not fit enough to sport Liverpool red.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)