Championship Team of the Month for December | Football News

WhoScored.com reveal their Championship Team of the Month for December.

Goalkeeper: Alex Palmer (West Brom) – 7.10 rating

West Brom conceded only two goals on December as they picked up 12 points from five games, with Palmer keeping a clean sheet in three of those. Only Joe Lumley (16) made more saves than his 15.

Right-back: Kaine Hayden (Huddersfield) – 7.05 rating

Hayden has been directly involved in two league goals this season, both of which came in December, as the defender followed up his first goal of the campaign against Preston, with his first assist of 2022/23 in the win over Rotherham. Five tackles and four key passes contributed towards his inclusion.

Centre-back: Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Burnley) – 7.34 rating

As Burnley maintain their push for Championship glory, Harwood-Bellis has been vital at the heart of the Clarets defence. Vincent Kompany’s side conceded just one goal in December as Harwood-Belis played his part in Burnley’s dominance over opponents. Indeed, he ranked third for accurate passes (296).

Centre-back: Ciaran Clark (Sheffield United) – 7.30 rating

Partnering Harwood-Belis at the heart of the defence is the first of four Sheffield United representatives. The Blades remain hot on the heels of Burnley in the race for the title, with Clark a key man at the back. The 33-year-old scored his first goal of the season in December’s win over Coventry, as he earned a WhoScored.com rating of 7.30.

Left-back: Ryan Manning (Swansea) – 7.48 rating

Rounding off the defence is Swansea’s Manning. The Swans endured a miserable December, but did round off the year on a high as they trounced Watford 4-0 on home turf. Only one player made more key passes than Manning (14) last month.

Central midfield: Gustavo Hamer (Coventry) – 7.54 rating

The one player to create more goalscoring chances than Manning was Coventry’s Gustavo Hamer (15). Two of the three assists Hamer has registered this season came in December, while he was one of three players to win multiple WhoScored.com Man of the Match awards.

Central midfield: Okay Yokuslu (West Brom) – 7.85 rating

Another player to win multiple man of the match awards, Yokuslu is the WhoScored.com Player of the Month. Two of the three goals the Turkey midfielder has scored this season were netted in December, while a total of 20 tackles and interceptions combined ranked fourth in England’s second tier.

Central midfield: Oliver Norwood (Sheffield United) – 7.84 rating

Just missing out on the player of the month award, Norwood ranked fourth for key passes (11) in the Championship in December. Those translated to two assists as Norwood played key roles in wins over Wigan and Coventry, while eight interceptions ranked 10th in the division.

Forward: Joao Pedro (Watford) – 7.64 rating

Watford may have struggled in December, winning just one of four games, but that victory against Huddersfield was down to Pedro. The Brazilian scored both goals in a man-of-the-match performance, with his two goals ranking eighth in the Championship in December.

Forward: James McAtee (Sheffield United) – 7.42 rating

Like Pedro, McAtee scored twice in December, those coming in wins over Coventry and Blackpool. Only Amad Diallo (12) completed more dribbles than McAtee (9) in England’s second tier last month.

Forward: Iliman Ndiaye (Sheffield United) – 7.65 rating

Leading the charge is the fourth Sheffield United representative. Ndiaye completed the third most dribbles (8) in the division in December, and registered more assists (5) than any other player. No player created more clear-cut goalscoring chances than Ndiaye (4) last month.