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The festive period is over, but the game doesn’t stop. With January coming to a close, WhoScored.com investigates its first Championship Team of the Month for 2023.
Burnley, Norwich, Sheffield United and Rotherham all have two players in the XI, with Preston and Wigan also represented.
Goalkeeper: Viktor Johansson (Rotherham) – 7.23
The Rotherham shot-stopper kept two clean sheets in three Championship games in January, and in that time no goalkeeper in the league has made more than 16 saves. His solid form saw him between the sticks in the Team of the Month with a WhoScored.com rating of 7.23.
Right back: Alan Browne (Preston North End) – 7.45
Alan Browne was the only player in the league to feature in two Man of the Match performances in January and finished the month with a WhoScored.com rating of 7.45. The Irishman got on the scoresheet against Birmingham in Preston’s 2-1 win at St. Andrews and assisted Ched Evans’ injury-time winner against Stoke.
Centre-back: Jordan Beyer (Burnley) – 7.58
The first of Burnley’s two defenders to win the title, Jordan Beyer has been a key player in January, a month that has seen Vincent Kompany’s men go unbeaten. He scored the only goal in Burnley’s trip to Coventry earning him a spot. Beyer was very composed on the ball throughout the month, successfully completing 90 percent of his attempted passes in January.
Center back: John Egan (Sheffield United) – 7.42
John Egan featured in January’s Team of the Month with a WhoScored.com rating of 7.42. The Sheffield United defender was in the right place at the right time, making 22 clearances in January, a key contribution to the Blades’ unbeaten month. He also scored a 95th-minute equalizer against QPR, earning Sheffield United a crucial point along the way.
Left back: Ian Maatsen (Burnley) – 7.73
Completing the four-man defense is Ian Maatsen, who recorded a WhoScored rating of 7.73 for the month. He was a force to be reckoned with at the back for Burnley in January making 12 tackles in three Championship appearances. The 20-year-old also scored two goals in Burnley’s win at Swansea and deservedly made the team.
Midfielder: Josh Sargent (Norwich) – 7.43
The US international made the side after generating a WhoScored.com rating for the month of 7.43. The exciting youngster scored three goals in Norwich’s away win at Coventry and has now accounted for 25 per cent of Norwich’s goals so far this season, with 10.
Central midfielder: Oliver Norwood (Sheffield United) – 7.52
Oliver Norwood was another consistent player in January scoring one goal and producing a WhoScored.com rating of 7.52. The quarterback won a total of six 50/50s on the month, ranking third in the league.
Midfielder: Hakeem Odoffin (Rotherham) – 7.44
The Rotherham midfielder was on target for his first goal of the season against Blackburn in Rotherham’s 4-0 defeat at Ewood Park. Hakeem Odoffin was a constant threat in the air in January winning a total of 22 aerial battles in the month, and earned the nod with a 7.44 WhoScored.com rating.
Right wing: Oliver Cooper (Swansea) – 7.30
Oliver Cooper scored two league goals in January including a consolation goal against Burnley and Swansea’s third goal against 10-man Sunderland to take his tally for the season to five. He has a WhoScored.com rating of 7.30.
Striker: Teemu Pukki (Norwich) – 7.84
With a rating of 7.84, Teemu Pukki is the WhoScored.com Championship Player of the Month after his contribution, with two goals and two assists, to Norwich’s ascent. The Finnish forward bagged a double and provided an assist against Preston in the Canaries’ 4-0 win at Deepdale. His second assist came against Coventry in a six-goal thriller, which Norwich won 4-2.
Left wing: James McClean (Wigan) – 7.70
Wigan’s James McClean completes the Team of the Month After a successful January. McClean confirmed his ‘dribbling’ strength statistically as he made the fourth most successful dribbles of the month, with seven. He is currently Wigan’s Player of the Season and ended January with a WhoScored.com rating of 7.70.
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