Silva still shining among Man City trio in most improved XI post-lockdown

The coronavirus pandemic forced the Premier League to take an unprecedented break and at the height of the outbreak there were legitmate concerns whether the 2019/20 campaign would even conclude. Once a return date was set in stone, however, thoughts naturally turned to how the players would perform after nearly three months without competitive football.

Would those that were flying pre-lockdown manage to pick up from where they left off or would it impact their form? What about those that were struggling before the break? With time to take a breather, would they come out firing on all cylinders or just continue to struggle?

Using WhoScored.com player ratings, we can answer these questions now the 2019/20 campaign has finished. For this piece we will reveal the most improved Premier League XI from pre to post-lockdown. I.e which players saw their WhoScored ratings rise the most across the two periods. Players must have started at least 10 Premier League games pre-lockdown and at least five Premier League games after the restart to qualify for the XI.

Goalkeeper: Ederson (Manchester City) +0.43 rating increase

This isn't to suggest Ederson was poor up until lockdown but the Brazilian's all-round performances did noticeably improve after the break. The 26-year-old kept seven clean sheets in 10 matches after the restart and some of his long-range passing to launch Manchester City counter attacks was exemplary, even creating one goalscoring chance directly. His save success rate was just 64.1% at the point of the break, compared to 72% during 'Project Restart'.

Right-back: Kyle Walker (Manchester City) +0.38 rating increase

Sticking with Manchester City is right-back Kyle Walker. The England international concluded the Premier League campaign with assists in back-to-back matches, as many as he managed in 21 league games combined pre-lockdown. Walker started seven league games after the restart and City kept clean sheets in five of those fixtures.

Centre-back: Michael Keane (Everton) +0.47 rating increase

Michael Keane will be relatively disappointed with how his season went in general after Everton's bottom-half finish bu he did at least kick on and remind Carlo Ancelotti of what he is capable of after the restart. Keane won three WhoScored Man of the Match awards during the season, with two falling in the period post-lockdown. Keane was far more dominant in the air after the restart compared to the first part of the season. He entered the break with an aerial duel success of just 54% but in nine appearances post-lockdown it was 73.7%.

Centre-back: Jan Bednarek (Southampton) +0.52 rating increase

Southampton were one of the sides to really benefit from the break, as only two sides picked up more points than Ralph Hasenhuttl's side after the restart. Jan Bednarek has always been a bit of a streaky player for Southampton but picked the right time to rediscover his best form to help steer Southampton clear of the drop. Bednarek won 81.3% of his aerial duels after the restart compared to just 69.8% up until the break. The Poland international also registered his only assist of the league campaign in his penultimate appearance. 

Left-back: Luke Shaw (Manchester United) +0.40 rating increase

Luke Shaw missed Manchester United's last three league games of the season with a rolled ankle but played an underrated role in the club's fine start to 'Project Restart' and he was missed after his injury. In just six appearances after the restart, Shaw managed only eight fewer touches in the opposition penalty area as he did in his first 18 league appearances (21). He was certainly moved involved from an attacking-perspective post-lockdown, creating his only clear-cut goalscoring chance of the season in that period.

Right wing: Stuart Armstrong (Southampton) +0.55 rating increase

As Southampton picked up 34.6% of their seasonal points tally in nine matches post-lockdown, it's no surprise they feature heavily in our most improved XI. They took their time but finally came good under Ralph Hasenhuttl. Stuart Armstrong struggled for regular playing time during the first portion of the season but really excelled during the business end of the competition. Armstrong finished his second year with Southampton with eight goal contributions and five of those came post-lockdown.

Central midfield: David Silva (Manchester City) +0.48 rating increase

With the way David Silva finished the season, maybe he is bowing out of the Premier League one year too early. The Manchester City midfielder claimed WhoScored Man of the Match awards in two of his last three league starts and played a direct hand in five goals in that time, even earning a WhoScored 10 rating in a Premier League match for the first time since 2011. The 34-year-old scored three goals post-lockdown in total, as many as he managed in 19 appearances before the break. Silva is a Premier League legend and concludes his time in England at his best.

Central midfield: Conor Hourihane (Aston Villa) +0.42 rating increase

While Jack Grealish will take all the plaudits for his role in Aston Villa beating relegation, Conor Hourihane's part in their escape deserves recognition. The 29-year-old was superb for Dean Smith's side after the restart, finishing the campaign with three assists in seven appearances. He was also the WhoScored Man of the Match in a 0-0 draw with Sheffield United at the start of 'Project Restart' when he registered seven key passes - 18% of his total key passes registered in the league in 2019/20.

Left wing: Nathan Redmond (Southampton) +0.64 rating increase

Nathan Redmond only registered four Premier League assists in 2019/20 and three came in his final four appearances of the season. As well as registering an assist in three straight league games, only three players completed more dribbles than Redmond in the Premier League post-lockdown (27). Not only did Redmond find top form in the attacking third but he was also better defensively. Redmond entered the break with an average of 1.4 tackles per game but post-lockdown that figure was 1.7 per game.

Striker: Michail Antonio (West Ham) +0.55 rating increase

Michail Antonio's post-lockdown form was really the tipping point for West Ham beating the drop. Only Raheem Sterling (9) scored more league goals than Antonio (8) after the restart, with the 30-year-old becoming the first Hammer to score a Premier League hat-trick since April 2016 after netting four times against Norwich. Antonio remarkably managed more Premier League goals post-lockdown than seven other Premier League teams. Moreover, Antonio netted 22.2% of his Premier League career goals in just nine appearances after the break.

Striker: Danny Ings (Southampton) +0.85 rating increase

Savin the most improved player until last, Southampton's Danny Ings saw a rating increase of 0.85 after the break compared to pre-lockdown in the Premier League. Ings ended the campaign by scoring in three straight Premier League games and notched seven in total after the restart. The former Liverpool striker made a valiant late charge for the Golden Boot award and finished just one behind Leicester's Jamie Vardy. His conversion rate improved across the two periods from 22.1% pre-lockdown to 28% during the season's conclusion.