William Wigg
Another week has passed in the Premier League season and Impact is here to give you another Team Of The Week. William Wigg brings you his best players from Matchweek 8 of the Premier League season.
GK: Matz Sels (v Crystal Palace H)
Back-to-back appearances in the Team Of The Week for the Belgian shot stopper shows just the sort of form he is in. Sels kept a clean sheet whilst also making seven saves, including a fabulous acrobatic effort to tip a superb long-range strike, from the effervescent Eberechi Eze, onto the crossbar in the 60th minute. Sels brought an aura of calm and confidence to a staunch Nottingham Forest defence, that now ranks second behind only league leaders Liverpool in goals conceded.
LB: Josko Gvardiol (v Wolves A)
You’ve heard of inside forwards, now Josko Gvardiol is introducing the world to inside full backs. Gvardiol scored another one of his characteristic goals, cutting inside onto his supposed weaker foot and scoring from just outside the box, as he continues to rip up all the rule books on what a defender is “allowed” to do. Gvardiol also showed the other side of the game required of an interior full back, as he looked incredibly comfortable in possession, completing over 100 passes, only losing possession 11 separate times.
Senesi was part of a Bournemouth set-up that limited the impotent Arsenal to just one shot on target
CB: Marcos Senesi (v Arsenal H)
Marcos Senesi led Bournemouth to the surprise result of the weekend, helping to keep a rare clean sheet for the Cherries. Senesi was part of a Bournemouth set-up that limited the impotent Arsenal to just one shot on target. Bournemouth’s high press, which is consistent of an Andoni Iraola team no matter the opponent, was only able to work so effectively as Senesi performed incredibly well at handling high or long balls, winning 11 of his 13 duels and performing 5 clearances, which ultimately prevented any outball to Kai Havertz.
CB: Michael Keane (v Ipswich A)
Another elite Michael Keane finish to add to his highlight reel. Despite being a central defender his entire career, Michael Keane has developed an elite ability to finish inside the box, and this was no more obvious than his wonderful strike high into the near post, which helped Everton extend their unbeaten run to 5 games in all competitions. Keane was also part of a flat back 4 which kept a clean sheet on the road in Suffolk, piling the misery on Kieran Mckenna’s side as they would have marked this game as a potential opportunity for three points.
RB: Nelson Semedo (v Manchester City H)
Despite coming out on the losing side, Semedo showed defensive solidity and a real intention to drive forward when a rare opportunity arose. Semedo’s rugged performance was crowned with a moment of creative excellence when early into the game, he opened up the lax Manchester City defence with a superb early cross that was ultimately tucked away by his Norwegian teammate, to give Wolves an early lead.
CM: Curtis Jones (v Chelsea H)
Curtis Jones moved deeper on the team sheet, to allow for the return of Dominik Szoboszlai to the eleven, however his deep role didn’t prevent him marauding forward at will to threaten the Chelsea back line. Multiple late runs into the box eventually paid off when he controlled a sumptuous Salah pass to score the eventual winner. Jones also complimented his performance with a solid defensive display, highlighted by a super block preventing Palmer from opening the scoring in the 25th minute.
CM: Facundo Buonanotte (v Southampton A)
Buonanotte made it back-to-back match winning performances this week, as he continued his promising start to the season for Leicester. You’d be forgiven for forgetting the Argentine is still a teenager, as he enters his third season in English football, yet this is merely a testament to just how impressive his performances are, in the biggest league in the world, at such a young age. Buonanotte added his third goal of the season and ultimately proved to be the difference in a real relegation six-pointer that lifted Leicester 6 points clear of the drop zone.
His diligent performance this week was capped by a piece of sublime skill
CM: Dejan Kulusevski (v West Ham H)
Kulusevski finds himself in a new midfield role this season, occupying central areas far more than he had previously been used to in his career. His impressive frame allows him to remain strong in duels and perform a more industrious role, making him a mainstay in this capricious Tottenham side. His diligent performance this week was capped by a piece of sublime skill, when in the 38th minute, he chopped inside and reversed a low and powerful strike back into the near post which trickled in despite a touch from the goalkeeper and both posts.
LW: Heung Min Son (v West Ham H)
Heung Min Son returned to the starting 11 for Tottenham, after a month missing from the Premier League, and helped guide a potent Tottenham attack to a 4-1 hammering of an ill-tempered West Ham side. Son’s goal, in the 60th minute, was archetypal of him performing quick step overs into the box to isolate Todibo, before finding a yard of space on his left foot and firing low past the West Ham goalkeeper, to complete the scoring for Spurs.
Mo Salah was a constant threat on the transition
RW: Mohammed Salah (v Chelsea H)
Who else but the ultimate “Super Sunday” player would dominate a classic Liverpool vs Chelsea fixture. Mo Salah was a constant threat on the transition, and any pace he may have lost since his prime has been negated by an ability to create for his team mates, which was evident when he cut inside and played a searching ball, past the offside Nunez, to set up Curtis Jones to score the winner in this top six clash.
ST: Danny Welbeck (v Newcastle A)
Welbeck continued his strong start to the season scoring the only goal in a smash and grab win away at St James’ Park. Brighton were on the back foot for the majority of the game; however Welbeck offered a vital outlet with his usual superb link-up play and tucked away the winning goal, when in the 35th minute, against the run of play he rolled the ball into the far corner past a stagnant Nick Pope, after holding off the Newcastle right back (Tino Livramento). A super day for Brighton and Welbeck was marred slightly, as Welbeck was forced off in the 81st minute through injury.
Steve Cooper has started life at Leicester very well
Manager Of The Week: Steve Cooper (v Southampton A)
Many lesser managers would have accepted defeat; 2-0 down, away from home, at half time, to their main relegation rivals, However Steve Cooper managed to rouse the Leicester squad to inspire an inspirational comeback that the travelling Leicester fans will remember for years to come. Steve Cooper has started life at Leicester very well, with the pre-season favourites to be relegated sat in 14th position, now a huge 5 points above the next highest promoted team. Opting for a more pragmatic approach than their promoted counterparts has certainly paid dividends in the early part of the season, and it will be fascinating to see if Cooper can continue working his magic all year.
William Wigg
Featured image courtesy of Fancy Crave via Unsplash. Image use license found here (Unsplash). No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of @everton via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of @liverpoolfc via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
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