Another week in the PL proved that the general unpredictability of English football has gone up quite a bit. There was Arsenal’s comeback against Aston Villa. Chelsea put up a strong fight against Liverpool but there’s definitely room for improvement, as we saw. Of course, there was Manchester City’s epic 8-0 thrashing while the once-dominant Manchester United suffered another loss. With that in mind, a lot of players churned out terrific performances over the weekend and in all three sections of the field( 4 if you count goalkeeping). With standout matches, we were bound to get standout players and this week was no exception. Now that all of that is out of the way, let’s take a look at the team of the week for GW 6.
Formation: 4-3-3
GK: Matthew Ryan (Brighton and Hove Albion)
The star Goalkeeper of the week was as sharp as a tack in the goalless game against Newcastle. His reflexes and stopping power were on high alert and his skill helped Brighton to manage a draw against Joelington and Co. Sure he got a clean sheet, but he got 4 saves and Brighton as a result, are very grateful for such a well-refined keeper.
LB: Andrew Robertson ( Liverpool)
There’s no doubt that the full-backs were the stars in Liverpool’s 2-1 win against Chelsea. It is because of these fullbacks that Liverpool has managed to keep 6 straight victories. They have yet to lose a game and it really can’t get better than that. Robertson continues to be a world-class talent with his strong defending, fantastic pace and dribbling and keen attacking sense. His crossing was one of the highlights of the game and it gave him an assist with Roberto Firmino’s goal.
CB: Fikayo Tomori (Chelsea)
Tomori had one crucial job to perform and that was to shut down the deadly Mohamed Salah. Did he do it properly? Well, despite the score reading 2-1 in favour of Liverpool, Mo Salah didn’t score. Suffice it to say, Tomori marked Mo Salah to near perfection. Liverpool’s star forward barely had any impact in the game outside the set-piece. He was having difficulty in pushing into the box and helping his fellow forwards and that was all thanks to Tomori. The Englishman had 5 tackles in the game(which was the highest).
CB: Issa Diop (West Ham United)
West Ham United came out with a clean sheet against Manchester United and a large factor in that was their CB, Issa Diop. He was brilliant in the air, winning 3 aerial balls and he was crucial in shutting down Man United’s attack. He could pick out all the holes in Manchester United’s attack and was very reflexive in his gameplay. As a result, he managed 6 clearances and 1 interception in the game.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Liverpool’s full-back duo was bound to make this list. They’re possibly the best full-backs in the world for a reason. What was underrated about TAA was how well he defended in the game. The youngster made 7 clearances and 1 interception in the game and he made 2 key passes. Of course, the big takeaway was his sensational free-kick goal. He smashed the ball into the net after Mohamed Salah deftly rolled the ball towards him. The wall couldn’t perturb him and we all witnessed a terrific goal. Liverpool’s fullbacks continue to shine.
CM: John Lundstram (Sheffield United)
Sheffield is the new club that was promoted to the top flight and while it hasn’t been all roses and sunshine, the club is definitely impressing a lot of people. One person, in particular, is their Central Midfielder, John Lundstram. The 25 - year old was ruthless and ever-present in the 2-0 victory against Everton. Effective in both attacking and defence, Lundstram completed 1 dribble and 2 tackles along with 3 clearances and interceptions each. Of course, his highlight was the assist that took the score to 2-0. His long through ball from the right edge to Mousset resulted in a fine display of football and the first own goal was in large part due to his cross as well. All evidence seems to indicate another fantastic no.7 to make it big.
CM: N’golo Kante (Chelsea):
While he is primarily a defensive midfielder, Kante was almost omnipresent in the game against Chelsea, where shifted seamlessly from his standard holding and defensive positions to almost centre-forward type positions. Kante is proving to be Chelsea’s best football player and he was the reason, Chelsea were able to combat Liverpool. He managed 2 shots, 2 dribbles,2 tackles and even 2 interceptions. Kante’ left no stone unturned and his stamina and speed knew no bounds. He gave 110% at the very least and surely no one was dissatisfied with his performance and especially his jaw-dropping goal. The way he cut-in towards the centre from the left and put the ball into the right-bottom corner from the edge of the penalty box with the outside of his boot, was a joy to watch. One of the easier picks.
CAM: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Seeing as they won 8-0, a few Manchester City players were expected and KDB is a the top of all those expected players. The Belgian is looking invincible so far this season. He has had 9 goal contributions across 6 games. The only game where he didn’t have a contribution was the loss against Norwich where he played as a substitute later on in the game. His curling cross which led to the first goal was simply a thing of beauty. That’s enough to make a list like this but there’s also his other pass and his bullet of a goal to consider. HIs simply thundered the ball to the back of the net and made a fantastic goal look effortless. One of the best goals of the week scored by the probably the best player in the PL so far this season.
LW: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Bernardo Silva continues to shine even brighter, especially in Man City’s 8-0 victory over Watford. He was the hattrick hero of the game and his cleverness. He scored a great header thanks to Otamendi’s clever headed ball off a KDB corner. His other two goals were cheeky and composed, the latter off a KDB pass from the other end. His positioning, dribbling, composure and senses were all strong and made him a deadly attacker as Man City thrashed the opposition.
RW: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)
Putting Aubameyang at this position might be a little odd considering his affinity for the left and centre forward positions but the fact remains that he’s a strong attacker on all the forward positions. The 10-man Arsenal put up a great comeback, after they were 2-1 down against Aston Villa and Aubameyang played a huge part in that. After all, the Gunners’ resident speed merchant was the scorer of the most important 3rd goal of the game which netted them the W. Despite not having much in the way of tackles and dribbles, he did what he did best as an opportune player getting the ball ahead and playing in as many positions as necessary. As a result, he eventually nabbed the 5th goal of the game (Arsenal’s 3rd) leading the North Londoners to victory. His free-kick goal was superb beating the goal and confusing the goalkeeper as to it’s trajectory. A memorable victory brought to us by a sensational player.
CF: Chris Wood (Burnley)
The 27-year-old New Zealander proved to be a ruthless attacker as he netted a brace against the Pukki and Cantwell-led Norwich. It surely wasn’t easy to score 2 against the team that beat Manchester City in the previous week but he did his best to make it look so. He scored a nice header off a corner just the 10th minute of the game. He doubled down just 4 minutes later as Norwich were intercepted in their own half. He made use of a good cross delivered by Dwight Mcneil and drove the ball into the back of the net from a very tight angle. Overall he had 4 shots in the game and won 4 aerial ball proving to be right kind of opportunistic CF most teams would kill to recruit.
Hon. Mentions: Riyad Mahrez (Man City), Fernandinho (Man City), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), John McGinn (Aston Villa)
