Premier League Team of the Week

Pre-season may be over but the first round of fixtures in the 2015/16 Premier League season may have some of the top teams wishing they were still on vacation. Only Manchester City ran out comfortable winners with a 3-0 thrashing of West Bromwich Albion in the last game of the week, with Liverpool and Manchester United, sneaking through with 1-0 victories over Stoke City and Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend.The 10 games played over the weekend and late Monday night saw an average of 3 goals per game, the highest being at King Power stadium where Leicester City ran out 4-2 winners against Sunderland. Premier League defending champions Chelsea stuttered to a 2-2 draw against Swansea, which included a red card to goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. With new signings, debutants from the academy and rejuvenated old-timers, the first Premier League team of the week for the 2015/16 season has an unfamiliar look to it. The formation selected is a 3-4-3, on a gameweek where attackers reigned supreme in the Premier League.

#1 Goalkeeper

Adrian West Ham Arsenal — Adrian kept a clean sheet as West Ham beat Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates

Adrian – West Ham United

A fixture that has given nothing but defeat for the Hammers in recent seasons, this game against Arsenal had them celebrating a 2-0 victory on the opening weekend and the first London derby of the season, and it may be the start of something special for the club.

Adrian, who played every Premier League game last season continues to be West Ham’s #1 goalkeeper and showed us why by making two impressive saves during the game, with the one from Olivier Giroud starting off an attack that led to the second goal, proving to be the killer blow for Arsenal, while the other was with his left boot, stopping a shot from Alexis Sanchez that was destined for the bottom corner.

The entire West Ham defence performed efficiently as a unit but Adrian finds himself in the Team of the Week for his saves, commanding his area and marshalling his defence. If he continues to put in such performances week after week, coupled with the contribution of the players in front of him, West Ham may be looking at European competition next season yet again, this time without needing to top the fair-play league.

#2 Defence

Matteo Darmian – Manchester United

The versatile Italian right-back impressed many with his performances during the club’s pre-season tour to the United States of America, and the 25-year-old continued to perform against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League last weekend, making five clearances during the game. The debutant hardly put a foot wrong and got praise from fans and pundits alike.

He won the Man of the Match award and received lots of positive comments on social media from the club’s fans. Even manager Louis van Gaal singled out Darmian, calling it a great performance by the player – both on and off the ball.

Winston Reid – West Ham United

The New Zealand international lead the Hammers’ defence, stifling any opportunities that fell to Giroud, Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla in an Arsenal attack fresh from a Community Shield victory against champions Chelsea. The tall defender made 7 clearances and 2 blocks, frustrating the home fans and opposition, and helping his team keep a clean sheet.

Reid’s duties, however, went beyond his gameplay. After the match, 16-year-old Reece Oxford mentioned that it was Reid’s encouragement that helped him perform well in the match on Sunday, giving him the confidence to stay focused during the game.

Vincent Kompany – Manchester City

If Manchester City are to move in the right direction this season, captain Kompany’s performances will play a huge role. In an assured performance at the back, which included a headed goal and a clean sheet, the 29-year-old Belgian showed what makes him one of the best centre-backs in the league – something that was missing last season. In fact, the last time he scored was on the final day of the 2013/14 season!

His goal put City at the top of the league, which is somewhere they will want to stay for the remainder of the season.

#3 Midfield

Reece Oxford – West Ham United

Oxford is proof that West Ham’s European experience wasn’t a waste of time, with manager Slaven Bilic giving the 16-year-old a start against Arsenal after his impressive performances in the early stages of the Europa league. The second youngest debutant in the history of the Premier League walked off to applause on being substituted, after he had successfully nullified Arsenal’s impressive attack force, which had scored 14 goals in 4 pre-season games.

Yaya Toure – Manchester City

Another one of the major disappointments for Manchester City last season, and another player whose performances dictate the position of the club, Yaya Toure’s performance at the Hawthorns was the best of any player in any team this week. The Ivorian scored twice – one a deflected shot past the goalkeeper and, the next, an unstoppable curling effort.

The performance, overall, by the Ivory Coast international should excite fans, as he took the game by the scruff of its neck and dictated proceedings like he did two seasons ago when City won the league title.

Riyad Mahrez and Marc Albrighton – Leicester City

Leicester City fans at the King Power stadium were in for a treat in the first 25 minutes of the game as the club went 3-0 up. Both Albrighton and Mahrez tormented the Sunderland defence, contributing with two assists and two goals respectively during this goal blitz.

Mahrez scored from the penalty spot while Albrighton got the goal he deserved towards the end, scoring Leicester’s fourth goal in a 4-2 victory. The club and new manager Claudio Ranieri will hope for performances to avoid last year’s relegation scrap and the performances of Mahrez and Albrighton will be key to fulfilling their expectations.

#4 Attack

Dimitri Payet – West Ham United

Payet, another player to have a successful debut, is the fourth player from West Ham on the list, showcasing their all-around impressive win. He was given a lot of freedom on the pitch to have the game run through him, as the new signing replaced Stewart Downing as West Ham's #10 this season.

He repaid the manager’s faith by finding little pockets of space in dangerous positions just in front of Arsenal's back four and not wasting possession. Responsible for most of the set-pieces, the 28-year-old assisted the Hammers' first goal which will, unfortunately, be remembered for new Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech's mistake. The £10.7 million paid for the French international could prove to be a bargain as Payet looks like he is ready to play and thrive in the Premier league.

Jefferson Montero & Andre Ayew – Swansea City

Any combination of the Swansea forward line: Gomis, Montero and Ayew could have made the list, but it was the latter two that really shone against the strong Chelsea defence. Never has Branislav Ivanovic been so outclassed and outplayed as he was in the game this weekend when he came up against Montero. Swansea’s 25-year-old lead the Premier League with 6 successful dribbles, and wasn’t dispossessed even once.

Ayew, on debut, showed incredible poise to score past Courtois early in the game and continued to look menacing throughout the 90 minutes. Swansea's attack, which also includes the services of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Ki could prove difficult to handle for many Premier league teams throughout the season, as Chelsea found out on the opening weekend.

Andre Ayew scored on his Premier League debut for Swansea

Substitutes: Sergio Romero (Manchester United), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), Yohan Cabaye (Crystal Palace), Migue Layun (Watford), Georginio Wijnaldum (Newcastle United), Jonjo Shelvey (Swansea City) and Bafetimbi Gomis (Swansea City)

Premier League Team of the Week - Gameweek #1