Premier League Team of the Week: Matchweek 7

#2 Defence

Brede Hangeland – Crystal Palace

The veteran centre-back displayed a highly disciplined performance at Vicarage Road, keeping Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo at bay to help Palace keep a clean sheet in their narrow victory over Watford on Sunday. The 34-year-old contributed with 20 clearances and a 100% successful tackle rate.

He also ensured the ball was safely negotiated out of Palace’s penalty area with a 90% passing success rate.

Toby Alderweireld – Tottenham Hotspur

The Belgian centre-back may have had one of the games of the season so far. He started Spurs’ charge towards a massive 4-1 victory over Manchester City by rising highest from a free-kick to head in Tottenham’s second goal.

Apart from that, he did his duty in defence, keeping out any dangerous looking crosses flying into the Tottenham box and not allowing Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero to wrap their foot around the ball to get a shot on goal on many instances.

Virgil van Dijk – Southampton

Another tall centre-back who did his job against a dangerous looking attack was 24-year-old Virgil van Dijk. Using his strength, he managed to neutralise the threat of Bafetimbi Gomis to such an extent that the French striker was taken off at half-time for his ineffectiveness against the Dutch defender.

With 6 out of 6 aerial duels won by Van Dijk, Swansea found the going tough at St. Mary’s right from the start. More salt was rubbed into their wounds when Van Dijk used his physical attributes to win a header from a James Ward-Prowse corner to score the Saints opener in an eventual 3-1 victory for Ronald Koeman’s side.