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This Premier League season has been incredible to say the least, and the latest Gameweek has – like so many prior to this – provided us its share of twists and turns, upsets and emotional breakdowns at the end of matches. The result which undoubtedly sent shockwaves across the globe was Bournemouth – who were stranded with 17 points in League Two( Fouth Division) in 2008 – humbling 20 time Premier League champions Manchester United in front of a cock-a-hoop Dean Court Stadium. Fellow relegation candidates Newcastle too stole a victory at White Hart Lane when Ayoze Perez’s 93rd-minute winner against Spurs took Steve McClaren’s side out of the relegation zone.Leicester continued their remarkable start to the season as they retained their position at the top of the table with a 2-1 victory over Chelsea, who unbelievably find themselves just a solitary point above the relegation zone. A feisty encounter saw Liverpool salvage a point against West Brom at Anfield thanks to a deflected 95th-minute equaliser by substitute Divock Origi in a game where Jurgen Klopp publicly criticised Tony Pulis’ long ball tactics and Albion’s aggression on the pitch which saw Dejan Lovren stretchered off.Other results saw a wasteful Everton managing just a point at Norwich while Watford won their third Premier League game in a row with a 1-0 victory against struggling Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Arsenal eased their way to victory at rock-bottom Villa, whereas Manchester City won the hard way against managerless Swansea, a deflected Toure strike late in the game giving Manuel Pellegrini’s side an undeserved three points at the Etihad Stadium.Amidst all this drama, which eleven players produced individual performances good enough to merit themselves a spot in this edition of the Premier League Team of the Week?
#1 Goalkeeper
Jack Butland (Stoke City)
This 22-year-old stopper continues to amaze many a football pundit this season following the departure of Asmir Begovic, and Saturday’s impregnable show against West Ham once again epitomized the potential in him to become one of Europe’s most sought after keepers.
With 9 saves in total, the Englishman’s assurance in guarding his goal has definitely provided Mark Hughes the cutting edge over most other Premier League opposition as far as defence is concerned. With less than 6 months to go before Euro 2016 is underway, national manager Roy Hodgson now faces a selection dilemma on whether to prefer Butland as the first-choice goalkeeper over the long-serving Joe Hart.
#2 Defenders
Allan Nyom (Watford)
Watford’s right back has grown in pace and intensity since joining Watford this summer. The Cameroonian’s performance against Sunderland – where he provided the assist for Odion Ighalo’s 4th-minute winner – proved that he possesses the ability to run down the flanks and involve himself in Watford’s attacks by delivering quality balls into the box. Defensively he was sound too, making 5 successful tackles to keep Patrick van Aanholt at bay.
Jonas Olsson (West Bromwich Albion)
West Bromwich Albion were unlucky not to take all 3 points away from Anfield, and much of their good defensive work against Liverpool was down to centre-half Jonas Olsson. With 11 clearances in the game, the Swedish defender managed to deal with most of the crosses directed towards the aerially threatening Christian Benteke. His 73rd-minute header from a corner kick to give the Baggies the lead made it a near-perfect evening for the 32-year-old.
Ramiro Funes Mori (Everton)
With Phil Jagielka absent through injury, Argentine defender Ramiro Funes Mori has been getting a run in the first team – and has made the most of his opportunities to form a solid partnership with John Stones at centre-back. The 24-year-old displayed immense composure to thwart relentless Norwich pressure in the second half, making 9 clearances in total and 2 key interceptions to deny the Canaries a deserved winning goal.
#3 Midfielders
Yohan Cabaye (Crystal Palace)
The 29-year-old has been the heart of the Crystal Palace team since reuniting with Alan Pardew from PSG this season. With passes, tackles and interceptions aplenty, the French midfielder’s all-around expertise has been a major factor in the Eagles’ impressive first half of the season.
His disciplined performance against Southampton on Saturday – in which he scored the only goal – reflected his rich vein of form, making 4 key passes to set up Yannick Bolasie and Wilfried Zaha up front, while also making 3 interceptions to foil any promising Saints attacks and help his side keep a clean sheet.
Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal)
With quite a few first team players out injured, it was expected of some of the fit seniors to shoulder some responsibility to drive the Gunners to victories which would keep them alive in the Premier League title race.
It was Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey’s turn to shine – albeit against a hapless Aston Villa – with a Man of the Match performance which included a goal, 91% pass accuracy, 5 key tackles and 2 interceptions. Wenger will hope the 24-year-old can maintain this level of intensity on the pitch without an injury, something which Arsenal have been extremely vulnerable to this campaign.
Yaya Toure (Man City)
Like the home game against Norwich a few weeks earlier, Man City needed a very late goal to win a game – and once again, it was their influential Ivorian, Yaya Toure, who came up with the goods. His cruelly deflected strike in injury time against Swansea ensured City kept up the pace with Leicester City at the top.
His general game was country miles above any of his team-mates – a 93% pass success rate, coupled with 5 completed dribbles – was ultimately enough to drag his team past the finishing line. For large periods of the game, it looked a one-man show, and it was only apt that he got the opportunity to score the winning goal, even though it was by the kindest
Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City)
The Algerian winger is most certainly a front-runner for this season’s PFA Player of the Year, and Monday night’s electric performance against the ‘champions in decline’ Chelsea showed no signs of him taking his foot off the gas. John Terry had another outing to forget as he was simply left frazzled by the 26-year-old’s mastery on the ball with some neat touches and lightning quick dribbling.
Not to mention his apparently telepathic partnership with the league’s top-scorer Jamie Vardy. His ball-control before curling the ball into the top corner for Leicester’s second goal was a silver-lining on a flawless performance. If the duo can keep this sublime run of form going, then one cannot see why Leicester cannot defy pre-season odds and qualify for the Champions League.
Marc Albrighton (Leicester City)
Apart from the Mahrez-Vardy show, another player who has impressed hugely for the Foxes has been left-winger Marc Albrighton. He dominated the left flank for large periods of the game, winning 4 out of 5 dribbles against Branislav Ivanovic, while making 3 important tackles to keep the Serbian at arms length. To round off a memorable performance, he provided the aerial assist for Mahrez’s wonderful goal, which put the Foxes 2-0 up.
#4 Forwards
Joshua King (Bournemouth)
By scoring the winner in his side’s barely expected 2-1 victory over Premier League giants Manchester United, 23-year-old striker Joshua King has now found himself a place in Bournemouth folklore.
His anticipation to read a Matt Ritchie corner and create space for himself to direct the ball past David de Gea is a moment that will live forever in the memory of Cherries fans. He was a constant menace to Paddy McNair the entire 90 minutes, dribbling past him and exploiting his inexperience to create space around him in the penalty box.
Aleksandar Mitrovic (Newcastle United)
It’s not often a 73rd-minute substitute bags a goal and an assist to help his relegation battling side clinch an unlikely victory against a team who hadn’t been beaten since the opening day of the season.
But Aleksandar Mitrovic managed to do exactly that at White Hart Lane, first stabbing home the equaliser from a yard out barely 100 seconds after replacing Papiss Cisse, and then setting up Ayoze Perez deep into stoppage time to smash the winner and send the travelling Magpies fans into absolute delirium.
The Serbian’s game changing cameo would certainly have lifted his team-mates’ and manager’s spirits, and has given the club renewed hope of staying in the Premier League following a disastrous beginning to the campaign.
Substitutes: Rob Elliot (Newcastle), Leighton Baines (Everton), Harry Arter (Bournemouth), Yannick Bolasie (Crystal Palace), Wes Hoolahan (Norwich), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Odion Ighalo (Watford)
