Premier League Team Of The Week Gameweek 9
Another week of the topsy-turvy ride that is the Premier League came to an end and as fans, we could not have asked for a more thrilling gameweek. While minnows Huddersfield Town toppled the mighty Manchester United for the first time in 65 years, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur thrashed Merseyside teams Everton and Liverpool respectively. Manchester City registered a comfortable 3-0 win over Burnley and strengthened their position on top of the table while Chelsea came back from 2-1 to garner a 4-2 win over Watford at the Stamford Bridge.
Some extraordinary goals were scored and some scintillating performances were delivered and it is absolutely hard to choose 11 best performers without any debatable selections. Nevertheless, here’s the Premier League team of the week.
Formation: 4-3-3
Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris, Tottenham Hotspur
The Frenchman should have done better to ward off Salah’s weak shot in the electrifying game at Wembley but he made up for it with a string of fine saves in the second half. In total, he made 7 stops including a spectacular stop of a Philippe Coutinho shot.
Right back: Bruno Saltor, Brighton and Hove Albion
Brighton have made a bright start to their Premier League campaign and one of the reasons behind this has been Bruno Saltor’s performances at the back. The Spaniard was impeccable in the fullback position once again as his side stitched together an impressive 3-0 victory away against West Ham United.
Centre-backs: Virgil van Dijk, Southampton and Nicolas Otamendi, Manchester City
While Dejan Lovren was making mistake after mistake in Liverpool’s high-profile game against Spurs, their former summer target was busy bossing the West Brom frontline and ensuring his side came out on top at the end of the contest. Nicolas Otamendi, on the other hand, was City’s driving force in their home win as he not only bagged a goal but also made 4 clearances and 2 tackles to ensure another clean sheet for his team.
Left back: Fabian Delph, Manchester City
Despite playing second fiddle to the likes of Leroy Sane and Benjamin Mendy, Delph emerged as an excellent alternative for Pep Guardiola in the left-back position. He had a successful passing percentage of 93 and also displayed his offensive capability during the game.
Midfield: Abdoulaye Doucoure, Watford; Kevin de Bruyne, Manchester City and Dele Alli, Tottenham Hotspur
Easily the least known among the three, Abdoulaye played the role of hard-tackling and no-nonsense defensive midfield role to perfection as he scored a goal and also recovered possession 10 times during his side’s hard-fought loss to Chelsea.
De Bruyne, on the other hand, continued his impressive run of form as he set up one more goal and bossed the midfield against Burnley. Delle Alli put in a great shift as well as he netted against Liverpool, also creating 2 chances for his side.
Left Wing: Mesut Ozil, Arsenal
The German playmaker put in a superlative performance at Goodison Park as he created 8 chances, getting an assist to his name. He capped off a fine afternoon with a headed goal and it will go some way in silencing his critics.
Right Wing: Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal
Just like his teammate, Alexis Sanchez too finished the game with a goal and an assist to his name. The Gunners’ frontline was unstoppable at Merseyside and Sanchez certainly lived up to his reputation.
Striker: Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur
A brace against one of the biggest teams in the Premier League is a sure-shot way to get your name in the Premier League team of the week and Harry Kane did that and much more with absolute ease. He absolutely tormented the Liverpool defence.
Honourable Mention: Sofiane Boufal
Boufal ended Southampton’s winless run of 3 games with an absolutely breath-taking solo goal against West Bromwich Albion. The sheer brilliance of that goal deserves a mention here.