Premier League Team of the Week (Matchweek 12)

Premier League game-week 12 saw some enthralling performances both on the attacking and defensive fronts. There were plenty of changes in the table as well and we can say that the title race is not going to be a two-horse race this season.

Defending champions, Manchester City fell to European champions, Liverpool at Anfield to go fourth in the table. Liverpool are now eight points behind the second placed team, which surprisingly is 2015-16 champions, Leicester City.

The Foxes were in cruise control mode as they demolished Arsenal at King Power. Their superstar Jamie Vardy was on a roll as he scored once again and lead his team to victory.

Chris Wilder and his brave-hearts are proving that they belong in the big league. Sheffield United were disappointed by a return of only a point away from Tottenham, which is a huge testimony to their self-belief and caliber. The Blades now sit fifth in the table.

Other top-four contenders such as Chelsea and Manchester United surged ahead with easy victories over Crystal Palace and Brighton respectively. Young English talents, Tammy Abraham and Marcus Rashford were on target.

There were no major surprises in the gameweek 12 and all the favourites won their matches easily. Only Bournemouth had a minor setback as they lost to Newcastle United away from home and now sit ninth in the table.

So, without further ado, let’s look at the team of the gameweek. Does your favourite player make the eleven?

Goalkeeper 

Nick Pope is between the sticks in our team of the week. He was the standout performer of the gameweek with Matt Ryan just losing out on the spot. 

The young English keeper was instrumental in helping his side keep a clean-sheet against West Ham. This was his fourth shutdown of the season as he made four saves on the night.

His performances aren’t going unnoticed as evident by his selection in the three Lions squad for the upcoming international matches. The youngster is the one to look out for this season.

Defenders

Defenders had a favourable gameweek and some of them also marked their good performances with well taken goals. There were plenty of options, but we can only take four. So here goes:

The selection of the left-back was a no-brainer for us as Andrew Robertson was at his marauding best in Liverpool’s thumping win over defending champions Manchester City. The Scottish international also provided an excellent assist to Mohamed Salah. He was dependable at the back as well as he made four clearances and made one successful tackle.

The young Turk, Caglar Soyuncu made it to the team with a dominating performance against a fearsome Arsenal attack. The former Freiburg man made six clearances and won two aerial balls to keep out Gunners from scoring. The 23-year old also helped start attacks with precise balls to the attackers. He made a total of 85 passes with a pass completion rate of 92 percent.

Partnering him in the centre-back position is James Tarkowski of Burnley. The Englishman has been excellent for the Clarets for a couple of years now and it’s a surprise that we still don’t see him in the England squad. The 26-year-old was a colossus presence at the back as he won 11 aerial balls and made five clearances to help his side keep a clean-sheet over West Ham.

There were a couple of contenders for the right-back role. Blades wing-back, George Baldock just misses out as the position goes to American, DeAndre Yedlin. The Newcastle man scored the opening goal of the game as the Magpies outfoxed Bournemouth to move further away from the relegation spots. The 26-year-old also made three tackles and three clearances as Newcastle got three crucial points.

Midfielders

The midfield had some amazing performances over the gameweek as they came up with some crucial goals. Fabinho narrowly misses out even after his thunderbolt of a strike against City. Let’s see who made the cut:

Adama Traore is arguably the fastest player in the Premier League and he is using it to his full advantage. The 23-year-old was a constant threat for the Aston Villa defence. He came up with an astounding 10 successful dribbles in the match. The former Barcelona man also provided an assist and also won two aerial balls.

Wilfred Ndidi is the central defensive midfielder in the side. He is the most vital cog in the Leicester wheel and was excellent on the night as they thumped Gunners to go second in the table. The Nigeria international made six tackles, four interceptions and won three aerial balls as Foxes shut down Arsenal in a wholesome team performance.

Tottenham winger Son Heung-min made the last spot. The South Korean overcame last weekend’s blues as he scored the only goal of the game for his side as they escaped with a point against Sheffield. The 27-year-old made five successful dribbles and also hit five efforts on goal.

Forwards

It was a Jamie Vardy show once again as Leicester City surged ahead in the Premier league table. He scored his ninth goal against the Gunners as they were comprehensively beaten. The Englishman also provided an assist for James Maddison. He thumped three shots towards goal and could have easily gotten on the scoresheet again. Vardy also had pass success rate of 90 percent and made two key passes.

Joining Vardy on the left side of the forward line is Manchester United’s Anthony Martial. The Frenchman makes an impact whenever he starts for the Red Devils with his attacking returns. He laid on two assists for his teammates to score. He made four key passes throughout the match and also came up with three shots on target. Manchester United looks a far better team with him leading the line.

Former Barcelona man, Gerard Deulofeu finally came up good as Watford went onto clinch a crucial win away from home. The Spanish international is a tricky customer to deal with when he is on song. He scored the opening goal of the game in just the second minute of the game to pave the way for Hornets to clinch victory. The 25-year-old also provided the assist for the second game for his side and made five successful dribbles to cap off an amazing performance.