It's the Second Week of the 2017-18 Premier League Season and we have a fresh batch of the 11 players who performed best in what football journalists are calling 'the most competitive Premier League Season ever'
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Jack Butland
The headlines of an Arsenal defeat to their old
bogey team Stoke will leave people who didn’t watch this late Saturday kick-off
to assume it was a lacklustre performance from Arsenal. It was, to be fair.
They’d be right to assume that. But, you would be wrong to assume that that
didn’t mean Butland wasn’t seriously tested throughout the game. Butland showed
great awareness early on in the match to be quick off his line to sweep up
balls in behind a (strangely) high-sitting Stoke defensive line, denying both
Lacazette and Welbeck 1 on 1 chances. Late on too, there were a number of last
ditch saves that had to be made to which Butland spread himself for like an egg
on a non-stick frying pan. How a bigger team haven’t come in for Butland yet is
beyond me, he’d be a great fit for a team like Man City. Then again, Stoke have
more Champo League winners in their team than City now so maybe they’re the
bigger team these days.
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Marcus Alonso
Every football journalist is allowed one
opinion about a team or a player that will seem weird to everyone else and yet,
they will stick by it wholeheartedly. It’s the only truism that keeps football
journalism alive though, otherwise everyone would just say the same thing over
and over again and there’s already enough of that shit going on. Anyway, I’m
not saying I’m a football journalist, but my strange opinion is actually that
Marcus Alonso was Chelsea’s best and most consistent player of their
title-winning 2016-17 season. This man has his left side on lock down in every
game and it was true enough in this Sunday’s late kick off at Wembley. And when
I say entire left side, I mean entire left side. By-line to by-line. This guy
is dangerous on the overlap and somehow right back in position when Chelsea
were being hit on the counter by Tottenham. To put the cherry on top, Alonso
opened the scoring with a sweet-as-you-like curled free kick in to the top
right – this guy has it all. Oh wait, you thought that was it? He just defended
well and scored a lil cheeky free kick and was done? No. Just after
Twitter-legend Michy Batshuayi put the ball in his own net and Gary Neville was
“fearing for Chelsea” during his Sky Sports coverage of the game, Marcus Alonso
took it upon himself to change the game irrevocably.
He got a yellow card.
No I’m joking. Well I’m not, like, he did get a
yellow card but what he actually did to change the game was instantly go up the
other end after getting booked and drill the ball across goal to beat Hugo
Lloris at his far post and win Chelsea the game at Wembley stadium. Why Conte
wants to splash the cash on Alex Sandro (who, don’t get me wrong, is by all
accounts a great Left-Sided Wing Back) is beyond me when he has this steady
Eddie ready-made… Try saying that as fast as you can 5 times in a row.
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| "Which looks better? I prefer the blue" "We're playing at home, Kurt. You have to wear the red." |
Kurt Zouma
Chelsea look pretty strapped for defenders this
after the departures of skipper John Terry, prodigy Nathan Aké and Stoke loanee
Kurt Zouma. But, whilst Terry and Aké are permanent departures, it’s telling
that Zouma’s transfer is only temporary and, whilst Chelsea are lacking
defensive options, I think this loan deal makes it clear that Zouma wanted
regular game time and, whilst Chelsea can’t offer him that this season, they
want to keep him around because they can see his immense potential. Potential
that was certainly on display against Arsenal on Saturday too, Zouma stepped up
in defence alongside Ryan Shawcross, making several sliding challenges to deny
goal-scoring opportunities for Arsenal and then using his strength and aerial
presence well to close out the game after Arsenal brought on Giroud.
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Eric Bailly
If you’ve ever read Garth Crooks’ team of the
week, you’ll think you know exactly what I’ve done here. I’ve just looked for a
defender who scored a goal and got a clean sheet. And you’re right, that is why
Eric Bailly is in the team, but the reason I didn’t choose Leicester’s Harry
Maguire (who also got a goal and achieved a clean sheet) is because I think
Bailly’s goal was more important. Take Bailly out of that match against Swansea
and the first 70 odd minutes of the game looked very similar to many of
United’s games last season. They couldn’t find a goal despite being very much
on top and Swansea were building confidence with every attack, with Ayew and
Abraham inching balls closer and closer to goal. But, add Bailly’s back to that
70 minutes and whilst United are still under pressure, they are 1-0 up. Bailly
has done what in so many games against the smaller teams United couldn’t last
season, he scored a goal. It gave United a platform on which to build (which
they did in emphatic style toward the end) and he provided a steady defensive
option at the back.
Harry Maguire
I know what I said above about not putting him
in the team but he scored a goal and got a clean sheet… What more do you want
from me?
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| "The goal is this way. Right, got it." |
Paul Pogba
Pogba’s silky chipped finish over Swansea
keeper Łukasz Flappyhandski to make it 3-0 epitomised the confidence that so
far seems to be flowing through this herd of horses (as they were so lovingly
called by manager José Mourinho on Saturday). I know it’s two games into the
season, I know they’ve only played West Ham and Swansea but United look like
the real deal this season and so does Paul Pogba. Last season for sure he
didn’t quite reach the heights of his £89million price tag but at the Liberty
Stadium, Pogba was in inspired form. With 2 assists and that naughty goal to
his name, Pogba showed just what he’s capable of in that United midfield. He
showcased his quick feet and thoughtful passing all in fantastic style and with
flair. Just like the new world record signing, this guy is a joy to watch
simply because of what he can do with the ball. 5 star skills on FIFA 18
please.
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| If you're 2nd and you know it clap your hands |
Aaron Mooy
In their first top flight game home game in 45
years, Huddersfield record a tasty 1-0 against Premier League (semi) regulars
Newcastle. Aaron Mooy ran the show in the midfield as I’m sure he often will as
he’s just one of those players who seems to have mastered the basics.
Intelligent passing, incisive tackling and a beautiful wrap of the boot around
the ball to score the only goal of the game. Watch out for this guy… you can’t
miss him, he’s got a lovely bald head.
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| "How the Hell did I get into this Team of the Week?" |
Tom Ince
David Wagner’s choice to play Ince through the
middle as opposed to out wide as he preferred on the opening day of the season
seemed to be an inspired one. Ince’s home debut for Huddersfield was very
positive, as he seemed to always find space after receiving the knock down from
the in-form big man Steve Mounie. Though Derby County’s top goalscorer of last
season couldn’t find the net himself this game, he nevertheless posed a
constant threat and was a useful component to Huddersfield’s winning side on
Sunday.
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| "Raise your hand if you want to go to Roma" |
Riyad Mahrez
With two assists to his name against Brighton,
Mahrez is certainly keeping his Roman suitors interested as he looks to get a
move away to the Italian capital. Sure, it was Brighton and you might expect established
Premier League teams to beat them but tell that to Crystal Palace who lost to
newly promoted Huddersfield last week – it’s not that easy.
Leicester can cause a team many problems. The
problems can come through Jamie Vardy’s pace in behind through Shinji Okazaki’s
relentless physical presence and harrying of defenders. But, these problems
have to be unlocked by service. Riyad Mahrez is the man who can really pick out
a pass in the Premier League as he showed with his third assist in two games on
Saturday. On top of his top passing and assists, as usual Mahrez was twisty,
turny and overall too tricky for Brighton’s defence.
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| Chicharito is a big X Factor fan |
Chicharito
God it’s good to see this poacher back in the
Premier League. It wasn’t last week against Old Trafford because he was taking
pot-shots from outside the box like the rest of West Ham’s team just hoping
they’d get lucky and everyone knows – the Little Pea doesn’t score from outside
the box. What? You didn’t know that? Oh no, you knew Hernández only scores in the box, but you didn’t know his
famous nickname literally translates to ‘little pea’. Well yeah, it does, my
mate Matt Bat told me. But anyway, I’m gonna be honest, neither West Ham nor
Chicharito had a game that was gonna set the world alight but a goal is a goal.
And two goals is two goals, and what are strikers judged by? Goals. Sure they
were both tap-ins, sure they were both rebounds, but that’s what the little pea
is there for. He’s one of the best poachers around and you can bet whatever
third striker you have in your fantasy team that Chicharito is gonna score more
goals. Sorry Rondón.
Written by Diggory Waite.
Wayne Rooney
Wazza. The boy. 200 Premier League goals with
his strike on Monday night at the Etihad against his former rivals Manchester
City. 200 Premier League goals - a feet only matched by the great Alan Shearer.
Congratulations Wazza on that and what was a cracking performance in this
Everton side on a day when they were mostly sitting deep and trying to catch
City on the break. Watch Wayne’s goal again, he stabs the ball with his foot
just redirecting it with pace toward goal and toward Ederson the keeper but it
was just destined to go in and Ederson couldn’t quite keep it from going
through his legs. Overall too, Rooney had a good performance, sitting deep with
the rest of Ronald Koeman’s boys and tracking back when Everton lost
possession. His goal was a quality finish if you ask me and sure, it might be
etched with some luck but I think the majority of his goal just speaks to the
class that Rooney exudes when he puts on that Everton shirt.
Written by Diggory Waite.
