Matchday 7’s Best XI featuring Haaland, Neto, and Wirtz
Arsenal remain hot on their heels thanks to a win over Nottingham Forest, while Sunderland prop up the table following another damaging defeat.
Goalkeeper: Zion Suzuki
Aston Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki kept his second clean sheet in the space of four days – and third overall this season – in the victory against Newcastle.
The Japanese international may have made only one save during the game, but he also succeeded with 100% of his total duels contested and took 65 touches, indicating how comfortable he was with the ball at his feet.
Right-Back: Timothy Castagne
Castagne was impressive in Fulham’s 1-0 win over Hull and he deserves his spot at right-back in the Team of the Week (TOTW).
The defender had the most touches out of anyone on the pitch (123), completed the most dribbles (4) and covered the most distance (12.4km) throughout the game.
His performance contributed to a second clean sheet of the season for the Cottagers.
Centre-Back: James Hill
Bournemouth sealed their first league win under Marco Rose and James Hill played a massive part in that.
The defender made nine defensive contributions during the game, including seven clearances, and two tackles.
He demonstrated his strength in one-on-one battles, winning 100% of his ground duels and 88% of his aerial duels contested during the game, as he makes the TOTW for the first time this term.
Centre-Back: Luka Vušković
Luka Vušković could turn out to be one of the signings of the season for Brighton. The defender took the most touches of anyone (103) as he aimed to build attacks from the back.
Indeed, he made six passes into the final third, created one chance and registered three shots. Not bad going for a centre-back.
Defensively, Vuskovic recorded three interceptions, seven clearances and six recoveries, and we expect him to remain a familiar face in our TOTW going forward this season.
Left-Back: Olivier Boscagli
Vušković is joined in the team by Olivier Boscagli, as the French defender notched his first assist of the season during the 5-0 thrashing of rivals Crystal Palace at the weekend in what was a standout showing at left-back.
He created three chances, made 14 passes into the final third and registered six defensive contributions in total as Brighton made it five wins from seven league games this season.
His 8.3 match rating was the best across the back four in the TOTW for matchday seven.
Right-Wing: Pedro Neto
Chelsea sealed a solid win over Everton as Pedro Neto netted both goals during the game. Surprisingly, this was the first time he had scored a brace in a Premier League match and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
The winger was a livewire throughout the game, recording the most touches (5) in the opposition box than anyone else, while also creating the most chances (5) in the 90 minutes.
Not just content with being a nuisance in the final third, Neto even recorded nine defensive contributions, which included five recoveries, to help his side when they didn’t have the ball. As such, Neto is the star man this week with a match rating of 9.3.
Centre-Midfield: Florian Wirtz
Much has been said about Florian Wirtz’s performances for Liverpool, but he was impressive in the win over Brentford.
He created a staggering nine chances, the most in the game, while also covering the greatest distance of any player (13.2km) against the Bees.
Wirtz set up Víctor Muñoz’s opener with a smart pass through to the winger and might this game be a turning point for the German in the Premier League?
Centre-Midfield: Mateo Kovačić
The Man City midfielder was one of the standout players in their win over Ipswich. Not only did he provide an assist, but the Croatian also created the joint-most chances (3) and completed the joint-most dribbles (3) during the contest.
With seven passes into the final third, Kovačić was also keen to generate opportunities for his teammates against the Tractor Boys, that much is certain.
Left-Wing: Alex Iwobi
Fulham claimed their first Premier League victory of the campaign at the weekend and it was all thanks to Alex Iwobi.
The Nigerian scored the winner in the first half with a well struck shot into the bottom corner from just inside the box. That was one of five shots he managed during the game, while Iwobi also created the joint-most chances (3) throughout the match.
He also won two of his three ground duels and recorded five defensive contributions which helped the Cottagers secure all three points while finishing with a rating of 8.7 for his efforts.
Centre-Forward: Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland continued his rich vein of form by netting twice against Ipswich, taking his goal tally to 12 for the season.
Not only did the striker take the most shots in the match (5), but he also added a creative aspect to his game at the weekend, creating the joint-most chances (3) of anyone on the field.
Add in seven touches inside the opposition penalty area and a 100% dribble success rate, Haaland more than deserved his FotMob rating of 8.98 for the game.
Centre-Forward: Evanilson
Evanilson was a nightmare for the Sunderland defence. The Brazilian took the most touches in the opposition penalty area (11) than any other player on the pitch.
He was rewarded with his second Premier League goal of the season and the striker even provided an assist.
Elsewhere, he succeeded with 100% of his dribbles and registered six defensive contributions. All in all, it was a solid day’s work for the forward.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season – with in-depth stat coverage, including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
Add FotMob as a preferred news source on Google by clicking – here.
