Perhaps surprisingly, no player from teams within the top four make the FotMob Team of the Week. We do, however, have some regulars in the team as well as a couple of first timers. Here’s your matchday 19 TOTW.
By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert
Goalkeeper: Alphonse Areola
Areola has had some week. He returned to West Ham United’s Premier League starting XI for the match against Manchester United and he kept a clean sheet in a 2-0 win.
He then kept a clean sheet in the 2-0 victory against Arsenal and it was his performance at the Emirates that has earned him a place in the team of the week.
The 30-year-old made eight saves on his way to an 8.7 rating. Six of those saves arrived from shots from inside the penalty area too as Arsenal found ways to carve out chance after chance.
Right-Back: Malo Gusto
Deputising for the injured Reece James, Gusto caught the eye in the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.
The young French full-back created two chances, one of which was a big chance, while also registering an assist for the Blues. Gusto attempted 98 passes and found a teammate 94% of the time. Defensively he was solid too, making eight recoveries and involving himself in 13 duels.
Centre-Back: Konstantinos Mavropanos
Facing his former side, Mavropanos certainly made an impression in West Ham’s win over Arsenal.
The defender had the fewest touches (26) of any player to play 90 minutes but did well whenever he was involved. He finished with a pass success rate of 75%, he won 100% of his tackles and 50% of his duels. The former VfB Stuttgart centre-back also scored the all-important second goal for the Hammers.
Centre-Back: Toti Gomes
Wolves made it back-to-back wins in the Premier League with an empathic 4-1 triumph over Brentford.
The focus will no doubt be on the attackers but Gomes caught the eye defensively. The 24-year-old made four clearances, won three out of four aerial duels and came out on top in 50% of his ground duels.
He finished the game with a pass success rate of 82%, creating one big chance and claiming an assist.
Left-Back: Dango Ouattara
Bournemouth made the bold decision to use Ouattara as a left-back in the game against Fulham. The winger certainly impressed in the new position.
He won the most duels (nine) of any player on the pitch on his way to an 8.1 rating. He found a teammate with 81% of his attempted passes, completed two of his three dribbles, won 100% of his tackles and 75% of his aerial duels.
Midfield: Alejandro Garnacho
The 19-year-old ended a six-match goal drought to score twice in Manchester United’s comeback victory over Aston Villa at Old Trafford.
The young winger had four shots in total and created one chance in what was an eye-catching display. He also attempted three dribbles.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of his display was the fact he scored with both feet to showcase his varied finishing ability. His unpredictability will be an asset.
Midfield: Anthony Elanga
From one Red Devil to a former one. Elanga was one of the star performers for Nottingham Forest as they beat Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
The versatile forward made just 18 passes in total but he made them count. He created three big chances and finished the game with two assists. He also had five efforts on goal and probably deserved to add to his haul of four goals this season. His performance deserved it.
Midfield: Hee-Chan Hwang
Another game, another goal for the Wolves midfielder. In fact he scored twice in just 45 minutes to take his tally for the campaign to 10.
His showing against Brentford earned him an 8.7 rating. The 27-year-old finished with an Expected Goals haul of 1.43 and involved himself in nine duels to showcase his duality.
Forward: Alexander Isak
Somehow, Isak finished on the losing side this week. The Newcastle forward put on quite the show at St James’ Park but couldn’t help his side avoid defeat to Nottingham Forest.
He scored the opener, converting the penalty he had won. Isak also created three chances, had a total of six shots and completed the most dribbles (four) of any player. He was, at times, a one-man attack.
Forward: Chris Wood
Wood was the star of the show this week with his 9.7 rating. The powerhouse forward had the fewest number of touches of any outfield player to play 90 minutes in Nottingham Forest’s 3-1 win over Newcastle.
The former Magpie won 100% of his aerial duels and found the back of the net with all three of his efforts. He’s now on seven for the season and his exploits in front of goal helped lift Nuno Espírito Santo’s men up to 16th in the Premier League table.
Forward: João Pedro
Pedro stole the show against Spurs. The Brazilian forward scored twice and assisted one other goal in his way to a 9.4 FotMob rating.
The Brighton No. 9 had a 100% shot accuracy against Ange Postecoglou’s side. He also attempted four dribbles on Thursday evening and involved himself in a total of 18 duels. The 22-year-old is proving himself to be a revelation for the Seagulls following his summer move from Watford. He’s now on seven goals and two assists for the Premier League campaign.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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