It may be a new year but the FotMob Team of the Week is filled with a number of familiar faces. Matchday 20 lived up to the billing and there were several star performers across the board from a variety of teams.
With that in mind, here is your Matchday 20 Team of the Week.
By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert
Goalkeeper: Martin Dúbravka
Alphonse Areola put in a good showing for West Ham in the draw with Brighton but Dubravka’s exploits at Anfield just about put him ahead of the Frenchman. The Newcastle United shot-stopper kept the scoreline respectable for the Magpies in a 4-2 loss against Liverpool.
The 34-year-old saved a Mohamed Salah penalty, one of his 10 saves on the night, as he faced shots with an Expected Goals on Target value of 6.67. Without him, it is no exaggeration to say it could’ve been a record-breaking scoreline for the Premier League leaders.
Right-Back: Trent Alexander-Arnold
Alexander-Arnold really has found his groove over the past month.
In the 4-2 win over Newcastle, the right-back claimed a FotMob rating of 8.2 having impressed at both ends of the pitch. The 25-year-old created two chances, had a total of three shots and hit the woodwork with an outrageous effort from a ridiculous angle. He also finished the game with a 100% dribble success rate.
Defensively, he recovered the ball on 10 occasions, made four interceptions and came out on top in five of his eight duels.
Centre-Back: Max Kilman
The Wolves skipper bossed it during the 3-0 win over Everton. He scored the opener but impressed with his all-around game. The 26-year-old completed 86% of his passes, made 10 ball recoveries and had a 100% success rate in aerial duels, playing a key part in the clean sheet kept by Gary O’Neil’s team.
It was a good day at the office for the centre-back.
Centre-Back: Craig Dawson
It was also a good day at the office for his centre-back partner. Dawson also found his way onto the scoresheet, scoring the third goal at Molineux. Like Kilman, the 33-year-old also impressed without the goal having found a teammate with 84% of his attempted passes.
He had a 100% record in tackles, recovered the ball five times and made seven clearances. Dawson won seven of his 11 duels to round off a fairly dominant display.
Left-Back: Pervis Estupiñán
Back in the first team for Brighton following injury and back in the FotMob Team of the Week.
Estupiñán claimed an 8.1 rating in the draw with West Ham United. He completed 100% of his dribbles, played 14 passes into the final third, created two chances, made 12 ball recoveries and won five of his nine duels.
Key to the way Roberto De Zerbi wants his team to play football, the 25-year-old attempted 108 passes on Tuesday night and found a teammate 95% of the time.
Midfield: Cole Palmer
Palmer returned from suspension and didn’t miss a beat. The 21-year-old ran the show for Chelsea in their 3-2 win over Luton Town. The one-time Manchester City youngster scored twice and claimed an assist on his way to a 9.3 rating at Kenilworth Road. Palmer carved out two chances for teammates and had a total of five shots in what was an eye-catching display.
The No. 20 completed 100% of his dribbles and was accurate with five of his six attempted long passes.
Midfield: Phil Foden
Foden has been enjoying life for Manchester City since being moved centrally. The 23-year-old claimed the highest FotMob rating (9.1) as the champions ran out 2-0 winners over Sheffield United to lift themselves back into the title picture.
The City No47 claimed two assists and created six chances at the Etihad. He really was pulling the strings for Pep Guardiola’s men with the returning Kevin De Bruyne watching on from the sidelines. His performance here should be enough to keep the Belgian playmaker sidelined, but who knows what the Catalan-born coach will do with his team election moving forward.
Midfield: Giovani Lo Celso
Lo Celso has played his way into Ange Postecoglou’s side. He has no doubt benefitted from injuries to others but he’s currently in the team on merit.
The Argentine playmaker impressed yet again for Spurs in the 3-1 win over Bournemouth, claiming two assists. He also completed 100% of his dribbles, won 50% of his tackles and won the most duels of anyone on the pitch (11/15).
Attack: Michael Olise
The 22-year-old was the star of the show as Crystal Palace claimed a 3-1 victory over Sheffield United. Olise earned a 9.3 FotMob rating having scored twice while also completing the most dribbles (five) in the match and winning the most (eight) duels. The left-footed winger also created two chances and had a total of six shots in what was a fairly dominant outing by the Palace No7. In truth, it is now becoming the norm.
Attack: Mohamed Salah
Few players miss a penalty but perform well enough to claim a place in the Team of the Week. But then again, few players will ever get close to Salah. The three-time Golden Boot winner had a spot-kick saved in the first half but bounced back after the break to have a hand in all four goals. He scored the first and fourth, assisted the third and claimed a hockey assist for the second.
Salah created four chances on the night, three of which were classed as big chances. He had a total of six shots to finish with an Expected Goal contribution of 3.87.
Attack: Ollie Watkins
Watkins failed to find the back of the net in Aston Villa’s 3-2 win over Burnley but he did add to his assists haul. The 28-year-old set up two of the goals to take his tally to eight for the campaign, the joint-most in the Premier League. The Villa forward created the most chances (three) in the game while having the least (24) number of touches of any outfield player. It was very much a case of less is more. He did what he had to and he did it well.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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