The opening weekend of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign is now in the history books. We have a new Team of the Week for you, but it is filled with familiar faces and we think, based on their showings on Matchday one, this won’t be the first time they’ll be making an appearance in this XI this season.
By Sam McGuire
Goalkeeper: Mark Flekken
The Brentford shot-stopper played a key role in their 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday. Flekken made six saves and faced efforts with an Expected Goals on Target value of over one. The 31-year-old also completed 76% of his attempted passes and recovered the ball on 11 occasions to round out a fairly solid outing for the Bees between the sticks.
Right-Back: Pedro Porro
The Spurs full-back kicked off the season with a goal in the 1-1 draw with Leicester City. Porro glanced home a James Maddison cross to give Ange Postecoglou’s side the lead in the first half. Unfortunately for them, they couldn’t see the game out. To go with his goal, the 24-year-old carved out four chances, the most of any player in the match, and completed 89% of his passes. He was a key player for Tottenham was his performance earned a deserved 8.2 FotMob rating.
Centre-Back: Harry Maguire
Harry Maguire is probably only in this Manchester United team because Leny Yoro is injured and Matthijs De Ligt will be eased into life at Old Trafford. But he made the most of this start. The 31-year-old completed 83% of his attempted passes against Fulham. He made three interceptions, five ball recoveries and won five of his six aerial duels as the Red Devils kicked off their campaign with a win and a clean sheet.
Centre-Back: Joško Gvardiol
Gvardiol found his goalscoring touch towards the end of last season. To kick off this campaign though, he put in a fairly dominant defensive showing. The former RB Leipzig man completed 92% of his passes, he made four interceptions, five recoveries and won 100% of his ground duels, playing his part in a clean sheet for Manchester City in their win over Chelsea.
Left-Back: Diogo Dalot
The 25-year-old wasn’t much of an offensive threat for United in their win over Fulham, but he didn’t need to be. The Portuguese full-back was resolute defensively and played a pivotal role in the clean sheet. Dalot won one of two tackles, four of six ground duels and 50% of his aerial duels. He also made six recoveries and one interception. It was a solid showing by the one-time Porto youngster.
Midfield: Amadou Onana
As far as debuts go, this was a dream one for Onana. Signed for a club record fee in the summer, the powerhouse midfielder scored after just four minutes against West Ham. The 23-year-old completed an astonishing 97% of his passes for Villa and bullied the hosts in the middle third, winning seven of his nine ground duels. He also competed in eight aerial duels in a performance that earned him an 8.4 rating.
Midfield: Mateo Kovačić
Kovačić had the unenviable task of filling in for Rodri as champions Manchester City kicked off their 2024/25 campaign with a trip to free spending Chelsea. Kovačić, returning to Stamford Bridge, put on a clinic in front of his former employers. The 30-year-old scored the second, made the most tackles (four), completed 50% of his dribbles and found a teammate with 95% of his attempted passes on his way to an 8.6 FotMob rating.
Midfield: Youri Tielemans
Tielemans ran the show for Aston Villa in their 2-1 in over West Ham United. The former Leicester City maestro racked up an 8.5 rating on Saturday evening. He claimed an assist, created the most chances (three), won 100% of his tackles and triumphed in five of his eight ground duels.
Attack: Bukayo Saka
Saka’s showing against Wolves looked ominous. The Arsenal forward scored and assisted in the 2-0 win for the Gunners. He created the most chances (five) and had five shots the the title hopefuls. There were no signs of rust despite this being the opening day weekend. The 22-year-old looked sharp, with and without the ball, winning 100% of his tackles and four of his nine ground duels.
Attack: Yoane Wissa
The Brentford striker claimed a goal and an assist in the victory over Crystal Palace. In fact, the 27-year-old netted what turned out to be the winner as Thomas Frank’s side kicked off the season with a win at home. Wissa’s showing earned him a FotMob rating of 8.4. To go alongside his two goal involvements, the forward completed 100% of his dribbles, won 83% of his ground duels, 100% of his aerial duels and won four fouls. He was a handful throughout.
Attack: Kai Havertz
Havertz, like Saka, scored and assisted for Arsenal in the comfortable 2-0 win over Wolves. The Germany international now appears to be Mikel Arteta’s starting centre-forward and after that showing, it is not hard to see why. Havertz had five shots, created two chances and involved himself in 19 duels in total. He’s a goal threat but also an asset to this team without the ball.
(Images from IMAGO)
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