The Premier League is back in full swing with only Manchester United, Huddersfield Town and West Bromwich Albion boasting a hundred percent record after week two
It was another memorable weekend for Manchester United fans, as for the second week in a row they saw their team decimate the opposition by playing some beautiful football, and winning the contest by an identical 4-0 scoreline. Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba were among the goal scorers for the second week running.
The London derby clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea was billed by many as the game of the weekend, and it lived up to its expectations. Playing in an unaccustomed home at the Wembley Stadium, Spurs struggled to overpower their rivals despite arguably being the better team on the day.
Elsewhere, Liverpool managed to win their first game of the new season with a narrow 1-0 win against Crystal Palace. However, things did not go as per plan for giants Arsenal and Manchester City as the former were stunned away from home against Stoke City, while a resolute Everton side shared the spoils with the latter at the Etihad Stadium.
After analysing the ten fixtures over the past gameweek, the Hard Tackle has prepared its Team of the Week lining up in a 4-3-1-2 shape.
Goalkeeper
It’s difficult to see a goalkeeper perform better than Jack Butland did over the weekend for his Stoke side. Going into the game against an Arsenal side that had scored four goals in the previous week, few expected the Potters to end the contest with a cleansheet. However, to the amusement of many, they edged the Gunners 1-0.
While the Stoke defenders maintained their shape for most of the game, Butland was often called upon to make saves in key moments of the game. Arsenal boasted exceptionally quick and skillful players on the day, and they all tried their luck against Butland. Yet, the Stoke number one appeared unfazed in goal, and won the game for his team.
Defenders
Manchester United right-back Antonio Valencia enjoyed a good first season under Jose Mourinho, and in the Special One’s second year at Old Trafford, he still appears to be the ferocious beast that bosses the right flank for the Red Devils.
Against Swansea, Valencia posed a constant threat to the opposition defence with his silky forward runs, and frustrated the Swans’ attacking players with his exceptional defending prowess. His teammate Eric Bailly also made our Team of the Week.
The Ivorian defender bagged his first league goal for United, kept a clean sheet, looked assured on the ball, and seldom took his eye of proceedings. It was a masterclass from the defender who appears to be the perfect fit in the Manchester United defence for years to come.
Partnering him at centre-back in our team, is Leicester defender Harry Maguire. Signed in the summer for a fee of £17 million, the Englishman proved himself worth every penny after he put in a splendid performance against newly-promoted Brighton on Saturday.
Maguire made an impressive five clearances and did a great job in keeping out the attacking threat the Brighton front men posed. To cap off his fine defending, he found himself on the scoresheet as well, getting his first goal for his new club.
At left-back, Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso is the obvious candidate. The Spaniard had a dream of a game at Wembley on Sunday as he bagged both of his side’s goals in an impressive 2-1 victory over Spurs. His first was a delightful free-kick from the edge of the penalty area, while his second proved to be a late winner for the visitors. Top performance all around.
Midfielders
Paul Pogba took his remarkable performance of last week to a completely different level when he commanded United’s midfield against an abject Swansea City outfit. While there was an instance the Frenchman could get sent off in the first half, he came out in the second period as a whole different player.
He looked sharp on the ball and his link up play was second to none. He found himself scoring yet another goal for Manchester United, and also registered an assist for his afternoon’s efforts.
Along with Pogba in the three-man midfield are Huddersfield’s Aaron Mooy and Tottenham’s Mousa Dembele. The Australian sensation was an absolute joy to watch when he pulled the strings for Huddersfield against fellow newcomers Newcastle. He scored the game’s only goal, and gave the fans at the John Smith’s Stadium their first home win the Premier League.
Despite being on the losing side, Dembele makes the cut for our Team of the Week. While he saw the likes of Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama succumb to the Chelsea’s onslaught, he held his nerve, chased down loose balls, recycled possession, and overpowered the Blues midfielders.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan has already registered four assists in the league this season, and his performance against Swansea suggested that he could be touching double figures anytime soon. The Armenian played in the number ten role and often switched positions with Juan Mata. He registered a couple of assists, and was rightfully named as the Premier League Man of the Match.
Strikers
Former Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez joined West Ham United in the summer, and the Hammers faithful were given a glimpse of why he was acquired after he put in a dazzling display against Southampton. In classic Chicharito fashion, the little pea grabbed his side’s first of the game, before equalising on the 74th minute mark.
While Leicester forward Jamie Vardy shined in the opening match of the new Premier League, it was his teammate Shinji Okazaki who grabbed the headlines this past weekend with a scintillating display against newly-promoted Brighton.
He scored the opening goal of the contest which eventually set the tone for Leicester to go out and dominate proceedings. His link-up play too was exceptional, which saw the likes of Riyad Mahrez and Vardy thrive off balls from the Japanese superstar.
