EPL – Outside90's Team of the Week – Matchday 14

EPL – Outside90's Team of the Week – Matchday 14

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Rob Officer
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Outside90’s Rob Officer selects the best individual performances from the latest round of Premier League action for our team of the week.

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Costel Pantilimon – Goalkeeper – Sunderland

Despite not having the best year to date, the Romanian keeper did everything right in his side’s 2-0 win over Stoke City at the Stadium of Light. Standing at 6’8’’, Pantilimon made four saves against 10-man Stoke, achieving his third clean sheet for the season. It has been a tough year to be a goalkeeper at the Black Cats and Pantilimon has conceded 26 goals as they find themselves in 17th place, just two points clear of the drop zone. The most important thing for Pantilimon and his team is clean sheets as they look to establish themselves firmly in the mid-table heading toward Christmas.

Joel Ward – Right-back – Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace conceded an early goal in their 5-1 thumping of Newcastle at Selhurst Park and Joel Ward was exceptional on the right for the Eagles. The 26-year-old had an inspiring day, winning five tackles, three aerial duels, two take-ons (all at a 100% success rate) and 10 of 14 duels overall. As well as that, the Englishman made 41 passes and got forward whenever possible, accumulating one shot on target which was a good effort from outside the box.

Adam Smith – Centre-back – AFC Bournemouth

Smith was a substitute for Bournemouth and an inspired one to say the least. Replacing Steve Cook, Smith changed the dynamic of the game with his pace and of course his wonder strike, a right-footed shot from outside the box that swerved into the top left corner off the post to keep Bournemouth alive. Chaos then followed at Goldsands Stadium, with the match ending 3-3 with Everton. Smith made 29 passes at 89% accuracy as well as winning three of five duels and one tackle. Bournemouth only conceded one goal while Smith was on the pitch but his introduction completely changed the way the game was played and got Bournemouth firing to earn a point.

Sebastián Coates – Centre-back – Sunderland

The 25-year-old Uruguayan has not had the greatest introduction to English football and has struggled to find his feet through injury; a loan from Liverpool materialised into a sale to Sunderland after an ill-fated stint at Anfield. In this match, Coates took steps forward with a solid performance and a clean sheet in Sunderland’s 2-0 win. Coates won 80% duels and all three tackles he contested.

Patrick van Aanholt – Left-back – Sunderland

The left-back scored an 82nd-minute stunner to give Sunderland the lead over Stoke City at the Stadium of Light. The Dutch defender’s left-footed shot from outside the box powered through traffic and into the bottom-right corner of the net. An impressive defensive display by the 25-year-old saw him win 75% of duels and create three successful crosses in an important contribution to the Black Cats’ victory.

James McArthur – Holding-midfielder – Crystal Palace

McArthur’s three shots produced two goals in Crystal Palace’s dominant display over Newcastle United in which the Eagles won 5-1. McArthur’s goals came in the 14th (equaliser) and 93rd minutes to start and cap off a wonderful day for Palace. The Scot played 50 passes at 92% accuracy and won every tackle he committed himself to. Crystal Palace now sit in seventh place on the EPL table and will be looking to capitalise in their next five games against Everton, Southampton, Stoke, Bournemouth and Swansea. All are winnable games and McArthur’s continued form is vital if the club are to push for the top four.

Bastian Schweinsteiger – Holding-midfielder – Manchester United

Schweinsteiger showed much more movement than in previous weeks and managed to scrape Manchester United through with a draw against equal-top of the league Leicester City. The German ace has been criticised for his tempo of play, however, it seems evident the control he plays with makes United look like a better side and enjoyed a pass accuracy of 92% on the day. He scored a 46th-minute header to equalise, which cancelled out Jamie Vardy’s opener at the King Power Stadium. At 31, Schweinsteiger is not as agile as he once was, but his stature and ability speaks for itself. Manchester United are a better side when he is playing and it is a credit to the German for still being able to have so much of an impact on a football team despite it being his first season in the Premier League.

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Junior Stanislas – Attacking-midfielder – AFC Bournemouth

Stanislas was the hero for Bournemouth as his late brace saved a point against Everton. The Toffees looked to be cruising early with a 2-0 lead by the 36th minute until Smith and Stanislas decided to betray what seemed to be the inevitable. Stanislas’ 87th-minute equaliser and 98th-minute equaliser secured the Cherries a valuable point as they fight to keep themselves out of the bottom three. Stanislas finished the match with two goals from four shots and six crosses. The Englishman was his side’s saviour; he and Smith completely changed the dynamic of the match.

Kevin De Bruyne– Attacking-midfielder – Manchester City

Kevin de Bruyne scored his fourth goal in the Premier League, netting the opening goal in Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Southampton at the Etihad Stadium. De Bruyne turned in from close-range following a Raheem Sterling cross to give his side the lead in the ninth minute. The former Wolfsburg man then assisted City’s following two goals, making it six for the year, which is second in the Premier League behind fellow team of the week midfielder Mesut Özil. He has proved to be a valuable investment, scoring goals and creating chances consistency. The win returns Manchester City to the top of Premier League leading Leicester City only on goal difference.

Mesut Özil – Attacking-midfielder – Arsenal

Despite only winning one of seven duels, Mesut Özil was, as he is quite often, Arsenal’s best. His goal opened the scoring in the 30th minute with a classy finish from the left, across the keeper and into the bottom right of the goal, only to have Norwich City equalise in the 43rd minute. The German’s five shots and two shot assists saw Arsenal into a strong position but the Londoners could not find the net to gain the lead back. Özil made 68 passes at an incredible 99% accuracy and has now directly contributed to 13 goals for Arsenal in his last 12 league games. He is playing some fine football and after some ups and downs is finding the consistency in English football that everyone has been crying out for.

Jamie Vardy – Striker – Leicester City

There may be a few players that did more than Jamie Vardy but it is impossible to remove a striker from team of the week when he has scored in an unprecedented 11-straight Premier League matches, surpassing Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record after equalling it just a week prior. To make it even sweeter, Vardy beat it against van Nistelrooy’s former employer. The former Fleetwood Town man now has 14 goals for the season and his 24th-minute opener was Leicester’s only goal in their 1-1 draw with United. Vardy is a defender’s nightmare with incredible pace and a high work rate. Congratulations Jamie Vardy, a place in history for someone with a tremendous story.

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