Modern Football Analysis EPL Best X1: Gameweek 22 (Jan 15-Jan 19)
Gameweek 22 saw Manchester City strengthen their grip on pole position with a win over Chelsea, Philippe Coutinho made an instant impact playing for former teammate Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa with a late equalizer against Manchester United and Norwich City revived their survival bid courtesy of an Adam Idah winning goal against Everton.BEST 11 (4-3-3 formation)GK #1 Jack Butland (Crystal Palace) – Deputizing for Vicente Guaita, Butland racked up 5 saves, including a big 1v1 stop against Leandro Trossard and denying Pascal Gross from the penalty spot as Palace clinched a point in a 1-1 draw at Brighton.
LD #26 Andrew Robertson (Liverpool) – Scotland international Robertson was a dominant attacking force in Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Brentford, assisting Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain with an inch perfect cross. The assist was one of 4 crosses Robertson completed, while also completing 73 of 85 passes. The fullback also made an impact defensively by racking up 14 ball recoveries, 7 of which were in the Brentford half.
CD #14 Aymeric Laporte – (Manchester City) – Laporte led a City backline that shackled Romelu Lukaku on the way to a clean sheet and three important points in the title race. The Spanish international made 6 interceptions, winning 3 of 3 duels on the ground and 5 of 6 in the air, while also completing 76 of 79 passes.
CD #16 Conor Coady (Wolverhampton Wanderers) – Coady found himself on the scoresheet as Wolves rolled to a 3-1 win over Southampton, nodding home from close range after Max Kilman’s header bounced back off the goalpost. The center back also completed 24 of 28 passes and stifled Southampton with 3 interceptions and 2 clearances.
RD #15 Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United) – England international Trippier contributed on the attacking end completing all 3 crosses as well as 47 of 57 passes, but it was on the defensive end that the right back really shined. Trippier racked up 16 ball recoveries, 8 in the opposition half, 11 interceptions and won 5 defensive duels as Newcastle split the points in a 1-1 draw against fellow strugglers Watford.
CM #41 Jacob Ramsey (Aston Villa) – Young midfielder Ramsey was instrumental as Aston Villa shared the points with Manchester United. With Villa 2-0 down, Ramsey pulled a goal back before teeing up Coutinho to level the scores. Ramsey completed 35 of 39 passes throughout the game while also making 4 ball recoveries in the United half.
CM #17 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) – Belgian international De Bruyne scored the vital goal in City’s 1-0 win over Chelsea with a quality finish while also completing 22 of 29 passes, 3 of 4 of which came in the attacking third. On the defensive end, De Bruyne made 5 interceptions, second only to central defender Laporte for his team.
CM #18 Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) – Fernandes scored both goals in the 2-2 draw against Aston VIlla, completing 43 of 50 passes including 9 of 11 in the attacking third. On the defensive end Fernandes made 8 ball recoveries, for perspective, that is an identical number to N’Golo Kante in Chelsea’s game against Manchester City. In his second outing of the game week, playmaker Fernandes tallied two assists in a 3-1 victory over Brentford while completing 48 of 57 passes and making 6 ball recoveries.
LM #22 Jack Harrison (Leeds United) – Harrison was the star performer of the gameweek, netting his first hat-trick in senior football as Leeds picked up a vital 3 points with a 3-2 win at West Ham United. The clinical Harrison scored 3 goals from 5 shots and only 7 touches in the West Ham penalty area, also creating 2 chances and completing 22 of 35 passes. The all-action Harrison led his team with 3 successful dribbles and recovered 9 balls, 4 in the opposing half. The winger held his ground defensively, winning 5 of 7 defensive duels and making 5 interceptions and 1 clearance.
RM #10 Raphinha (Leeds United) – Both flanks of the Leeds attack troubled West Ham, with Raphinha setting up Harrison for the game winning goal, and being denied another assist when VAR disallowed a Mateusz Klich goal that he had laid on a plate. The Brazilian also hit the woodwork from a free kick, completed 29 of 36 passes, won 4 of 8 defensive duels and tallied 6 interceptions.
CF #10 Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) – England captain Kane had to wait until midweek to be involved in this gameweek after Tottenham’s game against Arsenal was postponed due to a COVID outbreak. It was worth the wait, as Kane played a key role in a miraculous comeback win for Spurs in the game of the week. Kane tied the score at 1-1 with a first half goal, before James Maddison gave Leicester a 2-1 lead and Steven Bergwijn tied the game deep in injury time. Kane then produced a defense splitting pass to assist Bergwijn on a 97th minute game winner. Kane completed 26 of 34 passes including 9 of 9 in the attacking third, while also leading all players on the field with 8 successful dribbles.
GAMEWEEK 22 RESULTS
- Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Crystal Palace
- Manchester City 1-0 Chelsea
- Newcastle United 1-1 Watford
- Norwich City 2-1 Everton
- Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 Southampton
- Aston Villa 2-2 Manchester United
- Liverpool 3-0 Brentford
- West Ham United 2-3 Leeds United
- Tottenham Hotspur P-P Arsenal
- Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Chelsea
- Leicester City 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur
- Brentford 1-3 Manchester United