Rant Sports’ Team of the Week in Europe’s Top 5 Leagues
It was another action-packed weekend of football across the top five leagues in Europe with key players shining for their respective clubs. Liverpool rallied from behind at Southampton thanks to Mo Salah to extend their Premier League lead after Manchester City’s bizarre run continued at home against Tottenham while Harry Kane ran the show in Bayern Munich’s comprehensive rout against Augsburg.
In Italy, Romelu Lukaku scored the match-winner as Napoli returned to the Serie A summit and Marcus Thuram led Inter Milan to an impressive result on the road.
Rant Sports reviews this weekend in Germany, England, Spain, Italy and France by selecting our best players in the Team of the Week.
Goalkeeper
Manuel Neuer: Neuer extended his clean sheet run in the German top-flight over the weekend and his fantastic form made Friday’s win against Augsburg, the fifth consecutive match he played in without conceding. The last time the German goalkeeper conceded in a league outing was on October 6, in Bayern Munich’s 3-3 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Defenders
Radu Dragusin: The Romanian centre-back showed his defensive capabilities once again and he took his chance against Manchester City with both hands. When many were worried about Micky van de Ven’s absence in Spurs defence, 22-year-old Dragusin diligently kept Erling Haaland out of the game and he made significant contributions in aerial duels and obvious key tackles.
Dayot Upamecano: Upamecano remains as solid as a rock in Bayern Munich’s defence and his physicality, co-ordination and well-timed tackles make the Bavarians untouchable in the Bundesliga. Since their 3-3 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt, the France star has played every minute of Bayern’s league games and the last time they conceded in the domestic scene was on October 6.
Achraf Hakimi: The Morocco international continues to lead Paris Saint-Germain from the back as they lead the pack in the Ligue 1 table. Hakimi, in addition to his leadership and defensive role, contributed to PSG’s opening goal in their 3-0 defeat of Toulouse with his 35th-minute assist.
Federico Valverde: Real Madrid dominated Leganes with a 3-0 victory but Valverde stood out at the Santiago Bernabeu with his defensive and attacking contributions. The Uruguayan defender neutralised Leganes’ threats on the flanks and contributed to the Blancos’ attacking play on most occasions. He was everywhere on the pitch.
Midfielders
Khephren Thuram: In a boring but fiercely-contested fixture at the Allianz Stadium, the French star turned up for Juventus in the middle of the park. Thuram’s performance was also applauded by major Italian dailies who further named him their man of the match in the goalless draw against AC Milan. Thuram made himself available for defensive duties, nullifying the AC Milan’s attacking threats and the creativity of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Youssouf Fofana.
James Maddison: Maddison had a memorable birth anniversary by feasting on reigning Premier League champions, Manchester City as Tottenham Hotspur romped to a 4-0 win at Etihad Stadium. The England star went a step further from bossing the field to causing havoc in the City’s defence, grabbing a first-half brace as Spurs outclass City and compound their losing woes to five games.
Matheus Cunha: In a period when Wolverhampton Wanderers struggled for results in the Premier League, Brazilian star Matheus Cunha stepped up to turn around his team’s fortunes with his deadly skills in front of goal. After bagging a goal and an assist against Southampton just before the international break, Cunha returned with a banger to lead the Wolves to back-to-back wins and a remarkable away win at Fulham. The 25-year-old comfortably bagged the player of the match award and he led Gary O’Neil’s men out of the relegation zone.
Forwards
Harry Kane: The England captain registered his third Bundesliga hat-trick of the season with three second-half goals against Augsburg on Friday. After opening the scoring for Bayern Munich in the 63rd minute, Kane scored two quick-fire goals on the stroke of full-time to seal all points for Vincent Kompany’s team at the Allianz Arena. Kane has now scored a staggering 14 goals in 11 matches so far this campaign.
Mohamed Salah: With Liverpool staring at defeat at Southampton, Salah sailed the Reds to triumph with his equaliser followed by his match-winning strike from the penalty spot, thanks to his composure. The result helped Arne Slot’s team maintain their eight-point lead above their closest rivals, Man City and solidify their credentials for the league title.
Marcus Thuram: 27-year-old Thuram had 62 minutes to get two goals and an assist at Verona as Inter Milan secured an emphatic 5-0 away win. His finishing and pace combined remain a formidable threat in the Serie A as Simone Inzaghi’s side seek to defend their title.
