European team of the week - 26th to 28th October
(with stats from WhoScored)
Playing behind a back-four which provided little to no protection, our ‘keeper this week, Magno Macedo Novaes, comes from French club, Bastia. In spite of Bastia having conceded 20 goals in their first 9 games, Novaes stood strong between the sticks to deny Bordeaux on 7 different occasions, and condemn them to a 3-1 defeat. Additionally, with 60 touches on the ball, and by claiming 4 crosses sent into the box, Novaes may just have redeemed himself slightly in the sights of Bastia fans.
On the team sheet, for full backs, we have Mainz 05′s duo of Zdenek Pospech, and Junior Diaz. Mainz had a particularly strong showing against a struggling Hoffenheim side, running out comfortable 3 – 0 winners, with former German international, Tim Wiese looking hapless. While Pospech had 3 tackles, Diaz won as many as 6, and provided an assist. Strengthened no doubt by the fact that the opposition attack was largely ineffective, these full backs receive credit for their team’s clean sheet.
Borussia Dortmund recorded only their second win in the past six league games this weekend, and they had central defender, Neven Subotic to thank for a clean sheet. Along with partner, Mats Hummels, the Serbian defender saw off the ineffective Freiburg attack with aplomb to make this week’s list. Partnering him on this list is the left third of AC Milan‘s three man defence, Mario Yepes. Playing against Genoa, Yepes’ performance was crucial to Milan getting the 3 points, as they ground out a 1-0 victory. With 100 touches on the ball, and 88% success rate in both passing, and aerial duels, Yepes held fort for new sensation El Shaarawy to bag the winner at the other end.
On the right side of midfield, we have Roma’s Erik Lamela, who actually played on the right side of a 3-man attack against Udinese this weekend. Lamela bagged a quick brace, scoring two goals in three minutes to give Roma a 2-0 lead, only for the Italian capital club to lose 2-3. However, with a total of 7 shots on target, and 6 successful dribbles, Lamela can have no regrets about his individual performance. On the other side of midfield, we have Borussia Monchengladbach’s Juan Arango, who had an excellent weekend, scoring the winner in his team’s 3-2 victory over Hannover 96. In addition to his goal, the veteran Venezuelan had an assist, 4 shots, and 5 successful dribbles to his name.
In the centre of midfield, we have yet another footballing veteran, Esteban Cambiasso. The defensive minded midfielder scored one, and provided an assist against Bologna, as Inter ran out 3 – 1 winners to stay third in the league. Cambiasso’s contribution to defense was equally invaluable, as 2 dribbles, and 5 successful tackles provided his back-three considerable support. The other player in the centre of the pitch, on this list, is Wolfsburg’s Diego, who scored a penalty in their comfortable 4-1 win over a struggling Dusseldorf, who have now lost 3 matches in a row. Diego’s goal was the icing on the cake for his fantastic all round performance, which included an assist for Ivica Olic, and 5 succesful dribbles. Wolfsburg, who rose to 18th from bottom spot, will hope that this rich vein of form can continue.
Up front, we have French club Ajaccio’s Brailian striker, Eduardo Ribeiro, who was involved in all four of his team’s goals in a pulsating 4-4 draw with Lorient. In a game which saw goals being scored in the first minute of both halves, it was Ajaccio who went into the break with a 4-1 lead, thanks to two assists, and two goals from Ribeiro. Thus, manager Alex Dupont will no doubt regret having substituted Ribeiro in the 65′ minute, as Lorient fought back to make it 4-4, with the main threat to their side having left the pitch. Accompanying him is Hungarian, Adam Szalai, who scored a hat-trick for Mainz this weekend. Showing remarkable accuracy, Szalai scored thrice out of his four attempts on target, and had his attempt blocked on the other occasion. Mainz fans, who now find their team sitting in the last European spot for Germany, will no doubt be hoping that he kicks on from this performance.
Note: This article excludes players from the English Premier League, and the La Liga, each of which have their own teams of the week in separate articles.