SK's top 25 footballers for the month of August
So the new season is up-and-running. A handful of sides have clearly laid out their intentions for the campaign ahead, while others have stumbled at the first hurdle and are desperately trying to amend their early errors.
The first month of a new term is without a doubt the most unpredictable, but it enables us to gauge how successful individuals will be over the course of the season. Manchester City were, arguably, the team of the month, but it's not just a hoard of Citizens occupying the top spots in 'Sportskeeda's 25 Best Players for the month of August'…..
25. Layvin Kurzawa
When Unai Emery superseded the somewhat prickly, but efficient, Laurent Blanc as manager of PSG, it was obvious that change was imminent. The Spaniard sought great success at Sevilla and is looking to see these triumphs transpire to the French capital. Few have flourished under the new regime as rapidly as full-back Layvin Kurzawa.
The former-Monaco man seems to have superseded veteran Maxwell as first-choice on the left side of defence.
In the month of August, Kurzawa scored on three occasions. His first came in a 4-1 romping of Lyon in the Trophée des Champions, before the 24-year-old opened his Ligue 1 account for the term with goals against Bastia and Metz respectively.
His resurgence comes not only via an exuberant, attacking threat but also due to the solid shifts he has put in at the back. The Frenchman racked up an average pass completion rate of 89%, as well helping the French champions to keep two clean sheets.
It’s testament to his strong mentality that he has been able to adjust and perform so quickly under a new boss.
24. Sami Khedira
The departure of Paul Pogba this summer was inevitably going to crank up the pressure on German midfield maestro Sami Khedira to perform in Turin. Few players can claim to be so intelligent and creative on the ball but also strong and steady off of it, and there have not been many times in Khedira’s career that this fearful combination has been so evident than over the past month.
Juventus currently sit second in Serie A with a 100% record and Khedira, signed by the Old Lady on a free last summer, has scored in both matches this term, each of which was won by a single goal. After limiting a versatile Fiorentina frontline on the opening day, the Stuttgart-born 29-year-old guided the Italian giants to a clean sheet in their 1-0 win over Lazio on matchday two.
He certainly hasn’t neglected his defensive duties but has simultaneously peppered opposition goals with an average of three shots per game.