Squawka team of the month: Does Wayne Rooney make the cut?

Manchester City feature heavily in November team of the month, with five of their players amongst the top performance scorers in their position. Despite leading the Premier League table, Arsenal only have one representative– goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. Lining up in a traditional 4-4-2 formation, here is our Squawka Team of the Month:

Goalkeeper: Woijciech Szczesny (197)

Arsenal goalkeeper Szczesny kept three clean sheets from his four games during the month, giving him a total Performance Score of 197. Having had an erratic Arsenal career so far, Szczesny has cut out the errors this season and started developing into the top level goalkeeper that Arsenal need for their title challenge.

Defenders: Seamus Coleman (144), Phil Jagielka (185), John Terry (207), Gael Clichy (157)

 

Everton duo Coleman and Jagielka have also kept three clean sheets from a possible four in the month of November, although the Toffee’s did concede three in their derby draw with Liverpool.Coleman has also contributed a goal to the cause, in the 4-0 win over Stoke City, as well as four key passes whilst bombing forward from right back (evident in the Action Areas Map above.)

John Terry achieved the highest Performance Score of any defender in November, aided by his goal in the weekend win over Southampton. Terry also averaged 10.75 Defensive Actions over the month, up on his season average of 10. As with Coleman, Clichy has also been more involved going forward than defensively this month, and fills the left back berth with a performance score of 157.

Midfielders: Jesus Navas (182), Yaya Toure (182), Jake Livermore (169), Samir Nasri (283)

Given that they scored 16 goals and conceded just one in reply during November, it is hardly surprising to see Manchester City dominate the midfield of the Team of the Month. Both player of the month Samir Nasri and Jesus Navas scored two goals in the period, whilst Navas also created a chance every 28.5 minutes in his four appearances during the month. Between them, the City trio completed 686 passes in November.

A surprise inclusion in the side – tied on a Performance Score of 169 with Aston Villa’s Ashley Westwood – is Hull midfielder Jake Livermore. The Tottenham loanee scored positively in all four of his sides games, despite Hull losing two of them. He was particularly impressive in the months opening game against Sunderland, creating four chances.

Forwards: Wayne Rooney (207), Sergio Aguero (181)

With seven goals between them in November, it is easy to see why Rooney and Aguero lead the line for our Team of the Month. The duo also created 21 chances between them over the four games, largely helped by the nine created by Rooney in Manchester United’s 2-2 draw with Cardiff City.

Rooney Crosses V Cardiff