Premier League Team of the Week - Gameweek #1
Pre-season may be over but the first round of fixtures in the 2015/16 Premier League season may have some of the top teams wishing they were still on vacation. Only Manchester City ran out comfortable winners with a 3-0 thrashing of West Bromwich Albion in the last game of the week, with Liverpool and Manchester United, sneaking through with 1-0 victories over Stoke City and Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend.The 10 games played over the weekend and late Monday night saw an average of 3 goals per game, the highest being at King Power stadium where Leicester City ran out 4-2 winners against Sunderland. Premier League defending champions Chelsea stuttered to a 2-2 draw against Swansea, which included a red card to goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. With new signings, debutants from the academy and rejuvenated old-timers, the first Premier League team of the week for the 2015/16 season has an unfamiliar look to it. The formation selected is a 3-4-3, on a gameweek where attackers reigned supreme in the Premier League.
#1 Goalkeeper
Adrian – West Ham United
A fixture that has given nothing but defeat for the Hammers in recent seasons, this game against Arsenal had them celebrating a 2-0 victory on the opening weekend and the first London derby of the season, and it may be the start of something special for the club.
Adrian, who played every Premier League game last season continues to be West Ham’s #1 goalkeeper and showed us why by making two impressive saves during the game, with the one from Olivier Giroud starting off an attack that led to the second goal, proving to be the killer blow for Arsenal, while the other was with his left boot, stopping a shot from Alexis Sanchez that was destined for the bottom corner.
The entire West Ham defence performed efficiently as a unit but Adrian finds himself in the Team of the Week for his saves, commanding his area and marshalling his defence. If he continues to put in such performances week after week, coupled with the contribution of the players in front of him, West Ham may be looking at European competition next season yet again, this time without needing to top the fair-play league.