EPL Team Of The Week For Gameweek 4

Crystal Palace managed to shock the Premier League as they went to Stamford Bridge and inflicted only the second defeat at Stamford Bridge under Jose Mourinho. The Champions haven’t started the season well, but that shouldn’t take away from Palace’s performance as they were a different class on the day. Joel Ward has been a consistent player for the Eagles since their promotion back to the top flight and he was a major part of their victory. He was very good defensively, making some crucial tackles and blocks to prevent Chelsea. At the other end of the pitch, Ward contributed to attacks and made the crucial contribution of grabbing the winning goal with a header.

Southampton have looked vulnerable defensively this season and need to strengthen after losing Toby Alderweireld. Virgil van Dijk looks set to come in and could be an excellent partner for Jose Fonte, who was brilliant at the weekend. Southampton’s back four limited Norwich City to just one shot on target, and a lot of that was down to Fonte’s organisation and leadership skills at the back. He was dominant aerially and there were signs that Southampton are coming back to form defensively and that will be crucial if they are to have another strong season.

Tottenham haven’t had a great start to their season, picking up just three points to date. A positive for Spurs fans is that they are looking a lot stronger at the back, and the signing of Toby Alderweireld could turn out to be a masterstroke. His signing looks set to bring out the best in Jan Vertonghen, who looked classy and solid at the weekend. He starts a lot of the side’s attacks and has a great passing range for a centre back. His defensive display was excellent as he kept Romelu Lukaku quiet all afternoon with the striker not getting a sniff of the goal.

West Ham have looked shaky at the back for the beginning of the season, but they were excellent at Anfield, keeping a clean sheet against one of the best attacks in the Premier League. He managed to get an assist, which showed his attacking quality going forward. He had a great first season at Upton Park and he is back to his former self on Saturday, putting in dangerous crosses and looking solid when defending.

The Arsenal defensive midfielder was back on form as his side managed to grab a tight win against ten man Newcastle. As they were facing ten men, Coquelin could be more expressive than usual and he displayed his impressive passing range. He was also excellent at breaking up the play and prevented Newcastle from having any meaningful possession. The Frenchman has been criticised in the early stages of the season, but he showed his worth to the side on Saturday and he will be hoping that this is the beginning of another brilliant run of form.

Manchester City have started the season in great form and have emerged as early favourites to regain their crown. Fernandinho had an under par second season, but he has started this campaign in excellent form. He was calm in possession and was the perfect foil for Yaya Toure as the pair took turns to join attacks. He scored the second goal of the game with a great finish, which was his second for the season already, highlighting Manchester City’s goal threat across the pitch.

The former Marseille star showed his Champions League experience on Sunday as he played a key part in Swansea’s win over Manchester United. He managed to score his second header of the campaign and also get an excellent assist for the in form Bafetimbi Gomis. His play in the final third made him unplayable at times as he tortured a defence which had previously conceded no goals this season. In his early performances, he has showed that he could be one of the signings of the season.

There has been a lot of talk about West Ham bringing in Dimitri Payet over the summer, but the addition of Manuel Lanzini could be equally impressive. The Argentine arrived at Upton Park with little fanfare, but on his Premier League debut, he showed his quality and played a pivotal role in the club’s convincing victory over Liverpool at Anfield. He scored a good goal and assisted another, which highlighted his ability in the final third. If West Ham can manage to get him and Payet on form consistently, they will cause a lot of problems in this division, as they have already showed against Arsenal and Liverpool.

Bakary Sako has been linked with a move to the top flight for years after an impressive spell in the Football League with Wolves. He finally made the jump this summer to join the revolution at Crystal Palace under Alan Pardew, which was a brilliant move for the winger. His pace made him difficult to deal with for Chelsea, and he tested Thibaut Courtois on a few occasions. He scored the opening goal after slotting in from Yannick Bolasie’s cross. He is beginning to claim a starting position in the Crystal Palace side and he will prove to be an excellent piece of business for Alan Pardew.

The Swansea forward has stepped into Wilfried Bony’s shoes and is the in form striker in the division at the moment. He has scored nine goals in his last ten appearances, and he looks set to hit a high tally for the season with the service he is getting at the moment. He showed his finishing quality with the winning goal as he slotted past Sergio Romero in goal. It wasn’t pretty, but it was effective. His link up play makes him the perfect striker for Swansea, and he will continue to impress if he stays fit. The Frenchman could even make a shock return to the French side if he continues to put in match-winning performances.