Former Barca defender Marc Bartra and Marco Reus star in European Team of the Week

Tom Biggs 17:49 12/11/2018
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  • On the final weekend of club action heading into the international break, we saw a host of excellent individual performances.

    From Marco Reus’ excellence for Borussia Dortmund in their win against rivals Bayern Munich, to a simply sensational display from Memphis Depay in Lyon’s 4-2 victory against Guingamp, there were some terrific performances across Europe’s top five leagues.

    Here, we pick out our latest European Team of the Week. Find out who made the cut:

    GK: Ivan Provedel (Empoli)

    A huge win for Empoli against fellow strugglers Udinese, with Provedel a key reason as to why they were able to secure the points that moved them out of the bottom three in Serie A. The goalkeeper made a string of fine saves against a Udinese side that dominated throughout, keeping them out eight times in total. The goalkeeper’s distribution also helped relieve the pressure on his side, with nine accurate long balls.

    RB: Lukasz Piszczek (Dortmund)

    The first of two Borussia Dortmund men in our team of the week. Right-back Piszczek was excellent in the win against Bayern, playing a vital role both defensively and going forward. The 33-year-old enjoyed a great battle with Franck Ribery, making four tackles, three interceptions and 11 clearances for his side. At the other end, Piszczek provided the cross for Reus to grab his second goal of the game and make it 2-2.

    CB: Marc Bartra (Real Betis)

    What a result for Real Betis away to Barcelona. And while they may have conceded three in the second half, but for the excellence of Bartra and his defensive partners, it could well have been a very different story. The former Barca man was superb for his side defensively, making seven tackles, five interceptions and six clearances, as well as winning three aerial duels during the seven-goal thriller.

    CB: Adil Rami (Marseille)

    A brilliant all-round display from Marseille defender Rami, who excelled at the back, while also providing a goal and assist in the 2-0 win against Dijon. The experienced defender was unfortunate not to score twice, with Lucas Ocampos getting a slight touch on Rami’s goal-bound header, before he headed home again six minutes from time. Defensively, Rami made two tackles, five interceptions and eight clearances.

    LB: Alex Sandro (Juventus)

    Another excellent display from the full-back, who proved to be a constant outlet for Juventus in their impressive 2-0 win away at AC Milan. The Brazilian made three key passes, with his deep cross finding Mario Mandzukic perfectly for the Croatian to open the scoring. The left-back completed 93.1 per cent of his 58 passes, as well as four dribbles, while defensively he made three tackles, one interception and won one aerial duel.

    CM: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)

    Bernardo Silva was excellent for Manchester City in the derby.

    Bernardo Silva was excellent for Manchester City in the derby.

    Pep Guardiola has described Bernardo as “undroppable”, and this was another display from the Portugal international that emphasised why his manager has been lavishing him with praise. Bernardo was everywhere, and made more key passes (six) than the entire Manchester United team in his side’s derby victory, including assists for David Silva’s opener and Ilkay Gundogan’s decisive third goal late on.

    CM: Thomas Partey (Atletico Madrid)

    A terrific midfield performance from Partey, who provided the required spark for Diego Simeone’s side in their 3-2 win at home to Athletic Bilbao. Partey’s first significant role was to hammer home a stunning strike from distance to level the scores, before his cross was headed home by Rodrigo to make it 2-2, after Bilbao had gone ahead again. Partey also made three tackles, four interceptions and two clearances in the win.

    RW: Memphis Depay (Lyon)

    Two assists and two goals for Memphis Depay in their 4-2 win at Guingamp.

    Two assists and two goals for Memphis Depay in their 4-2 win at Guingamp.

    Depay certainly knows how to score a spectacular goal, and the Dutch international grabbed two in Lyon’s win away at Guingamp. With his side a goal down, Depay teed up Houssem Aouar to level before stepping up with a brace. His first was an excellent curling effort from distance, which was soon followed by a stunning free-kick that crashed in off the underside of the bar. He wasn’t finished there, grabbing another assist late on.

    CAM: Marco Reus (Dortmund)

    If Dortmund are to maintain their impressive start to the campaign, Reus staying fit will be crucial to that. He was superb in his side’s 3-2 victory against arch-rivals Bayern Munich, as Lucien Favre’s side moved seven points clear of the current champions. Reus won a penalty before converting to equalise, before levelling again 20 minutes later with a terrific first-time finish from a low ball into the box. The German caused constant problems.

    LW: Alassane Plea (Borussia Monchengladbach)

    Borussia Monchengladbach have made a terrific start to the season, sitting just four points behind leaders Dortmund. While Thorgan Hazard has been in sensational form, it was Plea who stole the show in the 3-1 victory at Werder Bremen. The forward netted an impressive hat-trick, holding off two defenders to open the scoring, before netting from a well-worked corner. He was in the right place at the right time to complete his treble from close range.

    ST: Edinson Cavani (PSG)

    Somewhat upstaged by Kylian Mbappe and Neymar at the start of the campaign, and even dropping to the bench in recent weeks, Cavani responded in fine fashion. The Uruguayan striker netted a hat-trick in the convincing 4-0 win against Monaco, proving the value of an out-and-out number nine with each strike. The former Napoli man was in the right place at the right time for all three of his goals in the easy victory.

    Our European Team of the Week

    Our European Team of the Week

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