Tag: Winston Reid

Five-a-side TOTW: October 25th 2016

by sddsimmons, posted in Five-a-side TOTW

Picking an eleven is hard; picking just five is even harder.

Just 19 goals in the Premier League this weekend. Best viewing was at Stamford Bridge as Jose Mourinho endured a dismal Chelsea return as his Manchester United side slumped to a four-nil defeat. Chelsea’s win means that the top five teams are now separated by just one solitary point.

Goalkeeper – Tom Heaton

He didn’t keep a clean sheet, but the ex-Manchester United youth had a fine game as Burnley claimed their third win of the season. Heaton made a couple of excellent saves to keep his team in it during the early exchanges, and again when the scores were tied at one-all. If Burnley are going to stay up this season then Heaton will have to turn in many similarly high class performances.

The Stopper – Winston Reid

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has changed to a back three in recent weeks, and Reid looks to be thriving at the heart of the defence. Last week he made it into our 5TOTW due to his rock solid performance as West Ham won at Crystal Palace. This week he was once again imperious defensively, but also the match winner at the other end. However, his brilliant stoppage time turn and shot had more than a hint of fortune about it as Manuel Lanzini looked to be standing offside and within Jordan Pickford’s line of vision when the ball was struck. Nevertheless, Reid won’t care one bit, as his goal helped West Ham record back-to-back victories for the first time this season.

The Ball Winner – N’Golo Kanté

Once again the diminutive Frenchmen was absolutely sensational. He, like Reid, makes our team for the second week in a row. Last week we accused him of missing a guilt edged opportunity; this time around he would make no mistake. His goal was the final nail in the Manchester United coffin, and didn’t he just take it brilliantly? Ghosting past the Manchester United midfield, he then effortlessly turned United defender Chris Smalling inside-out before drilling a smart finish beyond the despairing David De Gea. Clearly a popular scorer, his goal was wildly celebrated by Chelsea players and fans alike.

Free Role – Xherdan Shaqiri

This man has got a penchant for spectacular goals. Whilst neither of his two goals at Hull City quite lived up to the outrageous overhead kick he scored at Euro 2016, they are both more than likely to feature on October’s goal of the month shortlist. The first was a sensational strike from the edge of the area, the second, a sumptuous free-kick, wasn’t too bad either. Stoke have made a poor start to the season, with Shaqiri looking somewhat subdued and off the pace. However, if he can find some consistent form and turn in further high quality performances, they will almost certainly continue to climb the table.

The Runner – Shinji Okazaki

Leicester’s title success was always likely to mean they would invest heavily in their squad. Okazaki has sadly been a victim of this increased expenditure, seemingly falling behind club record signing, Islam Slimani, in the pecking order. Nevertheless, the Japan international is a fine player, and the archetypal team man. He should have capitalised on an early mistake by Crystal Palace goalkeeper Steve Mandanda, however his attempted chip flew well wide of the target. His goal did eventually come just after the hour mark as he seized on Damien Delaney’s clearance to drive home from just inside the area.

Five-a-side TOTW: October 18th 2016

by sddsimmons, posted in Five-a-side TOTW

Picking an eleven is hard; picking just five is even harder.

A more defensive approach taken this week, yet there is still an awful lot of flare, pace and goals in our 5TOTW!

Goalkeeper – Maarten Stekelenburg

It is unlikely we will see a finer goalkeeping performance in the Premier League this season. Steklenburg really was absolutely sensational. He saved two penalties and made numerous other saves to keep his team in the match. How they escaped The Etihad with a point still remains a mystery. The Dutchman has recently regained his international place and based on this performance is likely to hold on to it for a considerable time.

The Stopper– Winston Reid

Reid was a key component in West Ham claiming only their second win of the season, and their first away from home. The Hammers have struggled since leaving Upton Park in the summer, with their stuttering form leaving them languishing in the lower reaches of the table. Reid, however, is a class act. When he plays well the West Ham defence looks immeasurably better.

The Ball Winner – N’Golo Kanté

In my opinion this guy is the best central midfielder in the league. He was faultless as Chelsea romped over his old employers and reigning champions, Leicester City, 3-0 at Stamford Bridge. Kanté covers so much ground that you could be forgiven for thinking that there were two of him on the pitch. Probably should have scored, but his overall display still showed why he is such a talent.

The Runner – Junior Stanislas

This was a tough shout. We wanted to include Dele Alli purely for his delightful finish against West Brom. But how can you ignore players from a team that won 6-1? Bournemouth bulldozed a desperately poor Hull City side out the way at Dean Court. At times it looked as if some of the Hull players had given up. Nevertheless, Bournemouth were superb, and Stanislas was the pick of the bunch. Two goals and an assist ensured Bournemouth claimed their biggest ever Premier League victory. A well deserved inclusion in our TOTW.

The Finisher – Charlie Austin

Charlie Austin will score you goals. There is absolutely no doubt about that. The ex-QPR forward has got 7 in 9 in all competitions this season. He initially struggled after joining Southampton midway through last season. However, after his electric start to the season he has finally managed to cement his place in the team. Southampton are unbeaten in four Premier League games, with Austin scoring in three of those. If his goal-scoring form continues he could well find his way into the England fold.