Best XI of Matchday 4 EPL: the focus is on the attack, but who controls the midfield?
On August 14-15, the matches of the fourth round of the English Premier League took place.
Erling Haaland once again single-handedly saved Manchester City, Liverpool suffered an unexpected defeat, Arsenal and Tottenham faced off in a London derby, Chelsea barely edged Bournemouth, and Aston Villa staged a thrilling comeback.
Dailysports presents the symbolic team of the best players from the past EPL weekend!
Formation: 3-4-3
We’ve opted for three center-backs as the full-backs didn’t impress this round.
Coach: Unai Emery
The Spanish coach led Aston Villa to a comeback win against Everton (3-2), coming back from 0-2. Emery made crucial substitutions, bringing on John Duran and Ross Barkley, who combined for Villa's third goal. After the second goal, he adjusted the formation to play with two forwards, which proved decisive. Unai clearly knew Everton could be pressured into submission!
Goalkeeper: Robert Sánchez (Chelsea)
The Spanish keeper was the true hero for Chelsea in their match against Bournemouth, notably saving a penalty late in the first half. Sánchez made 7 saves in total, playing a pivotal role in securing the hard-fought win for the Blues. His contributions far outweighed N'Kunku's goal after a pass from Sancho, despite the outfield players also being crucial to the victory.
Central Defenders: Matthijs de Ligt (Manchester United), Gabriel (Arsenal), Fabian Schär (Newcastle)
We selected center-backs who not only defended well but also made key contributions in attack.
De Ligt opened the scoring for Manchester United in their 3-0 win over Southampton. His presence also played a part in Marcus Rashford's goal, as the Saints' goalkeeper was partially blocked. The Dutchman was solid defensively, winning all 3 aerial duels and completing 92% of his passes.
Gabriel was our Player of the Day on September 15 in the EPL. The Brazilian scored the only goal in Arsenal's victory over Tottenham. He also made 2 tackles and had an 80% pass success rate. His steady performance helped Arsenal hold off Spurs’ attacks and secure the win.
Fabian Schär scored a stunning long-range goal against Wolves, sparking Newcastle's comeback. While he was partly to blame for Newcastle’s conceded goal, losing track of Lemina, Schär made up for it with his defensive efforts, winning 4 aerial duels and completing 86% of his passes. This team is all about attack!
Midfield: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Callum Hudson-Odoi (Nottingham Forest)
Bruno and De Bruyne earn their spots in this team based on reputation, with Bruno also providing an assist. Both players were solid, though not extraordinary. They were simply dependable, as expected.
Ndidi was a surprise standout, registering two assists in Leicester's win over Crystal Palace. He set up Jamie Vardy with a perfect pass after an early tackle and later unselfishly assisted Mavididi for the second goal.
Hudson-Odoi earns his place as the creator of a sensation at Anfield. Coming off the bench, he scored a beautiful goal to secure Nottingham Forest's surprise 1-0 win over Liverpool, calmly beating Robertson and finding the far corner with a long-range strike.
Left Winger: Jadon Sancho (Chelsea)
While Marcus Rashford may have deserved consideration, Sancho shined in his debut for Chelsea, delivering a crucial assist and integrating well into the game. Sancho could soon become Chelsea's key player, outperforming rivals like Pedro Neto and Mykhailo Mudryk.
Right Winger: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
The right-wing performances across teams were underwhelming, but Saka stood out for Arsenal. He worked tirelessly in defense, provided the assist for Gabriel’s goal, completed two dribbles, and registered one shot, while maintaining 82% pass accuracy.
Striker: Erling Haaland
As long as the Norwegian goal machine keeps scoring and leading Manchester City to victory, there’s no reason not to include him. Haaland now has 9 goals in 4 matches. Simply incredible.
Luis Torres
Dailysports's expert
