Premier League: Best 11 Players of Week 33

League leaders Manchester City had the weekend off from Premier League duties as they played in the final of the Carabao Cup which they won. So the focus was on the race for the top four.

Leicester and Chelsea emerged as the victors for this week as West Ham and Liverpool both dropped points. Leicester look like they will secure a top four spot more than most given their point advantage over Chelsea but also because they have a game in hand over their direct rivals.

One could argue that Everton remain dark horses for a top four finish, Carlo Ancelotti’s team beat Arsenal away from home for the first time since 1996 and they have a game in hand and shouldn’t be ruled out for a challenge.

Let’s take a look at the players who made the team of the week in a formation of 4-4-2.

Goalkeeper: Illan Meslier- Leeds United 7pts

It’s not always been a great season for Illan Meslier because even though he has kept 10 clean sheets Leeds are very good at conceding goals that is why Meslier only has 16 points so far. He made some great saves though in denying Manchester United a win and that game ended 0-0.

Defender: Ben Chilwell- Chelsea 7pts

Ben Chilwell has been an outstanding defender this season for Chelsea and he was able to hold firm and keep a clean sheet as Chelsea beat West Ham 1-0 in an very important top four battle. Chilwell along with keeping a clean sheet also assisted for the goal his 5th this season.

Defender: Jonathan Evans- Leicester 9pts

Jonathan Evans kept a clean sheet as Leicester beat West Bromwich Albion and he also scored the Foxes 2nd goal in a fantastic game for the defender as his side won 3-0. That was Evans first goal of the season.

Defender: Ashley Westwood- Burnley 9pts

Ashley Westwood scored his 2nd goal of the season as Burnley thumped Wolves 4-0 away from home which should seal their safety this season. Westwood’s value is just 1.5m and he had a fantastic game.

Defender: Timothy Castagne- Leicester 7pts

Castagne kept his 7th clean sheet of the season as Leicester eased to an easy 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion. To cap off the day Castagne also assisted for the clubs first goal.

Midfielder: Jack Harrison- Leeds United 2pts

Along with the majority of midfielders there was no real star billing for any Premier League player. But Jack Harrison did well to keep a clean sheet against Manchester United who are unbeaten away from home.

Midfielder: Youri Tielemans- Leicester 2pts

Youri Tielemans is arguably the unsung hero of Leicester and he was controlling and solid in midfield as he picked up points because the Foxes kept another clean sheet as they beat West Bromwich Albion 3-0 to help their cause to qualify for next seasons Champions League.

Midfielder: Paul Pogba- Manchester United 2pts

Many midfielders picked up 2 points at the weekend but it has to be said just because Paul Pogba is not scoring goals lately or assisting as much as he would like he has really upped his game and his playing good football. Very hard to play against when he is on form, and he kept the Leeds United midfield very alert as his club drew 0-0 with them at the weekend.

Midfielder: Mohamed Salah- Liverpool 4pts

Mohamed Salah scored his 20th goal of the season for Liverpool as they drew 1-1 with Newcastle. Salah is just one goal behind Harry Kane now. Salah would have been pleased to score but wouldn’t have been pleased with the final result as Liverpool were pegged back for the second time in under a week.

Striker: Chris Wood- Burnley 16pts

Chris Wood had the weekend of his season as he earned a fantastic 16 points in one game. His side, Burnley beat Wolves away from home 4-0. Wood scored a hat-trick and then assisted for the 4th goal. He now has 10 goals so far and has 48 points in total now.

Striker: Jamie Vardy- Leicester 6pts

Jamie Vardy has been very quiet in 2021 and the Foxes striker will be hoping that his goal last week against West Bromwich Albion could kick start his season once again as Leicester try to finish in the top four. Vardy has 14 goals now.

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World Cup 2018: Northern Ireland rising under O’Neill’s Management

The rise of Northern Ireland since Michael O’Neill’s appointment in December 2011 has been remarkable. He inherited a team from his predecessor Nigel Worthington which ended the qualification campaign for Euro 2012 with four successive defeats.

As well as being beaten twice by Estonia, defeats to Italy and Serbia combined to leave Northern Ireland fifth in a six-team group. Thus, Worthington’s reign ended in disappointment, but that of Neill did not begin well either. He led his team to just a single victory from the 10 World Cup 2014 qualifying matches, as the Northern Irish once again ended a qualification campaign in fifth place.

michael oneill northern ireland

Despite the negative results, there were positives for O’Neill. Away draws against Portugal [1-1] and Israel [1-1], along with a 1-0 home victory over Russia, provided some hope and indicated there is potential for Northern Ireland’s fortunes to improve.

Although they amassed just seven points during their bid to reach World Cup 2014, Northern Ireland were given a rather decent draw for the Euro 2016 qualification campaign. Not required to face any of the strongest teams, such as France, Germany, Portugal or Spain, they took advantage of being placed in a winnable albeit competitive group.

By winning their first three qualifiers – as many as they had done in the two previous qualification campaigns – O’Neill’s side put themselves in a strong position to qualify for the finals.

After responding well to a 2-0 defeat to Romania by beating Finland 2-1 and avoiding defeat in their five remaining fixtures, Northern Ireland topped Group F to qualify automatically for Euro 2016.

The goals – seven in nine appearances – of Kyle Lafferty, were vital in helping them reach the ultimate objective of making Euro 2016. The great commitment of the players combined with the collective approach and team spirit, promoted by O’Neill, formed the foundation behind this team’s accomplishment. Each one of the attributes was again on display evidence in France during Euro 2016.

A 2-0 victory over Ukraine, courtesy of goals from Gareth McAuley and Niall McGinn, sufficed to secure a place in the last 16. Unfortunately, the end was marked in the Round of 16 following a 1-0 to Wales.

Despite the defeat, O’Neill kept faith in the squad and decided to regroup. He firmly believed the players were dedicated and competitive enough to help the Northern Irish compete for a spot in World Cup 2018.

That decision is proving to be the correct one so far. With their fine Euro 2016 journey fresh in the memory, O’Neill’s players comfortably secured second place behind Germany, in a group also featuring the Czech Republic and Norway. Most of the key players ply their trade in the English Premier League or the English Football League Championship.

Northern Ireland

A defensively solid unit, with key members such as Michael McGovern, Conor McLaughlin, West Bromwich Albion duo Jonathan Evans and Gareth McAuley, has been instrumental in Northern Ireland keeping clean sheets in all but two matches in their qualifiers – both defeats world champions Germany.  On the attacking front, the responsibility of scoring goals was shared by several players, with Chris Brunt, Steven Davis, Kyle Lafferty, Josh Magennis and Jamie Ward, all having scored more than one goal.

Under O’Neill’s guidance, Northern Ireland have developed a good habit of defending well, whilst exploiting opportunities to score from set pieces. Their transition from the team which struggled badly in the Euro 2012 and World Cup 2014 qualifying campaigns, into a team to be reckoned with has steadily evolved leading up to participating in Euro 2016.

Credit must be shared between the manager’s intelligent approach to focus on his squad’s best attributes while the players themselves have given their best on the pitch. The commitment of the players cannot be questioned. Will this be enough for Northern Ireland to overcome Switzerland and qualify for Russia 2018?

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