Tag Archives: Wilfred Ndidi

Premier League: Best 11 Players of Week 28

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There were wins for the top 3 sides as Manchester City and Leicester scored 8 goals between them, though the top 3 remained the same and City look set to be crowned the new champions.

West Ham lost and Tottenham also lost in the north London derby and that was a big blow to both sides chances of finishing in the top 4. Chelsea remain unbeaten under Thomas Tuchel. Finally just 3 points is the difference between Fulham in 18th place and Brighton in 16th.

Let’s take a look at the best performing players in the Premier League this week.

Goalkeeper: Edouard Mendy- Chelsea 7pts

Chelsea kept their unbeaten record because of one man and that was Edouard Mendy who has been superb for the Blues this season. He has kept 14 clean sheets as Chelsea drew at Leeds 0-0 and made some vital saves.

Defender: John Stones- Manchester City 9pts

John Stones is having his best season in a Manchester City shirt and he earned a whopping 9 points at the weekend as he scored a goal and kept a clean sheet. City beat Fulham 3-0 away from home and Stones now has 80 points in total and is rated as City’s best defender.

Defender: Joao Cancelo- Manchester City 7pts

It was another assured performance by Cancelo as City beat Fulham 3-0. The defender actually assisted in the opening goal to set up another defender in Stones.

Defender: Harry Maguire- Manchester United 5pts

Harry Maguire is getting better as the season goes on and he was rock solid against West Ham as he team look good to finish in 2nd place. United beat West Ham 1-0 and that was Maguire’s 12th clean sheet of the season.

Defender: Ben Chilwell- Chelsea 5pts

Ben Chilwell has been one of Chelsea’s best defenders and the club were held to a 0-0 result at Leeds. Leeds played attack and had plenty of chances and Chilwell really stood out for the Blues as they try to finish in the top 4.

Midfielder: Marc Albrighton- Leicester 4pts

Marc Albrighton has improved as the season has gone on and he now has 26 points overall. Albrighton assisted in one goal as Leicester smashed Sheffield United 5-0.

Midfielder: Wilfred Ndidi- Leicester 4pts

Wilfred Ndid had a starring role as Leicester smashed Sheffield United and ran out 5-0 winners at the weekend. Ndidi assisted in Leicester’s fourth goal and that is his 3rd of the season.

Midfielder: Martin Odegaard- Arsenal 4pts

The new signing Martin Odegaard got his goalscoring for Arsenal off to a cracking start as the player scored in the north London derby as Arsenal beat Tottenham 2-1.

Midfielder: Luka Milivojevic- Crystal Palace 6pts

Luka Milivojevic scored the only goal of the game through a penalty as Crystal Palace picked up 3 huge points by beating West Bromwich Albion 1-0. That was the midfielder’s first goal of the season.

Striker: Kelechi Iheanacho- Leicester 14pts

Iheanacho has been one of the best in form players in the Premier League and he keeps on scoring goals. At the weekend he scored a brace as Leicester beat Sheffield United 5-0 and he now has six goals so far for the season.

Striker: Chris Wood- Burnley 4pts

Chris Wood has been hit by some injuries by he scored a very important goal at the weekend as Burnley beat Everton away from home 2-1. Wood now has six goals so far for the season and a total of 24 points overall.

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Premier League Game of the Week: Leicester 1-3 Leeds United

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One could have expected Leicester to have roared on in their surprise quest for a 2nd Premier League title in 5 years, after all the Foxes have done so well this season and came into this game having won 12 of their 20 so far. But Leeds United are the team that keep on asking questions after the school bell has sounded. The team that keep pressing when you feel lethargic and the team that are here to stay in the Premier League.

Former Leeds great Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink noted a month ago that he felt his former side would be relegated this season and one has to wonder how wrong can a player turned media pundit have been? Yes you may argue that hindsight is a wonderful thing, though when he claimed this Leeds had 23 points and we were not even at the half way stage of the season- unless Leeds were about to record the mother of all collapses there was next to no chance that Marcelo Bielsa’s team were going down this season. One almost feels that Leeds heard the words of their former player and are partly playing on a level just to prove him wrong.

That was the case in keeping as Leeds surprised Leicester at King Power Stadium by coming away with a 3-1 victory. By far the man of the match was the ultra talented Patrick Bamford. He scored one and assisted in the other two.

But it would be the home side who would take the lead through the impressive Harvey Barnes his precision shot was set up by James Maddison and Leicester looked well on their way to victory. However in the 15th minute and only three minutes after the Foxes took the lead Leeds were level. A great counter attacking move was finished off sweetly by Stuart Dallas who scored his 4th goal of the season. Indeed the equaliser had many similarities to Leicester’s opener.

The half ended 1-1 at no one could complain we had seen a fast paced and equal game and the score seemed to fit the duel we were watching.

Both sides came close in the 2nd half but the third goal of the game had to wait until the 70th minute. Raphinha set the ball up but this was all Bamford’s doing and he scored a peach of a goal, perhaps the best of the weekend to put Leeds into the lead. It didn’t feel like a surprise to see Marcelo Bielsa’s side take the lead but before the game Leicester were the favourites.

Perhaps the Foxes were missing Jamie Vardy and Ndidi two huge players for the club of course and Vardy had to miss the game because of his recent hernia operation although he hopes to be back this weekend.

As time ran out so did Leicester’s ideas and they were caught on the break- Leeds are one of the best sides in the Premier League for quick counter attacking- and Jack Harrison made it 3-1 after being set up by Bamford.

It was a fantastic win for Leeds who are now in 12th place with 29 points. They are at home to Everton next in midweek. As for Leicester they are still 4th and have 39 points and have a 4 point safety cushion to 5th. But manager Brendan Rodgers will be counting down the days until Vardy returns. Leicester’s next game is against Fulham at Craven Cottage.

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Three ideals upgrades on Nemanja Matic who Manchester United could sign

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When Nemanja Matic was impressively rising onto the scene during his three years as a Benfica player, the European football experts and well-known journalists of the beautiful game were mentioning him as the perfect defensive-midfielder for one of the big clubs in Europe. In January 2014, Chelsea became seriously active in the transfer window and brought him back to Stamford Bridge and simply never looked back.

With the help of Chelsea and Jose Mourinho’s style of play, the Serbian international became one of the best defensive-midfielders in Europe, as his aggression and physical presence allows him to prevent the opposition’s counter-attacks to be taken into the final third of the pitch. Also, he provided the ideal cover in front of the centre-back partnership of Gary Cahill and John Terry.

However, since completing his move to Manchester United for a figure of £40million in the summer of 2017, he looks to be a player that is clearly past his best and cannot keep up with the intensity of the Premier League. Not only that, he is still somehow being seen as a vital individual by Mourinho himself, despite not being able to complete the much needed interceptions and tackles convincingly.

Game by game, the Old Trafford faithful are increasingly wondering if Mourinho’s favourites in Matic, Ashley Young, Chris Smalling and Romelu Lukaku get away with below-par performances without any actual criticism. Due to this, the Manchester United supporters are witnessing a style of play that seriously lacks movement on and off the ball, pace on the flanks and creativity itself.

At the age of 30, Matic is showing that he is a player that does not have the capability to add further abilities to his skillset, and it’s a surprise that he is still being utilised ahead of the likes Ander Herrera and Fred, two midfielders that have shown glimpses and small moments of what they can offer to the side. It’s a huge disappointment that he is yet to be dropped to the bench by the manager.

Here are the three individuals that Manchester United could target to replace Matic…

Marcelo Brozovic

During the summer transfer window, Manchester United were one of the few clubs that were linked with Inter Milan’s Marcelo Brozovic, someone who is effectively starting to prove himself at club and country level. The 26-year-old has become a key individual for an Inter Milan side that were on the decline for over the last five years or so, but are now looking to get back to their best as a whole.

From protecting the backline to helping the side move the ball forward into the final third of the pitch, Brozovic has impressively improved over the last couple of years, which has allowed him to achieve over 100 Serie A appearances for Inter Milan and 42 caps for the Croatia national team. Overall, he has the mindset and crucial quality to play for a big European club, including Manchester United.

Tanguy Ndombele

Lyon’s Tanguy Ndombele has arrived onto the scene of French football recently, and he is already proving to everyone that he is perfectly made for the defensive-midfield role. Making a name for himself thanks to his impeccable first touch as well as his dribbling ability, he is starting to mainly play as a box-to-box midfielder as he currently enjoys plays alongside Lucas Tousart in the centre of midfield.

With Ligue 1 growing a reputation for producing terrific individuals within the defensive-midfield department, it’s no secret that Ndombele has the perfect potential to turn into one of the best players in his position in Europe. Although he may not have the natural instincts to intercept the ball and tackle the opposition, his reading of the game and his outstanding stamina will allow him to be in the right place at the right time.

Wilfred Ndidi

Although he will be hugely overlooked as a player because he plays for Leicester City, Wilfred Ndidi is showing on a regular basis of how to be a commanding and influential defensive-midfielder in the Premier League. Compared to the rest of the defensive-midfielders in the league, the Nigerian international has superbly completed the third most interceptions (21) and third most tackles (35).

The only issue for any potential buyers is that Ndidi himself signed a six-year deal with Leicester City in the summer, which does imply that he is committed to the football club that brought him to England in January 2017. However, his ambitions and objectives could change anytime soon, especially if he wants to trophies every year and is aiming to play for one of the best teams in Europe.