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EA Team of the Week

David de Gea – Manchester United.
It was the story of the summer; will David de Gea earn his move to Real Madrid? The answer was ultimately no and how thankful Manchester United fans are that was the case. Making his second appearance of the season he cemented his reputation as the best shot stopper in the Premier League. Rated second only to Manuel Neuer in FIFA 16, the Spaniard is the kind of player that every title challenging side needs. Giving confidence to a back four that has looked shaky this season, fans will hope he sees out that new contract and a few more after that.

Russell Martin – Norwich City.
As if captaining your side to a draw at Anfield and scoring a very good equalising goal was not impressive enough, Russell Martin did it all on little sleep. The Norwich defender drove back to Norfolk Saturday night to see the birth of his son before flying into Liverpool on the morning of the game. An experienced campaigner, there were concerns at the lack of defensive reinforcements signed by Norwich in the summer. Yet with performances like this Martin is proving there was no need to worry.

Winston Reid – West Ham United.
The summer has seen a variety of changes at West Ham United. A new manager, new coaching staff, even a raft of new players have all moved to East London. On Saturday evening the back four was one of the few similarities from last season and that familiarity showed as they held on to a narrow 2-1 advantage. Reid was reportedly a target of Arsenal before he signed his new contract earlier this year and you can see why. Physically imposing and always looking to play things simply, it’s an under-rated trait and one of the reasons he has been entrusted with a central role in the side.

Kurt Zouma – Chelsea
Influential in both penalty areas on Saturday, there was certainly a degree of surprise to see John Terry dropped in favour of youngster Kurt Zouma. The rationale was fairly simple; Theo Walcott wanted to run in behind and only Zouma could keep pace with him. Marshalling the Arsenal forward well he then provided the breakthrough for Chelsea to further justify his manager’s decision. A dominating and powerful centre-back this could very much be the beginning of his career at Chelsea. Blessed with all the right skills to become a top defender, expect to see him in a number of Ultimate Teams this season.

Daryl Janmaat – Newcastle United
The Steve McClaren era of Newcastle United has not gone swimmingly. A tough opening few games with lots of new players to bed in has seen the team look disjointed in the final third. Struggling for goals, Daryl Janmaat has often been cast as the unlikely hero. The full-back found the net on Saturday against Watford and was a constant threat down the right hand side. An impressive performance, his teammates could do with matching his level if the Magpies are to stand any chance of recording their much needed first win of the season.

Matt Ritchie – Bournemouth
The Bournemouth midfielder has always had a reputation for being dangerous from distance and he proved that on Saturday afternoon. Rifling in a fantastic volley from outside the penalty box not only did it stretch Bournemouth’s lead over Sunderland but it also helped kick-start his own season. Eddie Howe admitted afterwards he had never seen Ritchie score a goal that impressive. Showing he can find the net in the top flight, with Max Gradel absent through injury Ritchie could be the goal-scoring threat from midfield the team has been crying out for.

Dimitri Payet – West Ham United
The season may only be six games old, but Dimitri Payet is quickly leading the race for the signing of the summer. The former Marseille man has had a hand in 12 goals in his last 14 league games (8 assists and 4 goals) underlining his importance to both his former and current employers. Quick footed, intelligent and able to find dangerous spaces in the final third, he could easily be the difference between West Ham having a steady season in mid-table and qualifying for the Europa League. Either way, West Ham fans are enjoying watching him line-up in claret and blue and rightly so.

Son Heung-Min – Tottenham Hotspur
Speaking after his match winning goal on Sunday, Son Heung-Min said he hopes every week at Spurs will be like the one just gone and you can see why. Three goals in two games has Spurs fans excited about the potential of their new signing. More importantly he offers them an ability to change the pace in attack and is eager to commit men by taking them on. Relieving some of the pressure from Harry Kane, it’s difficult to see a downside to his arrival, with the Son definitely shining at White Hart Lane.

Anthony Martial – Manchester United
There were some questions raised last week when I included Anthony Martial. This week there is no doubt that he deserves a place in the XI. Offering speed and tricks, he gave Southampton’s defence the run around. However his cool head and composure are by far his most impressive traits. It would have been very easy to fluff his second goal but he calmly rolled it beyond the goalkeeper to earn his third goal in two games. The last Man United player to record such a bright start was compatriot Louis Saha. Admittedly it’s still early into his Old Trafford career, but you can see why many will be clamouring to have him in their Ultimate Team, whatever the price.

Graziano Pelle – Southampton
The Italian striker was a post away from completing a hat-trick on Sunday afternoon. A physically imposing target man, he’s the perfect link player to bing together Southampton’s attack. What he may lack in mobility he makes up for in other ways and neither Daley Blind nor Chris Smalling looked comfortable against him in the air. In fairness to the duo, few defenders will fancy an aerial duel with the Italian this season but as he showed with his first goal he is more than just a good header. A poacher in the box, if Southampton do repeat their success of last season it will once again be down to Pelle’s goal-scoring form.

Odion Ighalo – Watford
It’s noticeable that during a busy summer of business for Watford their forward options were hardly supplemented. Netting Vitor Ibarbo, Quique Sanchez Flores has trusted last season’s duo of Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo to fire them to safety. On Saturday they did just that as Ighalo twice exploited Newcastle’s shaky defence. Currently the Hornets top scorer, he spurned interest from China to remain in the Premier League and that looks a wise decision. Clearly he and Deeney have a good understanding and if they can build on that, Watford should be safe this season.