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EA Team of the Week

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Heurelho Gomes — Watford
Saturday’s clash between the Hornets and Bournemouth was the perfect example of how rewarding and distressing life as a goalkeeper can be. Artur Boruc was the villain of the piece as he gifted Watford an equaliser with a shoddy pass out, while Gomes made a handful of fantastic saves including a stop from the penalty spot. A player that left Tottenham Hotspur with an iffy reputation, Gomes is starting to show why he was once considered such a top goalkeeper with PSV Eindhoven.

Geoffrey Schlupp — Leicester City
The Ghanian is a versatile player that has found a home at left-back with the Foxes. Sending enough warnings to Norwich City in the first half it seemed just a matter of time before he found the net and he did. Lightning quick, he was once handed a trial at Manchester United and although they did not choose to sign him it points to his quality. If you need a cheap and athletic full-back for your Ultimate Team Schlupp could be just the man for you.

Gabriel Paulista — Arsenal
After his dismissal against Chelsea, the Brazilian may have thought he owed Gunners fans a performance. That came on Sunday afternoon as he stopped Anthony Martial from increasing his goal tally for the season. While some say he lost his head against Chelsea and Diego Costa, he showed supreme composure here. Commanding at the back, his potential to grow into a top quality centre-back is just one of the many things Arsenal fans can celebrate from the weekend.

Ramiro Funes Mori — Everton
As a former River Plate man, Ramiro Funes Mori has experience of a passionate cross-city rivalry from the games against Boca Juniors. He actually found the net in one and we profiled him las month (you can read it here). Regardless, to come into a Merseyside derby and perform so well is admirable. A performance typified by his long stretching interception that stopped Daniel Sturridge from scampering away, Funes Mori is actually the lowest rated Argentine centre-back playing in the Premier League with 75 overall. If these performances keep up though he could easily rise up that table and sit next to the 84 rated Nicolás Otamendi.

Virgil Van Djik — Southampton
The giant Dutch defender is proving a hit on the south coast already. Signing players from Celtic can be seen as a risky business. The Scottish Premier League is hard to gauge in terms of level but for Saints, Van Djik and Victor Wanyama have been great business. Strong as an ox and eager to play with the ball at his feet, Van Djik should have had a penalty on Saturday after Branislav Ivanovic tried to swap shirts before full-time. If he can keep this up expect to see him named in the Dutch squad soon enough.

Christian Eriksen — Tottenham Hotspur
The former Ajax man provided a dose of Danish Dynamite on Sunday as Spurs managed to leave the Liberty Stadium with a point. Producing two delightful free-kicks, Eriksen might be worthy of your Ultimate Team just for that ability alone. A delicate technician that strokes the ball calmly and effortlessly he has really grown into his own while at White Hart Lane. Much more than just a set-piece wizard this could be a big season for both him and Spurs as they chase Champions League football. Although Harry Kane seems to be struggling the Dane does not and that could be important this season. One of the few Franco Baldini signings to pan out, he could be the difference between fourth and fifth this season for Tottenham.

Kevin de Bruyne — Manchester City
The Belgian midfielder was placed in the shadows on Saturday by teammate Sergio Aguero but his two assists and delightful looping finish continued his bright start to life in England. His second spell in the Premier League, Jose Mourinho’s claims of a weak mentality while at Chelsea now seem unfounded as he continues to find the net and teammates for City. Justification for his massive transfer fee, the Belgian will likely cost you a lot of coins this season. However in dropping such a big amount you are getting proven quality, as his performances in the league are showing.

Sadio Mane — Southampton
When Saints nabbed Mane from Red Bull Salzburg the club’s Sporting Director had said he was worth double what the £10million they had paid and he was right. The talented forward has taken to the Premier League effortlessly and it’s easy to see why Manchester United were linked with him in the summer during their rebuild. Much more than raw blistering pace, Mane knows how to use that speed to unsettle defenders and not one of the Chelsea back four looked comfortable against him on Saturday evening. Round it off with a cheeky spin on John Terry for his goal, if you need someone to stretch an opponent Mane is your man.

Alexis Sanchez — Arsenal
Even disgruntled Manchester United fans will have enjoyed Arsenal’s third on Sunday. A rising drive, it flew into the net like it was attached to wires. The Chilean has had a slow start to this campaign after a punishing 12 months that saw him balance a Premier League season with international commitments. Finding form now however, he’s not only a match-winner but a difference maker for the Gunners. If Arsene Wenger can procure a few more like him in the next few transfer windows we could easily see the Gunners not just challenging but winning a Premier League title.

Sergio Aguero — Manchester City
Spare a thought for any Newcastle fan that lost phone signal between 3:45pm and 4:15pm on Saturday. The Magpies went from bossing the game at the Etihad and leading to being hammered. The architect of that downfall was Sergio Aguero who amazingly was described as unfit by Manuel Pellegrini. A five goal hall in just over 20 minutes, he joins an elite group that have netted five in a single Premier League game. The talented Argentine has so often been the difference between success and failure for City and if he can keep this form up City will collect their second Premier League title.

Marko Arnautovic — Stoke City
The Austrian has often been described as ‘mercurial’ throughout his career. Able to cause delight and despair with equal ease, his attitude off the field has often been the root of his problems. In need of stability for the sake of his career he seems to have gained that under Mark Hughes. There was a vibe of concern surrounding Stoke a few weeks back as they remained winless. Now with back to back victories those performances are being rewarded and on Saturday Arnautovic was the difference maker. He now must maintain that form if he is to deliver on the promise that once saw him loaned to Inter Milan earlier in his career.