2023-12-04 10:59:00
Bakayoko was once more decisive.
Holder in the clash at the top on the lawn of Feyenoord, second in the Eredivisie, the Red Devil was one of the first to stand out by entering the game before unleashing a shot which went over (22nd ). Rather discreet followingwards, he still delivered a magnificent assist by placing the ball on the head of Saibari (65th), increasing his total of assists to thirteen this season. In the process, he might have given another assist on a similar action but Luuk de Jong’s return was well deflected by the opposing goalkeeper (67th). If he succeeded, Bakayoko only attempted two dribbles during the entire match and was at the origin of the loss of ball leading to the reduction of the score, fortunately without consequences in the end.
Johan Bakayoko new king of assists: already close to the passing times of Kevin De Bruyne’s best season
Jérémy Doku (Manchester City): 7/10
It’s THE big game of the weekend. Replaced in the 52nd minute by Jack Grealish, Jérémy Doku held the back of his right thigh as he explained to Pep Guardiola the illness that was gnawing at him. Let’s hope that this alert does not lead to too long unavailability and, above all, that it does not send the Devils winger back into a negative spiral which makes him visit the infirmary too regularly, as was the case in Rennes.
In the first half, Doku shook the corner of the Spurs goal with a nice strike which would have deserved a better fate. Confusing, as usual, the Devil seemed determined to atone for his mistake made on the opening goal. Too tender in defensive reconversion, he had let Son score on the counter-attack in the 6th minute but he was then in a position of last defender to which he is not really accustomed. We felt the ex-Anderlecht player was capable of turning the match around (he was replaced at 2-1, final score 3-3) when he was injured. Frustrating.
Wout Faes (Leicester City) : 7/10
Starting in the Foxes defense when he was uncertain, the former Ostend player delivered a very sober and solid performance once morest WBA. Very interesting in duels (75% won), he was also good at restarting, particularly in long balls, of which he succeeded for the vast majority (80%). While he made eight recoveries, he also lost the ball seven times, more than in his last outings.
Loïs Openda (Leipzig) : 7/10
Openda scored his second penalty of the season.
Although he perfectly converted his penalty into the side net, the striker had numerous opportunities to further increase his number of goals scored in the Bundesliga. If some of his nine shots were difficult to achieve due to the lack of angle, others might have been better exploited. The best example is when he found himself alone once morest the goalkeeper at the end of the match but sent the ball directly at him (88th). Previously, he had also hit the post (78th) or poorly exploited a good shooting angle (24th). Although he may be a little frustrated following his performance, Openda will remember that he has already scored 14 goals since his arrival at Leipzig.
Dodi Lukebakio (Seville): 7/10
He played the entire match on the left wing but it was not enough to beat Villarreal. The Devil, however, tried everything, with five successful dribbles out of eight and several accelerations of which he has the secret. Forgotten by his partners in the 67th while he was in an ideal position, he had previously missed the target following being surprised to be served (50th). In the first half, he served Acuna well on a cross to the far post but the Argentinian’s header was inaccurate. In summary: a fairly consistent match from the Red Devil but it lacked a bit of success to be decisive.
Yannick Carrasco (Al-Shabab) : 6,5/10
Obviously holders, the Red Devil scored their sixth goal since their transfer to Saudi Arabia thanks to a panenka from the penalty spot which returned following hitting the crossbar. At the end of the match, Carrasco took two free kicks to try to equalize, without success, the first not being on target and the second having ended directly in the wall. With “only” 44% success on his dribbles, the Red Devil lacked cutting edge.
Orel Mangala (Nottingham Forest) : 6.5/10
For the fourth consecutive time on the pitch throughout the match, the midfielder delivered a remarkable performance in the figures with 97% of successful passes, 83% of successful dribbles and 60% of duels won. Add to that his 17 recoveries, his highest total since he was in the Premier League, and you get, on paper, a very good performance. However, he never really knew how to allow Forest to gain the upper hand over their opponent. Frustrating.
Leandro Trossard (Arsenal) : 6,5/10
Trossard lacked realism. ©AFP or licensors
After sliding to the bench in the Champions League, the Gunner found a starting place in a more backward and more central position, as in the previous championship match. As once morest Brentford, Trossard played the entire match. If he justified his almost surprise start in place of Kai Havertz, he might have sheltered his team in the first half with a very good foray but was unable to finish at the end. Ten minutes from time, he also found himself in an ideal position but was unable to score, hampered by his direct opponent. With the opportunities he had, he probably might have done better. Mikel Arteta was still very satisfied with him. “He is so smart. His work rate is through the roof, you see how he runs following people. In small spaces he is great and he has this talent to help us find openings and gaps. I’m really happy with him.”
Aster Vranckx (Wolfsburg): 6.5/10
Here he is now installed in the Wolves midfield. The median has in fact just completed a fourth consecutive tenure, each time without ever leaving his partners. A true metronome in front of the defense, he completed a large majority of his passes (86%) and won 60% of his duels. Like the previous week, he made 12 recoveries. On the other hand, he lost the ball nine times, his highest total since January 2021 in a match.
Matz Sels (Strasbourg) : 6/10
Best player on his team, the goalkeeper was unable to prevent his team’s defeat. On the first goal, the Red Devil had absolutely nothing to do. On the second, he finds himself alone facing Daramy who intelligently erases him. In the first half, his only save was a nice foot intervention on a shot from Ito. After the break, Reims’ only chance on target was perfectly saved by Sels who still has 100% playing time this season.
Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa) : 6/10
Starting in place of Boubacar Kamara, suspended, the ex-Anderlechtois did not really make a spark. Tielemans tried to regulate the rhythm of his team but was too messy at times, only completing 76% of his passes and losing too many balls. Which he compensated for with several recoveries and a certain combativeness in the duels. But that may not be enough to push the Frenchman to the sidelines. Especially since the Villans had all the difficulty in the world to snatch a draw once morest a team fighting for its survival…
Why Youri Tielemans arrived 15 years too late but has enough talent to make a difference
Romelu Lukaku (AS Roma) : 6/10
Associated with Dybala, who scored the equalizing goal in the 76th before offering the winning goal to Kristensen six minutes later, Lukaku was not decisive this Sunday. It might have been in the first half with a good shift for the Argentinian but it was blocked by Rui Patricio. He then wasted a big opportunity in the 54th minute, missing his first-line shot from the right as he faced the Portuguese goalkeeper.
Overall well hampered by the Sassuolo defenders, the Red Devil will be satisfied with the three points and will wait for the reception of Fiorentina this Sunday to try to add to their goal counter which has been blocked in the league for three matches. His longest drought with Roma.
Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg) : 5.5/10
Armband on his arm, the Wolves captain didn’t really have a great weekend. Without a clean sheet since September 30, Casteels was not really close to achieving this on Saturday. On Bochum’s first goal, the sea of players in front of him and the power of the shot made a save difficult. The second was a perfectly placed header while the last was a one on one with him. If we cannot speak of an error, the goalkeeper did not know how to prevent the opposing goals. Overall, he only made one real impactful save on a long shot, the others having arrived directly at him.
Alexis Saelemaekers (Bologne) : 5,5/10
Starting on the left wing for the sixth consecutive time, the player loaned by AC Milan to Bologna this time came off in the 58th minute. In question: an insipid offensive performance during which he was satisfied with a good ball towards Van Hooijdonk and two missed dribbles in an hour spent on the meadow. Not enough in the eyes of Thiago Motta, who might consider sending him to the bench by the end of the year.
They didn’t play much
After five starts in a row, Olivier Deman (Werder Bremen) slipped to the bench this weekend. He entered the game for the last twenty minutes, without weighing on the match. Absent nine full matches in a row, Timothy Castagne (Fulham) suffered the same fate by only playing a quarter of an hour. The good news of the week will remain the return to the Bundesliga fields of Thomas Meunier (Dortmund), who entered the game for the last minutes on the Leverkusen pitch even though he had not played at this level since March 18. Holder in Marseille, Arthur Théate (Rennes) had to give up his place in the 40th minute. Affected in the calf, the central defender will undergo examinations at the start of the week to find out the duration of his unavailability.
They didn’t play
Exceptionally, Michy Batshuayi’s Fenerbahçe plays this Monday evening. For the fourth time in a row, Ameen Al-Dakhil (Burnley) was not in the group selected by Vincent Kompany.
They are injured
Still injured, Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) and Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) will not play once more in 2023. With abdominal injuries, Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta) will not be in the group this Monday and might miss several weeks of competition. With calf discomfort, Amadou Onana (Everton) has not yet made his return to the Toffees squad.
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