Premier League Team of the Weekend: Matchweek 1 | OneFootball

There was a bit of post-summer rustiness in the Premier League this weekend, but there were some very good individual performances too.

So in time honoured fashion, here’s our best XI of the weekend just gone …

GK – Kepa Arrizabalaga – Chelsea

If Chelsea’s new stopper is feeling the pressure of being the world’s most expensive goalkeeper, it didn’t show at Huddersfield on Saturday. The Spaniard was composed throughout and made some decent saves when called upon. There will be plenty more Premier League clean sheets where that came from.

RB – Aaron Wan-Bissaka – Crystal Palace

The 20-year-old impressed when he played towards the back end of last season, but his performance at Fulham on Saturday was his proper introduction to the wider public. Keeping Ryan Sessegnon quiet for 90 minutes is no mean feat, but Wan-Bissaka dealt with him comfortably, and his brilliant burst of pace and nice footwork made his side’s second goal at Craven Cottage.

CB – John Stones – Manchester City

Stones struggled for form and fitness towards the end of last season but after his impressive displays at the World Cup for England, the 24-year-old looks set to hit the ground running this season. In Manchester City’s win at Arsenal, he was fearlessly imperious in bringing out the ball from the back and won some crucial interceptions. His clone alongside him wasn’t bad either …

CB – Aymeric Laporte – Manchester City

The Frenchman was born just one day before Stones and he’s basically a left-footed version of his English counterpart. Laporte didn’t get too many chances to make an impression last season after joining City in January, but the early signs suggest he and Stones could be City’s first choice defensive partnership this term. If you thought the champions’ build-up play from the back was good last season, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

LB – Luke Shaw – Manchester United

It’s been a tough few years for Shaw. Since moving to Old Trafford in 2014, a combination of serious injuries and his subsequent fitness struggles has restricted him to just 67 appearances for the club. But in the season’s curtain raiser against Leicester, he scored his first ever goal in professional football, and generally impressed throughout. With some careful man-management, the 23-year-old still has every chance of fulfilling that promise he showed back in his Southampton days.

CM – Jorginho – Chelsea

New signings from foreign leagues are supposed to need time to bed into the Premier League, but Jorginho already looks like a seasoned veteran of English football. The Italian international worked beautifully alongside N’Golo Kanté in Chelsea’s midfield at Huddersfield, and he was the coolest man in West Yorkshire when he dispatched his first half penalty. Pep Guardiola must break out in a cold sweat when he thinks about how close he came to signing this guy.

CM – Naby Keïta – Liverpool

Wow. We were told to expect something special from Keïta, and those of us who watched him during his days at RB Leipzig shouldn’t have been surprised by what we saw at Anfield at Sunday, yet somehow we were. The Guinean is one of the most complete central midfielders you’re ever likely to find, and he seemed to be everywhere at once in Liverpool’s win over West Ham. It’s early days, but we’ll be very surprised if this guy isn’t in the conversation for the Player of the Year awards come the end of the season.

RM – Raheem Sterling – Manchester City

After a summer in which he was harshly criticised by many for his performances at the World Cup, Sterling got straight back to doing what he does best on Sunday – scoring goals for Manchester City. The England winger revealed after the win at Arsenal that he cut his holiday short in order to be ready for the start of the season, and his 50th Premier League goal was a nice reward for that sacrifice.

LM – Richarlison – Everton

Everton’s decision to spend £55m on Richarlison raised a lot of eyebrows this summer, but the Brazilian has already begun to repay a significant chunk of that outlay. It’s easy to forget just how good the 21-year-old looked in the first half of last season at Watford and it seems new Toffees boss Marco Silva really knows how to get the best out of him. His second goal against Wolves was particularly well taken, and we’re looking forward to seeing what else he has to offer in the coming weeks.

FW – Wilfried Zaha – Crystal Palace

Keeping hold of this guy was Palace’s biggest triumph of the transfer window and he showed his class again this weekend with a superbly taken goal in the win at Fulham. After the way he played last season, Zaha could quite easily have stamped his feet and demanded a move to a bigger club this summer, and there would have been no shortage of suitors. But it seems he loves and believes in the Eagles as much as they love and believe in him, and Roy Hodgson’s side might just have a season to remember ahead of them.

FW – Sadio Mané – Liverpool

Everybody knows what a good player Mané is, but there’s a sense he still isn’t rated quite as highly as he should be. Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino drew most of the plaudits for Liverpool last season, while Mané just quietly went about his business and on Sunday, he picked up where he left off with two goals in Liverpool’s win over West Ham. Okay, one of them was a yard offside, but it was still nicely put away. If you’re looking for an understated addition to your Fantasy Football team before next week, Mané is your man.