Here's our latest Team of the Week of the 2023/24 campaign.
Goalkeeper
Finn Dahmen (Augsburg) 9.5
Augsburg recorded a precious 1-1 draw away at Bundesliga’s basement boys FC Koln on the weekend. That was largely thanks to goalkeeper Finn Dahmen who made an immense 11 saves in a pulsating match that saw the hosts pepper his goal with 12 shots on target out of a total of 28 attempts!
At the foot of the table, Koln were desperate for all three points and recorded an xG of 2.62 but Dahman rendered that irrelevant.
Defence
Adrien Tameze (Torino) 8.8
Sometime-midfielder Adrien Tameze played on the right side of a back three for Serie A side Torino on Monday night against Sassuolo. He didn’t just get the win, he assisted both of his side's goals as they triumphed 2-1.
First, he broke down the right playing a perfect cross for Antonio Sanabria’s opener and then, in the second half, he intercepted the ball and laid it off for Nikola Vlasic to score the winner.
Andre Ramalho (PSV) 8.8
PSV just can’t stop winning in the Dutch Eredivisie and they made it 11 wins from 11 at the weekend with a thumping 6-0 rout of 10-man Heracles, ensuring they remain the only team in Europe's top 10 leagues with a perfect record.
It was the perfect opportunity for PSV’s players to rack up some good ratings and they took the chance with three making our Team of the Week
In the back four, we’ve included Brazilian centre-back Andre Ramalho, who scored his side’s fourth goal and helped maintain the clean sheet.
Bartlomiej Wdowik (Jagiellonia) 9
There were two outstanding left-backs in lesser-followed European leagues this past week and so we’ve included both of them in this XI. First, from Poland, Jagiellonia’s Bartlomiej Wdowik notched an impressive 9/10 rating thanks to scoring twice on Friday as his side beat Stal Mielec 4-0.
He slotted a penalty in the first half before grabbing the fourth near the end of the match. Jagiellonia are one point off Ekstraklasa leaders Slask Wroclaw.
Yhoan Andzouana (Dunajska Streda) 9.6
9.6 from full-back! It was impossible to miss. Republic of the Congo international Yhoan Andzouana helped Slovak side Dunajska Streda to a 3-0 away win over Kosice with two goals on Friday.
Dunajska Streda aren’t having the best campaign in the Nike Liga but wins like this will keep them in the hunt for qualification to the Championship round, which contains just the top six sides in a second league stage.
Midfield
Joey Veerman (PSV) 9.2
Our second PSV player of three in this team, Joey Veerman gave the type of faultless performance you expect from your midfield pivot in the win over Heracles.
He made nine key passes, created three clear-cut chances and chipped in with an assist, too - a delicious cross for Malik Tillman to finish off. If he continues to perform like this, expect to see him at Euro 2024 next summer.
Bernardo Silva (Man City) 8.6
With Tottenham’s Monday night loss, Manchester City are now top of the Premier League and are starting to pick up that unstoppable momentum. They smashed Bournemouth 6-1 on Saturday and the key to so much of what they did was Bernardo Silva, who scored two of the goals.
The diminutive Portuguese star played a little further forward than we have him in this formation but the guy can play anywhere, don't worry about that.
Guus Til (PSV) 8.8
Completing the trio of PSV players is attacking midfielder Guus Til who scored his side’s fifth on the weekend. The Dutchman now has five in the league with two assists to boot.
It’s an eye-catching tally in what is fast turning into a memorable season for PSV. Til began the season as one of their backup players but is beginning to stake a claim for a permanent spot in the starting XI. Interestingly, he was born in Zambia.
Forwards
Gerard Moreno (Villarreal) 9.2
Villarreal are not having their best start to the LaLiga season and their match with visitors Athletic Bilbao didn’t go to plan at the weekend either. They were 3-0 down at half-time.
The Yellow Submarine mounted a late comeback to make it 3-2 but couldn’t find an equaliser. The ever-reliable Gerard Moreno was brilliant in the loss, though, with one of the goals and an assist for the hosts.
An honourable mention goes out to the Sporting’s Marcus Edwards who also scored and assisted and recorded a rating of 9.2.
Jeremy Doku (Man City) 10
Our first of two perfect 10s in the attack this week, Jeremy Doku was at his electric best for Manchester City at the weekend.
When he was signed from Rennes in the summer, many thought he would be just a squad player for City but he’s proving he belongs in the first team. He scored a brilliant opener against Bournemouth before notching FOUR ASSISTS!
Simon Banza (Braga) 10
At centre forward is our second perfect 10 rating. I bet you were expecting to see Harry Kane here again, right? Well, Kane was brilliant for Bayern again but Braga’s Simon Banza was better, also scoring a hat-trick as his side smashed Portimonense 6-1 on Saturday.
Banza has 10 goals from 10 matches this season already as Braga continue to put pressure on Portugal’s ‘Big Three’ in the league.