Premier League Team of the Week: Hazard, Sane and Butland included

Eden Hazard, Leroy Sane and Jack Butland are all included in the Premier League team of the week after matchday 10.

Attacking midfield talents define the Premier League’s best XI after the season’s 10th week. Versatile wingers such as Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and burgeoning Manchester City star Leroy Sane both proved decisive.

This is also a season where attack is proving the best form of defence. The statement rang loud and true as raiding full-backs led the way for both City and Arsenal.

Meanwhile, a Liverpool striker often confined to the bench made the most of a rare start.

Here’s the team of the week for matchday 10:

Goalkeeper: Jack Butland, Stoke

The more Joe Hart struggles with West Ham, the more people will call for Jack Butland to become England’s No. 1. Those calls will grow louder after Butland’s impressive showing during Stoke’s 1-0 win away to Watford.

Butland was outstanding in keeping the previously free-scoring Hornets at bay. He commanded his area with authority, always making sure to claim every cross and snuff out even the slightest hint of danger.

Butland didn’t need to make highlight-reel worthy saves. Instead, he had to prove his ability to communicate, organise and be decisive, three things the 24-year-old did brilliantly at Vicarage Road.

Defender: Ashley Young, Manchester United

Ashley Young’s late-career renaissance continued during United’s 1-0 win over Tottenham at Old Trafford. Young has emerged as United’s left-back of choice recently, a role he thrived in against Spurs.

The 32-year-old had a tough task attempting to subdue Tottenham’s attacking right-back Serge Aurier. The veteran stuck to his remit superbly, never over-committing himself in the challenges on the flanks.

Young also maintained his positional discipline and was always alert to overlaps on the right. His smart, sensible display robbed Spurs of the threat from wide areas they sought to create in the absence of star striker Harry Kane.

Defender: Sead Kolasinac, Arsenal

Despite their bounty of attacking talent, Arsenal needed a defender to bail them out at home to Swansea. It was left to Sead Kolasinac to get the Gunners back in it at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

The raiding wing-back who arrived on a free transfer in the summer scored Arsenal’s equaliser. He also set up the winning goal in a 2-1 victory.

Making himself a force in the final third has become common for Kolasinac this season, per BBC Match of the Day:

This was the kind of buccaneering form Arsenal hoped for when they snapped up the player who was the Bundesliga’s best full-back last season.

Defender: Kurt Zouma, Stoke

Butland was the calming influence for Stoke, but Kurt Zouma was the rock the Potters’ clean sheet was built on. The French centre-back, on loan from Chelsea, was chiefly responsible for stymying many of Watford’s best attacks.

Zouma bossed his aerial duels, took no prisoners in the challenge and showed off his impressive pace on the deck. Watford’s array of gifted attacking midfielders couldn’t get away from or around the fleet-footed defender.

It was also usually Zouma who put himself in place to block a shot or make a last-ditch tackle whenever the Stoke back four allowed a runner in behind or left space for a shooting chance.

Squawka Football summed up how active Zouma was during a pivotal away win for the Potters:

Form like this begs the question why would Chelsea let a 23-year-old centre-back this talented ply his trade elsewhere this season? Answers on a postcard, please.

Defender: Kyle Walker, Manchester City

Kolasinac wasn’t the only full-back who got forward at will this week. Kyle Walker also spent most of his day on the attack as the leaders beat West Brom 3-2 away.

It was Walker who teed up substitute Raheem Sterling for City’s third goal. The former Tottenham right-back had already put himself in position to shoot on the Baggies goal more than once.

City boss Pep Guardiola demands a lot from his full-backs. Not only are they required to provide width, they are also asked to move into central areas and help outnumber teams in midfield.

Walker is a stellar athlete, who is proving he is physically and mentally ideally suited to the dual demands of playing full-back in City’s fluid system.

Midfielder: Leroy Sane, Manchester City

Leroy Sane more than justified his place as City’s second representative in this team. The dynamic winger roamed freely over the final third against the Baggies.

Sane always found pockets of space thanks to his perceptive movement. His intuitive runs and deft, one- and two-touch passing routinely got Sane behind the West Brom midfield.

His goal was pure class, coming courtesy of a rasping and angled left-footed strike from an improbable angle. Sane followed the wonder strike by teeing up Fernandinho to bag City’s second.

Scoring goals and creating chances is fast becoming the norm for Sane in England’s top flight:

City have a lot of stars, familiar names such as Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne. Yet precocious 21-year-old Sane could be the ace in the deck for the title hopefuls this season.

Midfielder: Eden Hazard, Chelsea

Chelsea are just about staying in the title race and could yet be a force again if Eden Hazard accelerates his return to form. The mercurial winger who missed the start of the season recovering from an ankle problem was brilliant during the 1-0 win over Bournemouth.

Hazard netted the winning goal at the Vitality Stadium in what has become trademark fashion. In other words, the 26-year-old broke at pace and capped a mazy run with an emphatic finish.

More than just his goal, Hazard exerted his influence as the creative fulcrum for the champions. WhoScored.com showed how prolifically the No. 10 engineered scoring opportunities:

Hazard isn’t quite back to his best, but he isn’t far off. It’s good news for Chelsea, but bad news for the Blues’ title rivals.

Midfielder: Aaron Ramsey, Arsenal

Aaron Ramsey features in the best XI for the second week running after another energetic and classy performance. The Welshman earned his winning goal against the Swans.

Ramsey spent the match tirelessly running from deep to give the Gunners a man over in attacking areas. He supplemented the forward line well and contributed some clever passes and slick touches to Arsenal’s artful combination play.

When it came, Ramsey took his goal wonderfully. He applied the coolest of side-foot finishes to Kolasinac’s astute low cross, passing the ball beyond the reach of Lukasz Fabianski and into the net.

The goal gave Ramsey what has become a common landmark for Arsenal players on manager Arsene Wenger’s watch, according to OptaJoe:

Ramsey’s talents can often be overlooked, but he’s as important to the Gunners as any of the club’s major stars.

Wilfried Zaha, Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace have just four points to their credit and have Wilfried Zaha to thank for all of them. The outrageously skilful wide forward tricked and turned his way to scoring a last-gasp equaliser against West Ham.

Zaha’s well-taken goal earned Palace a point after a 2-2 draw. Two weeks earlier, Zaha scored the winner to beat Chelsea and give Palace their only victory in what’s been a miserable campaign so far.

Things don’t look like getting any easier for the Eagles. Manager Roy Hodgson still faces a daunting task keeping the Selhurst Park club up.

At least Hodgson will be able to count on Zaha as the one true match-winner in his squad.

Striker: Jamie Vardy, Leicester

Claude Puel’s first match as manager of Leicester went well, ending in a 2-0 home win over Everton on Sunday. Puel’s job was made easier by Jamie Vardy, who opened the scoring for the Foxes.

Leicester have so far stumbled through a trying season, but Vardy has not lost his knack for finding the net. The 30-year-old now has six league goals to his credit, per WhoScored.com.

Vardy’s pace is still a nightmare for defenders. But his instincts in the box have stood out more this season.

The prolific No. 9 has become quicker anticipating chances from close range. It’s making one of the Premier League’s most effective strikers even better.

Next: Liverpool ease past Huddersfield: 3 things we learned

Striker: Daniel Sturridge, Liverpool

If only Daniel Sturridge could avoid injury, he’d be one of the most prolific strikers the league has seen in the last decade. Sturridge offered proof of his scoring touch by making it a century of goals this week:

The England man sent Liverpool on their way to a 3-0 rout of Huddersfield. His pace and well-timed movement added the cutting edge up top the Reds had missed in recent weeks.

Sturridge can sometimes be too individual for the collective game Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp preaches. Yet Klopp shouldn’t give up on the striker who is the best finisher in his squad.