Premier League Team of the Week: Kane, De Bruyne and Salah feature

Harry Kane, Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah feature in the Premier League best XI for matchweek 38.

Kevin De Bruyne helped champions Manchester City reach a record 100 points on the final day of the Premier League season. It was also a day when Mohamed Salah won the Golden Boot after helping Liverpool secure qualification for next season’s Champions League.

Salah finished as the division’s highest scorer, but Harry Kane did his best to keep up. Kane scored twice as Tottenham beat Leicester 5-4 at Wembley Stadium.

The Foxes were on the losing end, but saw Jamie Vardy end the season in prolific form. Like Kane, he bagged a brace of his own.

Find out who else makes the final team of the week of the 2017/18 season:

Goalkeeper: David Ospina, Arsenal

It’s ironic a strong defensive showing ensured Arsene Wenger’s last game as manager of Arsenal ended with a win. Wenger, who has stepped down after close to 22 years in charge, saw the Gunners beat Huddersfield 1-0 away.

The win gave Wenger’s men their first away points of 2018. Those points owed a lot to the stellar performance of goalkeeper David Ospina.

Usually deputy to the disappointing Petr Cech in the league, Ospina made the most of his start. The Colombia international produced outstanding saves in each half to deny Steve Mounie and Tom Ince.

Ospina also played through the pain barrier after taking a knock early on. He remained determined when challenging for crosses and agile on the deck.

Signed for around £3 million in 2014, Ospina has been one of the better bargains during Wenger’s final years in charge. He was outstanding in last season’s FA Cup final win over Chelsea and made sure Wenger ended his Arsenal story on the right note.

Defender: Patrick van Aanholt, Crystal Palace

Patrick van Aanholt has long been one of the more underrated players in England’s top flight. He was often a rare bright spark for struggling Sunderland and has steadily become one of the best performers for Palace.

The Dutchman was exceptional during the 2-0 win over relegated West Brom. Van Aanholt ran the Baggies ragged out wide.

His pace and technique regularly got him in behind the last line of West Brom’s defense. Van Aanholt’s technical quality led to several teasing crosses, as well as a tidy finish for the Eagles’ second goal.

He had already teed up Wilfried Zaha to score the Palace opener after another typically raiding run. This level of performance is typical for one of the league’s most consistent and overlooked left-backs.

Defender: Rob Holding, Arsenal

It’s not been often an Arsenal center-back has merited praise this season. However, young Rob Holding acquitted himself well at the John Smith’s Stadium.

The 22-year-old was aggressive in dealing with Huddersfield target man Steve Mounie. He also held his position well alongside the erratic Shkodran Mustafi.

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Holding still struggles in possession, although those issues owe a lot to a lack of confidence. Even so, the core attributes of a sturdy and proactive defender are there.

Wenger took a big chance when he plucked Holding from Bolton Wanderers for just £2 million in 2016, after the Trotters had been relegated to League One. However, like Ospina, Holding was a hero of the 2017 FA Cup triumph and did his bit to help his manager sign off in style.

Defender: Florian Lejeune, Newcastle

Newcastle’s 3-0 thumping of Chelsea not only gave the Magpies a top-10 finish. It also denied the Blues a place in the Champions League next season.

Boss Rafa Benitez has guided Newcastle to 10th on the basis of a strong defense. The resourceful unit is led brilliantly by Florian Lejeune.

Former Eibar center-back Lejeune was a brick wall Chelsea couldn’t break down. The visitors to St James’ Park tried everything from the trickery of Eden Hazard to the brute force of Olivier Giroud.

Yet Lejeune steadfastly refused to budge. He won his share of aerial duels against Giroud and never let himself be fooled by Hazard’s quick feet.

He’s not mentioned often in conversations regarding the best signing of the season, but there’s no doubt Frenchman Lejeune has been a revelation for Benitez.

Midfielder: Riyad Mahrez, Leicester

Leicester were beaten at Wembley Stadium, but Riayd Mahrez still wowed the crowds. The mercurial Algeria international was at his artful best as he tormented the Spurs’ midfield and defense.

Mahrez roamed all over the pitch to manufacture chances and pose a scoring threat. He was on the scoresheet in the 16th minute after smashing a trademark left-footed drive beyond Hugo Lloris.

Leicester’s No. 10 had already showed off his eye for a pass by dropping a free-kick onto the head of Vardy for the visitors’ first goal. Those contributions gave Mahrez a rare but worthy double, per Squawka Football:

https://twitter.com/Squawka/status/995688787199102977

While Mahrez is always deadly from crossing positions, his pass for Vardy’s second further underlined his quality as a provider. It came when Mahrez had drifted into a central area before waiting for the ideal time to slide a perfectly weighted pass between two defenders.

Vardy finished emphatically to maintain the prolific connection with his world-class teammate, a link up detailed by WhoScored.com:

Mahrez is a player Leicester will struggle to keep this summer, but one any top-six club would be lucky to have.

Midfielder: Manuel Lanzini, West Ham

It should surprise nobody West Ham are a better side whenever Manuel Lanzini is fit enough to start. The pint-sized Argentinian playmaker’s vision and technique adds a flourish to the Hammers in the final third.

Those qualities were obvious from first whistle against Everton. Lanzini consistently found and exploited pockets of space in between the Toffees’ midfield and back four.

No Everton midfielder was able to stay with Lanzini for long because of the 25-year-old’s subtle movement. Those intelligent runs off the ball created space for others, most notable when Marko Arnautovic scored the home side’s second on 63 minutes.

His touch was also deft, as Lanzini routinely threaded passes to split gaps and send forward runners clear. Yet he saved his best for in front of goal, finishing with coolness and efficiency to net a brace and see West Ham to an impressive win on the final day.

Lanzini is a player the Hammers should build around, provided a bigger club doesn’t finally get wise and snap him up.

Midfielder: Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City

A 16th assist of the league campaign was the appropriate exclamation point on a fantastic season for De Bruyne. The Belgium international with the keenest eye for a through pass has become the fulcrum of the most gifted squad in the division.

Assuming a role in a team also featuring David Silva, Fernandinho, Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan is no small feat. What sets the latter apart from his fellow schemers is a relentless desire to provide an assist.

De Bruyne simply never stops trying to split a defense wide open. His patience and willingness to keep trying was best illustrated in the 1-0 win over Southampton.

It took De Bruyne until the fourth minute of injury time to finally make one of his passes count. His delicately lifted ball over the top sent Gabriel Jesus clear to score the goal which broke several records for the newly crowned champions.

Most of those stellar achievements have been borne from De Bruyne’s appetite for excellence.

Midfielder: Mohamed Salah, Liverpool

Another game, another goal for Salah. Liverpool’s talisman sent the Reds on their way to a second-straight top-four finish by opening the scoring against Brighton at Anfield.

The goal meant Salah’s stunning season in the Premier League has now become a record-breaking one, according to Copa90:

https://twitter.com/COPA90/status/995672184600387584

Salah has outshone many of the great goal-getters in the division’s history. But he’s also been a useful provider.

It was Salah who assisted Dominic Solanke to score Liverpool’s third in a 4-0 win. The pass made even more history for the 25-year-old, per OptaJoe:

As long as Salah stays at Anfield, Liverpool will have a player good enough to inspire the club to a first league title since 1990.

Striker: Jamie Vardy, Leicester

Kane will be expected to lead the line for England at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia this summer. However, the Three Lions shouldn’t forget about Vardy’s ability as a match-winner at the highest level.

Leicester’s brilliant No. 9 scored two fine goals against Spurs, both showcasing the complete nature of his game. The first was a near-post header flicked into the top corner.

Vardy has a habit of getting his head to the ball in set-piece situations, despite not being commanding in the air. His success rate comes from his unerring timing and anticipation.

Vardy’s next goal against Tottenham was typical of a striker whose pace can still stretch any defense. The 31-year-old held his run brilliantly before angling his movement and stepping on the accelerator to sprint clear and reach Mahrez’s astute pass.

A haul of 20 goals in the league proves Vardy is still a marksman to be feared.

Striker: Harry Kane, Tottenham

Kane couldn’t win the golden boot for a remarkable third season in a row. But the free-scoring No. 10 is still a striker every other team in the top six would love to have.

His finishing touch has deserted him somewhat in the season’s final months amid fitness concerns. However, Kane made it three goals in two matches after netting a brace against the Foxes.

Both goals were sweetly taken by a natural finisher who gets more assured every season. Sky Sport Statto charted Kane’s rapid progress in front of goal:

Just as important as the numbers, Kane regained his form when it mattered most to help Spurs reach the Champions League for the third year running. His winner against Newcastle and key goals against Leicester sent Tottenham above Liverpool and into third spot.

Spurs haven’t finished lower than third since 2015. It’s no coincidence Kane has been in peak form during the same time.

Striker: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Arsenal

Looking ahead to next season, an obvious rival to Salah and Kane’s dominance of the scoring charts is emerging. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored for the third match in a row on Sunday, netting the winner in Wenger’s final game.

The finish was simple, yet typical of the quality of Aubameyang’s game. His instincts in the box are incredible as he always seems to find just enough space to get the decisive touch.

Being decisive from close range comes naturally to Aubameyang. There’s no wasted motion about the way he does what it takes to put the ball in the back of the net.

Aubameyang has already set a club record thanks to his latest goal:

https://twitter.com/Squawka/status/995695917087911936

Given what he’s done in such a short time since arriving from Borussia Dortmund late in the January transfer window, Aubameyang offers considerable hope for life after Wenger.