Richarlison, Gareth Bale, Kante… Names of the Premier League, week 26 + 27
The games are coming thick and fast in the Premier League at the moment. Here were the star names from the most recent two rounds of action…
Gareth Bale, Tottenham Hotspur
Gareth Bale’s performance against Burnley last Sunday felt like the first time he truly justified Daniel Levy’s decision to bring him in on an expensive one-year loan, as the winger scored two and assisted one in Spurs’ dominant 4-0 win over Burnley.
🔎 𝗜𝗡 𝗙𝗢𝗖𝗨𝗦 @GarethBale11‘s brilliant display against Burnley ✨#THFC ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/2dT6xnNd80
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) March 2, 2021
The Welshman’s man of the match performance highlighted the ability that he undeniably still has, as he drifted inside from the right wing and offered an overload against Burnley’s two central midfielders every time Spurs went forward.
Bale’s movement off the ball and ruthless finishing earned him his two goals, but perhaps most impressive was the passing range that Heung-min Son, Harry Kane and Bale displayed throughout the match, coming into central areas of the pitch and finding each other with 30+ yard passes on a regular basis.
This may be the match that shows Jose Mourinho and Spurs fans the ability their beloved winger still has, and should allow Bale to build on the four starts he’s now had in the Premier League this season.
Nicolas Pepe, Arsenal
With four goals in his last seve Premier League starts and a fantastic performance in Arsenal’s 3-1 win away to Leicester, Nicolas Pepe is making a case to be a consistent starter in Arsenal’s ever changing front four.
Pepe’s ability to run at defenders with the ball and continuously beat his man was something that Leicester and Luke Thomas struggled to deal with at the King Power, proven by the left-back being booked and substituted at half time. Ricardo Pereira was tasked with dealing with the winger for the second half.
By then Pepe was already in the mood having won the free kick and penalty for Arsenal’s earlier goals, as he rounded off a fluid counter attack with a tap in.
There is no doubt that the Ivorian works better with Cedric as opposed to Hector Bellerin, as the unselfish overlaps provided by the full-back occupied Leicester’s defence and give Pepe the space to drive into central areas.
Dancing around players and after goals.🕺
That’s the Nicolas Pépé we know and love 🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/McYkBuzo0c
— Arsenal Editor (@Arsenal_Editor) February 28, 2021
Richarlison, Everton
With so much focus on surprise package stories like West Ham and Aston Villa this season you may be surprised to see Everton now five points off Manchester United in second with a game in hand over the top four.
💯 #EFC starts.
Scoring in 4️⃣ games in a row.
6️⃣ in his last 6️⃣.🔥 @richarlison97 🔥 pic.twitter.com/kXwWFkmr9o
— Everton (@Everton) March 4, 2021
Richarlison has scored in each of Everton’s last four games, scoring the deciding goal in vital 1-0 wins over Southampton and West Bromich Albion this week. Playing as a left sided striker and making runs in and around Calvert-Lewin has given the Brazillian attacking freedom and a good supply of chances, and whether it be Rodriguez or Sigurdsson playing just behind, their first thought when receiving the ball is to look for the run of Richarlison with a neat through ball.
Barring the occasional slip up, Everton under Carlo Ancelotti are playing good football and grinding out results against teams that they’ve struggled against in the past. With 14 points out of a possible 24 from the traditional ‘Big Six’ so far, they’ve proved that they are in contention for a Champions League spot and are 7/2 to finish in the top seven according to UK online sportsbook, Mansion Bet.
A big test awaits them as they travel to Stamford bridge on Monday with the opportunity to move into the top four.
N’Golo Kante, Chelsea
“It’s always HIM!” was the shout by a frustrated Bruno Fernandes, as N’Golo Kante dispossessed the Portuguese midfielder time and time again throughout the 0-0 draw between Chelsea and Manchester United.
For what feels like the thousandth time, the Frenchman recorded a game high number of tackles (7) and game high number of interceptions (4), committing no fouls in the process of stifling a United attack that is so often dangerous and clinical away from home.
Since Thomas Tuchel took charge he has mainly preferred a midfield duo of Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic with the safety of a back three behind them, but the ball winning ability of Kante provides the German with a nice dilemma when picking his midfield partnership and has surely convinced him that Kante should keep his place in the team. A superb performance in the 1-0 at Anfield also left Tuchel raving.
Marvelous Nakamba, Aston Villa
Largely going under the radar this season with only four starts, the midfielder was integral in breaking down and winning the ball back against a usually free scoring Leeds side in Villa’s 1-0 win at Elland Road last Saturday.
Recording a game high number of interceptions (5) and continuing Villa’s run of not conceding this season (375 minutes) while Marvelous Nakamba has been on the pitch, the Zimbabwean is starting to cement himself as a fans favourite that offers a more robust style of play than the other options currently at the club.
The style of play Nakamba offers gave more freedom to players like Jacob Ramsey and John McGinn in front of him, and should earn him a place at the base of Villa’s midfield in the tougher matches as they still dream of reaching the European places with 14 games to go.
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