A regular feature on our website is the Talent Radar Team of the Week with the best young players compiled into an XI from across Europe’s top seven leagues. You can read this for all details on Talent Radar, who is eligible under it and what else we publish within this feature.
[Max. Age Limit: 22 years old on match-day for outfield players, 23 years old for goalkeepers]
La Liga saw one of the shock results this weekend, as Athletic Bilbao outplayed Real and were held to a 1-1 draw at San Mames. Unai Simon was, by general agreement one of the best players on the pitch. The Athletic fans were very pleased with his performance, voting him as their Man of the Match for his 5 saves. Ahead of him is the right back, Aaron Wan Bissaka. Crystal Palace are probably as close as it gets ot being a one man team, but the 20 year old Englishman has been in terrific form, backing up the wingers with his strong defensive effort. On the opposite flank is Federico Dimarco. The 20 year old captain of Parma scored a fine goal after coming on, as Parma relived the glory days with a win over Inter at the San Siro. Continuing the tradition of goal scoring defenders is Abdou Diallo, of Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund picked up a fine home win against Eintracht, with Diallo rounding off a strong performance with a goal near the end of the game. His centre back partner, the ever impressive Matthias De Ligt, will be licking his lips at the prospect of a Champions League debut this week. He warmed up for it with a calm performance in a straightforward win over Groningen, where he got the opportunity to show the full range of his passing.
The first of our midfield trio is Johannes Eggestein. His side may not have won this weekend, but Eggestein makes it onto our list for his spectacular goal in their 1-1 draw with Nuernberg. Partnering him in the middle of the park is Rodrigo of Atletico Madrid. The Rojiblancos were disappointing in their 1-1 draw at home against Eibar, with the performance of their young midfielder being the only bright spot. Rodrigo’s passing was neat and accurate, and he made 5 tackles as well, setting a platform his talented teammates couldn’t really take advantage of. Adding some more bite to this already tough midfield is Ibrahim Sangare. The Ivorian set up shop in the middle of the park for Toulouse against Monaco, making 6 tackles from this station.
Nice continued working on their comeback trail with a 2-1 win over Rennes. Talent Radar regular, Allan Saint-Maximin scored an important equaliser as Viera’s side bounced back from an own goal to pick up 3 points at home. Leading the line is Sam Lammers. Heerenveen may have ended up on the wrong side of a 3-5 scoreline, but Lammers did his prospects no harm with a skilful brace to keep them in the game. Finishing off the team for this week is Ousmane Dembele. The youngster had a tough first season at Barcelona, with injury and adjustment troubling him. He’s put that behind him this year with a great start. Like Real Madrid, Barcelona also struggled in the Basque country, but came away with a precious win. Dembele got the important goal, underlining his burgeoning confidence and growth in the team.
Read all our Talent Radar articles here
- Analysis: Are Chelsea’s pressing issues a concern? - October 5, 2020
- Has Financial Fair Play Been Worth It? - August 27, 2020
- Tactical Philosophy: Frank Lampard - May 20, 2020
