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Premier League Team of the Week XXXII feat. Spurs and Liverpool stars
Hugo Lloris: Although Fraser Forster ran him very close this week for a couple of miraculous stops against Southampton, Hugo Lloris’ sustained work against Liverpool should gain the greatest plaudits. His first act of much note was when the Frenchman had to move quickly down low to his right to stop a deflection from Son, requiring great reactions to not let the somewhat bizarre incident catch him out. He also foiled Daniel Sturridge when the England front-man was clear in on goal, although truth be told, the striker should have done far better. Lloris saved his best saves on Saturday evening to prevent a couple of Adam Lallana efforts from rippling the back of the net. First, a tight turn by Liverpool’s number 20 created the space for a shot and after whipping the ball towards the far post, Spurs’ number one tipped the ball around the post. In the minutes that followed, a Lallana scuffed shot seemed destined for the far corner but for the Frenchman springing to his right. Lloris did seem to pick up a niggle in the aftermath of stopping a near-post effort by Divock Origi, but it did not seem to be too troubling after a few nervous minutes of limping. Spurs and Mauricio Pochettino will have to hope that nothing too untoward has been suffered by the supreme shot-stopper, as there is no doubt that his talents will be required in the closing weeks of the Premier League season should the North London outfit wish to sustain their challenge until the very end.
Héctor Bellerin: The Spaniard’s scintillating speed was that extra component which Watford could not deal with, as so much of their attention was directed at attempting to stop a free-flowing Alexis Sanchez and Alex Iwobi. Arsenal looked free of the shackles that have plagued them in recent matches and alongside their much-recounted attacking football came many a marauding run from right-back by Héctor Bellerin. He showed a great willingness to get forward at every opportunity, overlapping his wide-man and looked to create chances by cutting the ball back into dangerous areas. The product of the Barcelona academy showed the value of mixing up his attacking approach too, putting his name on the score-sheet courtesy of a somewhat fortunate deflection. Nonetheless, he should be praised for his desire in the attacking third. This did not mean that Bellerin let his defensive responsibilities fall by the way-side, making three interceptions and the same number of tackles to put a stop to an attempted forward thrust by Watford.
Wes Morgan: Leicester City’s game against Southampton was exceptionally tense, and you have to expect the nerves to only increase from this point, so when Wes Morgan headed home towards the end of the first half, the outpouring of emotion was exactly as expected. This was the captain’s first goal of the campaign; and what a match to get it in, with each time that a Leicester City players hits the back of the net now growing in importance. He displayed terrific determination and desire to completely dominate Clasie near the edge of the six-yard-box and power the ball home. Despite the inevitable joy and adrenaline that must have been coursing through his veins, Morgan kept his composure throughout the match, being the essential calm head at the heart of their defence. He cleared his lines on seven occasions, correctly choosing the safe option to give his team-mates the chance to settle. What an important figure he will be for The Foxes in these final six games of the Premier League season.
Dejan Lovren: Liverpool’s number five has enjoyed a great return to form in recent weeks and on a day where the ever-inconsistent Mamadou Sakho looked even more shaky than Martin Skrtel against Southampton, Dejan Lovren was a figure of stability. His first and only mistake of the day came just after the hour mark when attempting to get too close to Harry Kane, allowing the England man to turn him and thump a low finish into the corner. Bar this moment; which still required superb technique by Kane to even expose it as a Lovren error, the Croatian marshalled Spurs’ number 10 very well. He employed the tactic of ushering Harry Kane to the outside on several occasions when the in-form Englishman was winding up for an effort on Simon Mignolet’s goal. Once, the Croatian caused Kane to drag his shot wide before producing a last-ditch block a few minutes later – this being one of the three efforts that he prevented stinging the palms of Mignolet. Lovren also covered in behind the full-backs to track runs being made into the channel, often following it up with a sensible clearance – seven in total over the ninety minutes. Dejan Lovren even showed his skills on the ball to be of a high standard, first intercepting a dangerous ball near the edge of the penalty area before running the ball clear all the way to the half-way line under pressure.
Danny Rose: Danny Rose has been in fine form all season long, with his performance levels resulting in a well-deserved call-up to the most recent England squad. He was highly impressive during the international break and continued that form into the match against Liverpool, shutting out much of the Reds’ attacking threat on the right hand side and being one of the main men to push Klopp’s team back with offensive charges of his own. To come up with six interceptions and five tackles shows how much of an impact the 25-year-old had on Spurs’ left flank, while his fantastic attacking endeavour is exemplified by successfully beating his man on four occasions, with his forays forward often developing into a chance for Tottenham.