Team of the Week: Mbappe and Benzema in the goals as Leroy Sane continues to impress
Here's our latest Team of the Week of the 2023/24 campaign.
Goalkeeper
Diogo Costa (FC Porto) - 8.9
In an always tight three-way title race, any dropped points can prove fatal for Portugal's best teams. For Porto, they scraped a 2-1 win over Vitoria Guimares, and had stopper Costa to thank for much of it.
The goalkeeper saved a penalty, albeit conceded from the rebound as well as making five other saves in the game. With an expected goals against him of more than two, it's safe to say he was just as important to his team's success as anyone.
Defence
Odilon Kossounou (Bayer Leverkusen) - 8.2
Under Xabi Alonso, Bayer Leverkusen are a force to be reckoned with this season and once again showed their credentials at the weekend with a 4-0 thrashing of out-of-form Union Berlin.
Kossonou was one of their stand-out performances, keeping a clean sheet and, at the other end, getting himself on the scoresheet for the first time in a Leverkusen shirt. He used strength to shrug off his marker at a corner to head home with ease.
With 10 wins from their opening 11 games sees them top of the table and looking like a real challenger to Bayern Munich this season.
Bart Vriends (Sparta Rotterdam) - 8.9
It's always a good day at the office when you score twice and it's even better when you are a centre-back.
Sparta Rotterdam captain showed great instincts to score from close range in both halves to help his side to a 4-1 win over Volendam.
At the back, he was just as impactful, making two blocks and nine clearances as his side sit sixth in the table after 12 games.
Artiz Elustondo (Real Sociedad) - 8.6
Real Sociedad went to Almeria over the weekend and came away with a 3-1 win and Elustondo was at the heart of it.
His header at the near post gave Martin Zubimendi a simple header to help their Basque side to all three points.
At the back, Elustondo made two clearances whilst his passing from short and medium ranges was exemplary.
Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal) - 8.9
When it comes to defenders with bags of technique, look no further than Zinchenko. The Ukrainian often steps into midfield to help control the play and that sort of technique was on full view when he scored a beautiful scissor kick to seal a 3-1 victory for the Gunners over relegation-threatened Burnley.
The goal was not the only highlight of his day as he completed 87 passes, made two blocks and stopped four dribbles.
Midfield
Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich) - 9.4
If there was one player Harry Kane was looking forward to playing with after his summer move to Bayern Munich, it must have been Leroy Sane.
In recent weeks, the German has been an assist king with seven in his last seven games - four of those falling to the England international.
He was at it again in their 4-2 win over Heidenheim on Saturday, both converted clinically by the striker.
Alongside his assists, Sane also progressively carried the ball 10 times and made seven successful take-ons - a thoroughly successful day for the winger.
Magnus Mattsson (Nijmegen) - 9.5
Two assists from midfielders is a theme for our TOTW this week, but the performance of Mattson was superb in Nijmegen's thrilling 3-3 draw with FC Twente.
Both of them showed his skill - the first, a precise cross after some neat interplay that gave defender Bart van Rooij the simplest of tap-ins. The second was just as silky as the Norwegian turned away from his marker to deftly slide in Youri Baas to extend his side's lead.
They could only leave Twente with a point, but much of that was down to the work of Mattsson.
James Ward-Prowse (West Ham) - 8.9
Two more assists to add to Ward-Prowse's season tally of nine was the basis of a match-winning performance for West Ham over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, but it is easy to see why his all-round game goes under the radar.
His passes, crosses and chances created were the best of anyone on the pitch at the London Stadium and when you combine that with his set-pieces that were at the very of heart of the Hammers' victory, it's hard to see why he continues to be overlooked for his national side.
More performances like this from the central midfielder will have more eyes on him than at time of writing.
Kylian Mbappe (PSG) - 9.2
A regular member of Team of the Week, Mbappe once again put in a performance to savour as PSG ran out comfortable 3-0 winners over Reims. The Frenchman scored all three goals in the convincing performance, the first being the pick of the bunch as he produced a sublime volley from the edge of the box that went back across the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner.
His other two goals though, showed just why he is such a threat to any defence in the world. His movement saw him escape the attention of the home defence before clinically slotting home two finishes.
A healthy and engaged Mbappe is crucial for his side's hopes of ultimate success this season and with performances like this, he will be the fulcrum.
Forwards
Karim Benzema (Al Ittihad) - 10
Our only perfect 10 of the week comes from Saudi Arabia, where Benzema fired home three goals and got an assist in his side's 4-2 victory over Abha in the Saudi Pro League.
It comes just days after his falling out with former boss Nuno Espirito Santo saw the Portuguese manager get the sack and Benzema gave a response that shows just how much of an influential figure he is at Al Ittihad.
Their social media team seems to think so too.
Brian Brobbey (Ajax) - 8.9
For a side that finds themselves mired at the bottom of the table when they so normally find themselves at the top has meant there haven't been many positive tales for Ajax this season.
But two goals in four games before the weekend for Brobbey gives his side some hope that a recovery can still be mounted. The Dutch forward assisted twice in their 2-2 draw against Almere City on Sunday, again showing that there is some seed of positivity for the Amsterdam side.
Still, they will need a lot more from their striker this season to make it any form of success.
