Team of the week – Gameweek 15/16

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December is one of the busiest months of the footballing calendar.  Gameweek 15 and 16 both played out within a six day period and therefore we decided to select the best eleven performers across both rounds.

Take a look at SoccerMag’s best 11 performers from Gameweeks 15 and 16 of the Premier League.

We used buildlineup.com to put our team onto paper, but our selections are explained below.
Goalkeeper: 
Jordan Pickford – Everton 
Everton have been one of the in-form teams in the league since their 10-point deduction.  Jordan Pickford has been crucial to their turnaround.  Pickford has gotten three clean-sheets in a row, with two of them coming against Chelsea and Newcastle.

Defenders: 
Diego Carlos – Aston Villa 
 Aston Villa have had a sensational week.  Two massive wins against arguably the two best teams in the competition.  Diego Carlos’s performances were spectacular.  Erling Haaland was marked out of the game by Carlos and Arsenal’s attackers did not fare much better against the Brazilian.

Virgil Van Dijk – Liverpool 
 Liverpool’s captain is officially back to his best.  Virgil Van Dijk’s defensive performances have been immense.  This week he added a goal against Sheffield on top of his usual defensive dominance.

Marcos Senesi – AFC Bournemouth 
 Argentinian central defender Marcos Senesi has had one of the best weeks of his career.  Senesi scored two important goals in the Cherries away victories over Crystal Palace and Manchester United.

Pedro Porro – Tottenham Hotspurs
 Spurs have bounced back after their five game winless streak.  Pedro Porro’s influence on Ange Postecoglu’s side cannot be underplayed.  The Spanish fullback’s assist for Richarlison’s second against Newcastle was a thing of beauty.

Midfielders: 
John McGinn – Aston Villa 
 John McGinn is one of the best performing midfielders in the Premier League this season.  In two of Villa’s most important games of the season he has stepped up.  Against City he was running the game from the middle of the park and against Arsenal he scored the winner.

Dwight McNeil –  Everton
 Everton’s Dwight McNeil has been a star performer for Sean Dyche’s side.  McNeil got a goal and an assist in the Toffees win over Newcastle and was just as influential in their win over Chelsea.

Declan Rice – Arsenal 
 Declan Rice is looking like the difference maker for Arsenal this season.  Although they will be disappointed with their loss at Villa Park, the Gunners showed great character to fight back at Luton.  Declan Rice scored the winner in the dying seconds of added time.

Forwards:
Jack Grealish – Manchester City 
 It has been a difficult period for Manchester City, with the defending champions dropping points for four rounds in a row.  Jack Grealish came back into the side after his illness and was the difference in getting their first three-point win since early November.  His goal was the winner against Luton Town.

Raul Jimenez – Fulham 
 Former Wolves striker Raul Jimenez is flying.  The Mexican has now scored four goals in his last five games, with three coming in his last two appearances.

Heung-Min Son – Tottenham Hotspurs
Since Harry Kane’s exit, Son has been the driving force in Tottenham’s attack.  The winger provided two assists and scored a goal in their dominant win over Newcastle United.

Photo: Twitter @TheKop_com

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Dylan Johnson