Madrid, 14 Feb. Goalkeeper David Soria (Getafe); defenders Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen), Ronald Araujo (Barcelona), Dante (Nice) and Davide Zappacosta (Atalanta); midfielders Sergio Canales (Betis), Pedri González (Barcelona) and Joao Gomes (Wolwerhampton) and strikers Wissam Ben Yedder (Monaco), Kalechi Iheanacho (Leicester) and Marcus Rashford make up the eleven of the day in the five major European championships .
– GOALKEEPERS (1):
– David Soria (ESP/Getafe): Quique Sánchez Flores continues as coach of Getafe, after the 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano, in which David Soria saved a point for his side, penultimate, without a win in 2023, but still alive in the fight for the penalty saved by the goalkeeper, whose merit was incalculable against Raúl de Tomás. An impressive stretch with which he responded to the crisis of the azulón team. This is his third maximum penalty cleared this season, including two against Rayo. He kept five of his team’s 19 points.
– DEFENSES (4):
– Jeremie Frimpong (NED / Bayer Leverkusen): At 22, with a speed that reaches up to 36 kilometers per hour, like an overflowing and unstoppable winger when he hits a wall, two of his actions consolidated the victory for Bayer Leverkusen by 1 – 3 against Hoffenheim. It was the reaction of the block of Xabi Alonso, who had started with two defeats. Frimpong gave Diaby 0-2 and Hlozek 0-3 down the right.
– Ronald Araujo (URU/Barcelona): Out of competition from September to December due to injury, he returned to the top, with an impressive performance, as one of the best defenders in the world at the moment, unbeatable for his rivals , indispensable for LaLiga Santander leaders Barcelona with an eleven-point difference and crucial in the 0-1 with which they beat Villarreal. Yeremi Pino’s goal prevented, six interceptions, nine recoveries, 75% of defensive duels won…
– Dante (BRA / Nice): at minute 3, he concluded a repeated action on a corner, with a volley with his left foot in the area which propelled Nice’s fourth consecutive victory, 3-0 against Ajaccio. No Ligue 1 team has won the last four games except him. Not even Paris Saint Germain, leader of the classification, nor Monaco, the team which won it during the twenty-third day played at the weekend.
– Davide Zappacosta (ITA/Atalanta): Injured since January 22, his return after a five-game absence saw the superb goal that opened Atalanta’s victory against Lazio (0-2); a parable to the team with the right foot with which his team proposes itself as a firm candidate for the Champions League places with its irruption on the Serie A podium, only surpassed by Inter and Napoli.
– MIDFIELDERS (3):
– Sergio Canales (ESP/Betis): Betis insists on the Champions League with the management of Canales, definitive in the triumph of his team in Almería, concluding with his formidable qualities and promoter of almost everything that has arisen in attack in Verdiblanco’s team in last Saturday’s duel, including all three goals. The first was caused by his shot at the post, the second was transformed by him with precious control and precision and the third took a corner finished by Andrés Guardado. The corner kick was also caused by him.
– Joao Gomes (BRA / Wolwerhampton): In his first match for Wolwerhampton, coming from Flamengo, the 22-year-old Brazilian midfielder entered the field in the 70th minute of the match against Southampton, his team then losing partially by 1- 0 and shorthanded, to score the winning goal 1-2 at minute 87, finishing second, with the right a counterattack from the block of Julen Lopetegui, who is fifteenth, five points above the descent that delimits Everton.
– Pedri González (ESP/Barcelona): His goals were decisive for Barcelona’s five wins or fifteen points this season in La Liga Santander, four more than the difference the Catalans have over their immediate rivals, Real Madrid. It was the winning goal at Villarreal (0-1), with a wall with Robert Lewandowski, but they were also in the 0-1 against Girona, 1-0 against Getafe, 1-2 against Osasuna and 1-0 against Celtic.
– FRONT (3):
– Wissam Ben Yedder (FRA / Monaco): Monaco is already third in the standings, coming back on a race that even led it to beat Paris Saint Germain, leaders in crisis, eliminated from the Coupe de France and beaten in the twentieth third day of Ligue 1 by Ben Yedder and company. The striker made it 1-0 and scored 2-0 and 3-1 at the Luis II stadium. Add 19 goals in 28 games. Nine in the last seven official clashes.
– Kelechi Iheanacho (NIG / Leicester): His match against Tottenham, which his team came back from 0-1 to beat them 4-1, was exceptional. The striker made it 2-1 to Maddison on a counter-attack and made it 3-1 on another counter-attack, when he took on Ben Davies, controlled, advanced, faked and launched the right hand which beat Forster . He didn’t add more credit as another assist to Barnes was ruled out for offside.
– Marcus Rashford (Manchester United): Eight goals in the last nine days, spread over eight games, with only one defeat for Manchester United, push the striker as one of the men of the moment for Erik Ten Hag’s team , third, five points – with two more games played – behind leaders Arsenal after beating Leeds United 0-2. The victory was opened by Rashford with an accurate header in the 80th minute.