European Team of the Week: Arjen Robben Leads from the Front for Bayern Munich
Arjen Robben is WhoScored.com’s European player of the week after netting a brace in the win at Augsburg as Bayern Munich extended their lead at the summit of the Bundesliga.
During his 76 minutes on the pitch, the Dutchman was at his offensive best, playing two key passes, completing two successful dribbles and managing to find a team-mate with all three of his long-ball attempts.
Despite having just 54 touches of the ball, Robben mustered six shots on goal, while 18 of his 33 accurate passes came in the final third.
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Hannover's Hiroshi Kiyotake features on the right wing in the XI on account of his excellent display against Werder Bremen.
The Japanese playmaker registered the assist for Joselu's goal after 62 minutes before getting himself on the scoresheet in the entertaining 3-3 draw at the Weserstadion.
With six key passes, Kiyotake could have had more than the one assist. The Bremen defence struggled to contain the attacker, with the 25-year-old completing five successful dribbles in the stalemate.
At the heart of the midfield, Giannelli Imbula stars following an impressive showing for Marseille on Sunday night despite their 1-0 defeat to Monaco.
The 22-year-old has firmly established himself as a first-team regular under Marcelo Bielsa and proved his worth once more with a man-of-the-match display for the Ligue 1 table-toppers.
Imbula worked tirelessly in the middle of the park at the Stade Louis II, making an impressive 10 tackles, one interception and four clearances as he exhibited the defensive side of his game.
The young Frenchman also proved how capable a performer he is on the ball, with 93 percent of his 57 attempted passes finding a team-mate, and it’s little wonder Imbula boasts a statistically calculated WhoScored.com strength of "passing."
Partnering the Marseille youngster in midfield is the diminutive Santi Cazorla. The Spaniard put in a fine shift for Arsenal in their 4-1 thumping of Newcastle on his 30th birthday, bagging a brace as the Gunners ended a tough week on a high.
Having recently been deployed in his favoured No. 10 role, Cazorla has been staking a claim for a regular starting berth in the position, and his return of two key passes and two successful dribbles will have aided his cause.
Up front this week is a rejuvenated Robin van Persie. The Manchester United striker has looked back to his best recently, with his latest man-of-the-match award his third from his last four league appearances.
The experienced frontman registered one assist and netted United’s third in their 3-0 weekend win over Liverpool.
Van Persie ensured Louis van Gaal’s side secured a clean sheet in the meeting with their fierce rivals, making a clearance off the line to deny Mario Balotelli in the 66th minute, four minutes before he scored his seventh league goal of the season.
Van Persie is partnered in attack by Hoffenheim ace Roberto Firmino.
Like the Dutchman, Firmino registered an assist and got himself on the scoresheet in the latest round of fixtures as Hoffenheim secured all three points in an entertaining 3-2 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Brazilian is one of the most technically gifted attackers in the Bundesliga, and he proved his offensive quality once more with five key passes and seven successful dribbles in the victory.
Djibril Sidibe stars at right-back this week after impressing in Lille’s 3-0 win over Toulouse. Les Dogues’ victory was their first in all competitions for 14 matches, and it was Sidibe who got the ball rolling, with the defender opening the scoring after seven minutes.
With a majority of their attacks coming down the right side (42 percent), Sidibe played a key role in the offensive side of Lille’s game, playing one key pass and completing three successful dribbles.
Defensively, the 22-year-old impressed also, making five tackles, one interception and three clearances.
Ligue 1 counterpart Ludovic Baal features at left-back this week. The 28-year-old provided an assist in Lens’ entertaining 3-3 draw at Montpellier, with that coming from one of his two key passes.
Baal ensured Lens came away with a positive result after making six tackles, five interceptions and five clearances.
Bayern defender Mehdi Benatia stars at centre-back, having performed commendably in the 4-0 win over Augsburg.
The Moroccan scored the opener on the hour mark for the defending league champions and is clearly abiding by the instructions of his manager and helping instigate attacks from the back.
Benatia attempted more passes (91) than any player in the fixture and maintained an impressive pass success rate (95.6 percent).
Bundesliga counterpart John Anthony Brooks partners Benatia in the European team of the week this week.
The United States international played a starring role in Hertha Berlin's 1-0 win over Borussia Dortmund, winning two aerial duels and making five tackles, four interceptions and 12 clearances in the victory.
Remy Vercoutre completes the team of the week. While the 34-year-old conceded three times in the 3-0 defeat to Lyon, the Caen shot-stopper ensured the result was not more embarrassing for his side.
The experienced goalkeeper made nine saves in the loss, one of which was to deny Nabil Fekir from the penalty spot, to earn a rating of 9.65.
All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, where you can find yet more stats, including live in-game data and unique player and team ratings.
