Henry Onyekuru (Galatasaray)
Onyekuru played 83 minutes of his team’s 1-0 defeat at the hands of Besiktas. He started the game up front, and had a very quiet one with just the one shot on target and only made six passes.
The Nigerian was on the bench for the cup match in midweek against Keçiörengücü which Gala won 2-1.
Nikola Vlasic (CSKA Moscow)
Vlasic was tried out on the right wing for his side’s 0-0 draw with FK Rostov, and was still involved in the action but sometimes not for the best, missing a penalty to win the game for CSKA. No doubt he’ll be back at his best this weekend against Yenisey Krasnoyarsk, though.
Kevin Mirallas (Fiorentina)
Fiorentina had a big game against Juventus last weekend, and lost 3-0 at home with Mirallas sitting this one out on the bench.
Sandro Ramirez (Real Sociedad)
Sandro played 90 minutes up front in the 1-0 loss to Real Betis, but ended up drifting out wide quite a bit as we’ve seen before for Everton. He still managed a couple of shots on target, and an 85% passing accuracy of his 24 passes.
He was subsequently left on the bench for Sociedad’s 2-0 Copa del Rey win over Celta Vigo.
Matthew Pennington (Ipswich Town)
Pennington had a tough afternoon in the 2-0 loss to Nottingham Forest, but made an excellent goal-saving block to prevent another from Forest. He was accused of sloppiness in possession a couple of times, but it would have been much worse for Paul Lambert’s side if it weren’t for Pennington, who made a total of four clearances and three blocks.
Luke Garbutt (Oxford United)
Garbutt was left out of the starting line-up for the first time in the FA Cup this season, although unfortunately it’s been a few more in the league. He stayed on the bench to watch his side beat Plymouth Argyle 2-1 away.
Antonee Robinson and Callum Connolly (Wigan Athletic)
Wigan missed Robinson’s energy on their left-hand side for their 1-1 draw with Bolton Wanderers as he recovers from ankle surgery, as Callum Connolly watched the game from the bench.
Ashley Williams and Cuco Martina (Stoke City)
Williams was rested on the bench for Stoke’s 2-2 draw with Reading, but was then called upon to replace the injured Sam Clucas for the final minute of the game.
Martina played again at right-back, and spent much of the match in the opposition’s half, especially in the first period. He got forward well, but couldn’t prevent the two goals.
Muhamed Besic (Middlesbrough)
Besic worked hard against Aston Villa, but couldn’t prevent a 3-0 home defeat. He was arguably the best of a bad bunch, though, winning seven of his ten duels and spraying four accurate long balls.
Yannick Bolasie (Aston Villa)
Bolasie was on the better side of the 3-0, and started the game again, providing an assist in embedding to this prolific Villa side very well. Although his final decision was criticised once or twice, he is a big part of a Villa attack who have scored 17 goals in their last five games.
Joe Williams (Bolton Wanderers)
Williams played the full game of Bolton’s 1-1 draw with Wigan back in a deeper midfield role, and was booked early on which forced him to be more cautious in the challenge for the remainder of the game. He is naturally a combative midfielder, though, and still got around the pitch well. Unlucky not to score on the turn in the first half as his shot went wide.
About The Author
