Manchester City pair Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol have been named in WhoScored.com‘s Team of the Week.
The Croatian internationals put in excellent performances as the Premier League champions got the new campaign off to a winning start with a 2-0 victory against Chelsea.
Kovacic got on the scoresheet against his former club, but his all-round performance was also outstanding, producing great passing, tackling and one-on-one duel numbers.
The 30-year-old was given a score of 8.48 by WhoScored; the second-highest rating given out to any player for game week 1 in the Premier League.
Considering there were concerns raised about the absence of Rodri in the build-up to the match, Kovacic certainly silenced any doubters as to whether City could cope without the Spaniard.
Gvardiol also impressed for City at Stamford Bridge
It is fair to say that Kovacic’s teammate put in a less high-profile display but he was prepared to do the dirty work, winning his fair share of tackles (2) and interceptions (4), as well as recovering the ball on no less than 5 occasions.
Gvardiol has produced a consistent run of form since the backend of last season and he has continued to impress at the start of his second year with the Cityzens.
Who else made it into WhoScored’s Team of the Week?
Brentford’s Mark Flekken was named in goal, as he helped the Bees secure a 2-1 win versus Crystal Palace on the opening day.
Gvardiol is joined by the likes of Tottenham’s Pedro Porro, Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire and Fulham’s Antonee Robinson in defence.
Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka, Newcastle’s Joelinton and Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma line up alongside Kovacic in the middle of the park. Upfront, there is no place for Erling Haaland as Gunners forward Kai Havertz is partnered by Brighton veteran Danny Welbeck.
