A look at the Team of the Week shows two of our Top Rating outfield players were awarded a 10 Rating for exceptional performances in last weekend’s fixtures; Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller and Alessio Cerci of Fiorentina. The pair helped their teams to comprehensive home wins and were closely followed in our rankings by Elkin Soto of Mainz 05, who scored 9.82. Here’s a look at the displays of last week’s three stand-out players, breaking down their games to show just why they shone so brightly in our ratings system.
Thomas Müller
Playing in the hole just behind Mario Gomez as part of Bayern’s 4-2-3-1, Müller had a sensational game in the 4-1 home win over Schalke, scoring twice and assisting another to score the perfect 10.
Bayern had 18 shots on goal all game, with both Müller and Arjen Robben having as many as 7 Shots each. Whereas the Dutchman had 3 on target, Müller’s accuracy was superior, with 5 on target in comparison; it’s easy to see why he notched that double.
It wasn’t just his eye for goal that troubled the visitors, Müller’s vision caused countless problems. Despite making a mere 27 Passes all game, he was the game’s chief creator, making 6 Key Passes, which brought about his 1 assist. Considering Robben was second-best, with 3 Key Passes, it’s an indication of the quality of Müller’s distribution. All this he managed despite having just 44 Touches of the ball, the third lowest of any Bayern player. No wonder he was the Most Fouled (5) player in the match, as Schalke sought to contain his menace by any means necessary.
Alessio Cerci
Fiorentina’s 4-3-3 formation sees Cerci typically wide right of a front three. In a 5-2 home hammering of Udinese, Cerci -like Müller- grabbed two goals and picked up one assist to earn his mark of 10. He’s in a hot streak of form right now, having bagged a double in the previous week’s 2-1 win at Cagliari.
Cerci contributed a quarter of his side’s shots, managing 3 of Fiorentina’s 12 attempts on goal; only Alberto Gilardino had more, with 4. Two of Cerci’s 3 Shots were on target and with some clinical finishing he found the back of the Udinese net with both.
Going forward, he was consistent through all areas; 2 Dribbles, 2 Key Passes and 2 Crosses but it was a key Six Yard Block that also boosted him score, with a crucial goalmouth intervention preventing his side from conceding.
Elkin Soto
Playing defensive midfield in Mainz’s 4-2-3-1, Soto scored twice in a 3-0 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt, producing a real all-action display to earn his 9.82 marking.
Despite his deep-lying role Soto proved a constant threat, with 4 Shots at goal, the most of any player in the match. Three of those were on target, with 2 finding the back of the net. He saw plenty of the ball, too; a total of 89 Touches and 62 Passes (with an impressive 87% Accuracy) were bettered only by Eugen Polanski, his partner in front of the Mainz back-four, and illustrated his involvement throughout.
It wasn’t just his goal threat or passing that so impressed, however; Soto also excelled defensively, ensuring his side chalked up a clean sheet for the third game in a row. Not only did he win 100% of Aerial Duels, Soto made 4 Tackles -the most in the game- and 5 Interceptions, proving his contribution was just as critical at the back as it was in front of goal.
