European Team of the Week: Foden, Cunha, Watkins star

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Each week, we will bring you the best performers across Europe’s top five leagues (English Premier League, German Bundesliga, Spanish LaLiga, French Ligue 1 and Italian Serie A) using the unique WhoScored ratings system.

The ratings are based on a comprehensive algorithm that uses Opta data during live matches, with more than 200 raw statistics, that gives us a single rating from 1-10 (1 being bad; 10 being excellent) weighted according to a player’s influence within a game.

Find out more about how the ratings are calculated at WhoScored here. Here are the top players from the last round of action.

Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Goalkeeper: Mark Flekken (Brentford | Premier League) – 8.63 rating

Flekken may have conceded three times in Brentford’s eventual loss to Manchester City but it would have been a lot worse for the Bees without the Dutchman between the sticks. Indeed, Flekken made 12 saves in the 3-1 home defeat, a record in a 2023-24 Premier League match, and became the sixth goalkeeper in Europe’s top five leagues to register an assist this season.

Centre-back: Patrick Mainka (Heidenheim | Bundesliga) – 8.09

Heidenheim held Borussia Dortmund to a 0-0 draw on Friday night with Mainka key in the stalemate. The 29-year-old made 10 clearances, six tackles, one interception and won five aerial duels, in a man of the match performance.

Centre-back: Diego Coppola (Verona | Serie A) – 8.01

Coppola may have ended the weekend on the losing side as Verona fell to a 2-1 defeat at Napoli but the 20-year-old still put in a solid shift. The Italian scored his first league goal of the campaign in the clash in Naples and went on to make five tackles, four clearances and two interceptions at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

Centre-back: Renato Tapia (Celta Vigo | La Liga) – 7.96

Rounding off the defence is Celta Vigo’s Tapia. Os Celestes ended a three-game winless run with a resounding 3-0 win at Osasuna as Tapia held firm to help his side to a clean sheet and all the spoils. The Peruvian was on hand to make 10 clearances and two tackles in what proved to be his best display of the campaign so far.

Right midfield: Edon Zhegrova (Lille | Ligue 1) – 9.42

Lille earned an impressive 4-0 win over Clermont Foot at the weekend to maintain their top-four push, and have three players in the European team of the week to show for their efforts. Zhegrova came away from Sunday’s game having scored one and assisted another at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

Central midfield: Matheus Cunha (Wolves | Premier League) – 9.69

Cunha bagged a hat-trick in Wolves’ 4-2 win at Chelsea on Sunday, hitting the back of the net with three of five shots, and completed two dribbles in a superb showing.

Central midfield: Benjamin André (Lille | Ligue 1) – 9.46

The second Lille representative partners Cunha in the middle of the park. André scored his third league goal of the season in Les Dogues‘ comfortable win over Clermont Foot but it was the 33-year-old’s work off the ball that really caught the eye. Returns of seven tackles and three interceptions helped Lille to a clean sheet.

Left midfield: Phil Foden (Manchester City | Premier League) – 9.44

The star from Manchester City’s 3-1 win at Brentford on Monday night, Foden got the better of Flekken with three of six shots in west London as City moved back to second place in the Premier League. Foden also made three key passes and found a teammate with 95.1% of his 82 passes.

Striker: Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa | Premier League) – 9.43

Watkins became the first player to register double figures for both goals (11) and assists (10) in Europe’s top five leagues this season, as he scored one and provided two assists in Aston Villa’s 5-0 win at Sheffield United on Saturday evening. Those came from respective returns of three shots and two key passes as Villa ended the gameweek in the top four.

Striker: Deniz Undav (VfB Stuttgart | Bundesliga) – 9.42

No Serhou Guirassy, no problem. With the 27-year-old striker on AFCON duty with Guinea, Undav has taken it upon himself to shoulder the goal-scoring burden for VfB Stuttgart. Undav was directly involved in all three goals in their 3-1 win at Freiburg, hitting the back of the net with one of five shots and providing two assists from two key passes.

Striker: Jonathan David (Lille | Ligue 1) – 9.42

David began the season poorly but he’s making up for a sub-par start to the campaign and bagged goals seven and eight for the season in Lille’s 4-0 win over Clermont Foot. The Canada international struck with two of six shots and made one key pass.

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