European Team of the Month: February
- •
- 349 reads
- •
- 2,174 views
- •
- 5 min read
February was a memorable month for European football, both in domestic competitions and in the Champions League & Europa League.
Titles races and relegation battles are beginning to take shape, apart from in France – Paris Saint-Germain have won that race.
At the business end of the season, the pressure builds on teams at both ends of the table. Some players are thriving on that pressure and are in fine form, but who were the best eleven in Europe last month?
Here is the European Team of the Month, based on their WhoScored ratings, for February:
Heurelho Gomes (Watford)
Two clean sheets, two Man of the Match performances and an 8.1 WhoScored rating sees Watford’s stopper Heurelho Gomes claim the goalkeeper spot in the European team of the Month.
Ignazio Abate (AC Milan)
Abate’s 7.7 rating is the lowest in this line-up, but the best rating for a right-back in Europe last month. His match-winning performance against Palermo, where he assisted Carlos Bacca’s opener and helped Milan keep a clean sheet, kick-started an excellent month for the Italian.
Thiago Silva (PSG)
It comes as no surprise that a PSG player has made it into this eleven, considering that they are 23 points clear at the top of Ligue 1.
Silva’s captained the Les Parisiens to four victories in February, including a Champions League first-leg victory against Chelsea. His 7.9 rating was the best of any central defender in Europe last month.
Virgil van Dijk (Southampton)
Three clean sheets and a Man of the Match performance against Swansea earned him an impressive 7.8 rating and a spot in the European Team of the Month for Febuary – pipping Leicester City’s Robert Huth to the post.
Juan Vargas (Real Betis)
What a month Vargas has had! Two Man of the Match performances, a goal and an assist earned him an 8.3 rating – the best rating for a defender in February. Real Betis will be hoping Juan can keep up his fine form to help put more distance between themselves and the relegation zone.
Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Obviously, Lionel Messi made it into the European Team of the Month. His nine goals, three assists and two Man of the Match performances earned the Argentine an 8.3 rating. If WhoScored included ratings for the Copa del Rey, his rating would have been even higher, having bagged a hat-trick in the cup match.
Corentin Tolisso (Lyon)
Three goals two assists and two Man of the Match performances in just three matches, as well as a perfect 10 rating against Caen, saw Tolisso pick up a huge 9.1 rating for February – the highest in Europe for the month.
Mesut Özil (Arsenal)
Barcelona’s focus was to man-mark Özil, to limit his impact, when the clubs met last month and his performances in the league highlight why. His two goals, two assists and 8.4 rating have been bettered by other players in this eleven, but he deserved much more. In fact, if it had not been for Southampton stopper Fraser Forster, Mesut could have doubled, if not tripled, his tally for last month.
Nicolas de Preville (Reims)
Nicolas assisted Gaëtan Charbonnier’s match winner against Angers at the beginning of the month and went on to pick up another three assists, as well as an 8.0 rating for February.
Luis Suarez (Barcelona)
It comes as no surprise that Europe’s top scorer leads the line in Europe’s best eleven in February. Luis’ ten goals last month took his tally for the season 41. His goals, combined with his three Man of the Match accolades and six assists, earned Suarez an 8.2 rating for February.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG)
Five goals, four assists and three Man of the Match performances in five games for Zlatan last month. His 8.4 rating earns him the final place in the European Team of the Month.