Manchester United are well represented in this weekend’s Premier League Worst XI. How many times have we said that this season? FFS.
We’ve gone a bit rogue with positions to squeeze in the worst-rated players – with match ratings, as always, courtesy of the brilliant WhoScored.
Premier League Worst XI – Matchday 37
GK: Aaron Ramsdale (Southampton) – 5.61Despite West Ham’s Alphonse Areola error led to a goal against Nottingham Forest, Southampton’s Ramsdale was the worst-rated goalkeeper this weekend. He was beaten twice by Iliman Ndiaye as Everton bid farewell to Goodison Park in style.
The Saints’ shot-stopper (a generous term) wasn’t officially credited with an error for the second, but probably should have been. Getting rounded that easily was disappointing.
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RB: Djed Spence (Spurs) – 6.02Spurs lost 2-0 to Aston Villa as Ange Postecoglou rested his key players ahead of Wednesday’s Europa League final against Manchester United.
Spence was given the nod ahead of Pedro Porro, with most players finally playing in their natural positions. There was no such luck for Wilson Odobert, who filled the playmaker void left by the injured Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison, but at least he played.
The 24-year-old won just one of three dribbles, lost his only aerial duel, committed a foul, and made an error that led to a Villa shot.
CB: Nathan Collins (Brentford) – 5.99
You could argue Fulham’s Joachim Andersen, who conceded a penalty and picked up a yellow, deserves a spot in the worst XI more than Collins. But this is how it’s landed.
Collins has been rock-solid all season, playing every minute in the league – Sunday just wasn’t his day.
CB: Luke Shaw (Man Utd) – 5.90
Back-to-back appearances in the worst XI for Shaw, who’s making up for lost time after yet another injury-hit season. He’s been poor since being reintroduced as a left-centre-back in Ruben Amorim’s back three.
Making zero clearances, interceptions and tackles is quite concerning and that’s exactly what Shaw did in Man Utd’s 1-0 defeat against Chelsea on Friday.
LB: Keane Lewis-Potter (Brentford) – 5.66In fairness to young Lewis-Potter, he’s absolutely not a left-back. In less fairness, he’s been playing there for most of the season, so the sympathy quota is running low after a rough showing against Fulham.
Tasked with containing Adama Traore, he struggled – as many would – but was technically only dribbled past once. Small mercies and all that.
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RM: Alex Iwobi (Fulham) – 5.66Sticking with Fulham’s 3-2 win at Brentford, we move into the midfield with former Arsenal youngster Iwobi, who did very little to justify his inclusion.
Zero successful dribbles, dribbled past once, and just 17 completed passes – none of them key. Iwobi was a passenger.
CM: Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd) – 5.95Uncharacteristically poor from the United captain, who wasn’t given the night off ahead of the Europa League final as Ruben Amorim chased momentum, rhythm and maybe a bit of confidence with his ‘strong’ XI at Stamford Bridge. That didn’t work out.
Fernandes was dribbled past twice, dispossessed twice, committed two fouls, picked up a yellow, and even threw in an error leading to a shot.
CM: Emile Smith Rowe (Fulham) – 5.97Brentford 2-3 Fulham dominates this week’s worst XI, with four flops making the cut. Another Hale End graduate, Smith Rowe failed to complete his only dribble and, much like Iwobi, left little to remember.
It didn’t help that Tom Cairney and Harry Wilson came off the bench to score and swing the game. A Marco Silva masterclass, so it was.
LM: Jack Clarke (Ipswich) – 5.51Sunday at the King Power was all about Jamie Vardy and his final Leicester appearance. Scoring his 200th goal in his 500th game was special. That’s enough positivity for one article…
Clarke was pants. He attempted five dribbles, pulled off just one, had his only shot blocked, and made an error that led to a shot.
ST: Anthony Gordon (Newcastle) – 5.47
Gordon’s costly error in his own defensive third gifted Arsenal the only goal of the game in Sunday’s defeat, and the algorithm was understandably unimpressed.
Beyond that decisive mistake, the Newcastle winger lost his only aerial duel, was dribbled past once, dispossessed once, and completed just two of four attempted dribbles. Not his finest outing.
Newcastle now face a nervy final day after failing to leapfrog Arsenal into second place.
ST: Rasmus Hojlund (Man Utd) – 5.78
The third and final Man Utd flop just had to be Hojlund, who’s had a miserable campaign – perhaps the most miserable of any Red Devil.
No goals, no shots, no key passes, no dribbles, dispossessed three times, lost most of his duels, and fouled more than he threatened. Still stuck on four goal involvements for the season. Grim.
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