Premier League Team of the Month: Chelsea sensation lands September top gong

Some may scoff at the suggestion that Chelsea’s Eden Hazard is one of, if not the, best player in Europe at present, but a glance at his form in September suggests he warrants to be mentioned alongside those currently strutting their stuff on the continent. The Belgian earned a WhoScored rating of 8.43 last month, that better than any other player, as he chipped in with five goals, the most in the Premier League. 

Man of the match displays in meetings with Bournemouth, Cardiff and Liverpool pushed his score up as high as it did, with Hazard hitting the back of the net with every two shots he managed in September. 12 successful dribbles was the joint-best return in England’s top tier as the 27-year-old again set out his ambition to fire Chelsea to domestic glory once more. 

While Raheem Sterling enjoyed a month to remember, he just missed out on the player of the month gong. The Manchester City star makes the cut in the XI on the opposite flank to Hazard having enjoyed a fine September. He had a direct hand in a goal in his four league outings last month as he scored three and registered two assists for a City side that won all four top-flight outings, conceding just the once in the process. 

And last but not least, Arsenal ace Alexandre Lacazette also stars in the side, with the Frenchman and the Gunners benefitting tremendously from his return to the first team fold. Indeed, Arsenal are currently on a nine-match winning run in all competitions and that comes as no coincidence on the back of Lacazette’s fine form. He had a direct hand in four goals in four league outings last month, scoring two and assisting two, which included a man of the match display in a 3-2 win at Cardiff on his first league start of the season, as Lacazette returned a WhoScored rating of 7.98 last month. 

While the attacking threesome impressed, it was a September to forget for West Ham’s summer arrival Carlos Sanchez. Across his three Premier League outings, he gained a WhoScored rating of just 5.91, including a disastrous display in West Ham’s 1-0 home loss to Wolves, where Sanchez was robbed of possession that resulted in Adama Traore’s late winning goal.