The football season has now been underway for more than a month and the first European team of the month has assembled. Barcelona, who won the treble last season, are yet to hit top gear, but there was still room for one of their players to make the XI. Surprisingly, however, there is no room to accommodate the best player in the world, Lionel Messi.
Instead, there is a berth for a player that many Barcelona fans may indeed have forgotten they even had amongst their ranks. On August 10, 2014, Luis Enrique’s side announced the signing of Thomas Vermaelen from Arsenal for a fee believed to be in the region of £12m. The Belgium international wouldn’t make his debut until the end of May after seeing his first season in La Liga slaughtered by injuries.
Now, however, the former Arsenal defender appears to have put those injury concerns behind him, with many sighting his impact at this primitive stage of the season like having a new signing at the club. Even the defender himself admitted to finally feeling like a Barcelona player in the wake of their 1-0 win over Malaga at the weekend.
In fact, it was the 29-year-old’s well-taken volley late into the second half that ensured Enrique’s men started the defence of their league title with back-to-back victories.
Although, it wasn’t just the goal he scored that earned him a place in the European team of the month, but actually his work at the back that has seen the reigning champions record back-to-back clean sheets. The versatile defender’s ability to read the game in front of him has been a particularly rich source for Barcelona’s ability to turn the ball over. In fact, of players to have featured in both league games this season, only two players are averaging more interceptions per game than Vermaelen (4.5).
Additionally, only three other defenders are winning more aerial duels per game than the Belgian (4), which is an added bonus for Enrique’s side, who are known to be vulnerable from set pieces.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly for a player that has missed the best part of a year, he is already showing his worth to the Barcelona style of keeping possession with short and incisive passing. The players pass success rate of (92.3%) is the highest of any teammate and a feat bettered by just four players to have started in both league games, accentuating his statistically calculated strength of ‘passing’.
Only Gareth Bale (8.65) has performed better than Vermaelen (8.51) in the opening two rounds of La Liga matches this season.
For more stats on Thomas Vermaelen, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
