#player-performance

#player-performance

Liverpool spent big in the summer transfer window, but their signings have not paid off. They have arguably become worse despite spending over £400 million over the summer. Arne Slot's side were defeated 3-0 by Manchester City yesterday, which left them eighth in the Premier League. The defending champions are now eight points behind the leaders Arsenal after 11 games.

It has been a tough fall league for the Glendale Desert Dogs. They dropped five of their six contests last week, moving into last place in the league, and the Atlanta Braves prospects haven't done much to help them out. Jim Jarvis and Luke Sinnard had a strongly positive impact on the team, but only in limited playing time, and elsewhere Braves players struggled to have good days.

After a summer filled with drama and trade rumors, Robertson and the Leafs agreed to a one-year deal. This was seen by many as a prove-it deal. The last chance for Robertson to prove he can be a constant contributor in the lineup. The hope was that not being guaranteed a spot in the future would light a fire under Robertson and finally have him live up to his potential.

However, one player who has impressed a lot and overall this season is Fermin Lopez, who is seemingly making a case for becoming the club's number one choice in the No. 10 position. Fermin, after all, is one of the few players who have performed well for Barcelona lately. He notably scored a hat-trick in the win over Olympiacos, while the Spaniard quietly produced one of the better performances for Barcelona in the defeat to Real Madrid.

The third-year defensive end is reportedly a healthy scratch for the first time in his career on Sunday, an indication of just how far he has fallen since the Patriots drafted him in the second round in 2023. He was projected to thrive under Mike Vrabel, after a tough year in the Jerod Mayo era, but we have yet to see that come to fruition.

It was a disappointing season, though Kansas City really performed rather admirably considering that they got just 13 starts out of staff ace Cole Ragans while found himself sidelined for the second half by an injury of his own. While health in the rotation helped to sink the team this year, it's possible that the team's deep arsenal of starters could help them reinvent the team on the trade market as they look ahead to 2026.

It's way too early to label a game as a must-win for the Miami Heat, but there's no question that all eyes will be on Bam Adebayo heading into their second game of the season against the Memphis Grizzlies. And this is not necessarily about the fact that the Heat have now gone winless through their first six preseason games, and then in the season opener.

You're too much.

Arsenal legend David Seaman has praised summer signing Viktor Gyokeres for getting better as he's gone on after two goals against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League this week. The Sweden international arrived at Arsenal from Sporting Lisbon this summer with a big reputation, having scored a frankly ridiculous 97 goals in 102 games in his two years in Portugal.

Along with getting results, Bayern have shown dominance by playing an expansive style of football. Harry Kane is leading from the front in the attack. The English forward has scored 19 goals for Die Roten across all competitions. He looks better from last season, which is remarkable since he chipped in with 55 goals and assists in 51 appearances last campaign. Kane already has 22 goals and assists in 11 games across all competitions.

Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali is effectively contracted to the club until 2030 after it was revealed the midfielder signed an extension during his 10-month suspension for gambling offences. Tonali joined Newcastle from AC Milan in July 2023 on a five-year contract, but saw his first season prematurely ended when his ban was handed down in October. According to multiple reports, the Italy international then approached the club about taking a pay cut.

Skating with Connor McMichael and Tom Wilson on the left wing of the second line, Lapierre gave the Capitals 10 minutes and 47 seconds of dependable, if not dominant, hockey. The Capitals held positive differentials in shot attempts (+15), shots on goal (+9), scoring chances (+10), and high-danger chances (+5) with the 23-year-old forward on the ice.

Merino is surely good enough to be getting more opportunities with Arsenal, with the former Real Sociedad man earning a 9.9 score from WhoScored in the game against Bulgaria. Their stats show that Merino had two shots on target and scored with both of them, while he also made one successful tackle and interception, and completed 87% of his passes.

Matheus Cunha has revealed that Manchester United's turbulent start to their 2025-26 campaign has made it feel like he has been at the club for much longer. Cunha made the move to Old Trafford from Wolves over the summer for a reported transfer fee of £62.5m after a stellar campaign in the Premier League last term. In 2024-25, Cunha made 33 top-flight outings, finishing the league campaign with a team-high 15 goals.

Take the 2024-25 season, for example, where he scored 42 goals across all competitions, including 27 in La Liga, showcasing his remarkable consistency. His scoring ability remains unmatched within the current Barcelona squad, offering a strong advantage in tight matches where experience and composure are key. Beyond his goals, Lewandowski brings leadership on and off the pitch, mentoring younger players and instilling a winning mentality that is essential in a team with several emerging stars.

Chelsea fans will have had mixed feelings when their club moved to sign Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United in the summer. The Argentine was a bit of a controversial figure at Old Trafford, having started out as a promising youngster who looked like he had the potential to become a real world-beater. However, in the end Garnacho was not too popular with Man Utd fans due to a lack of consistency and some signs of a poor attitude.

For a while, Dick was the first action on every play down. They were playing out of delay, and waiting for Dick to jostle loose of his player and into a handoff to kick things off. It worked out alright, as his aggression helped create some looks (and some free throws that he uncharacteristically split 2-4) but by the end of the 8 minute stretch he was dog tired.

Evgeny Kuznetsov is back on the KHL scoresheet after signing a one-year contract with Metallurg Magnitogorsk earlier this month. The 33-year-old center recorded the primary assist on Metallurg's first goal in a 4-1 victory over Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod on Friday. After receiving an outlet pass from defenseman Alexander Siryatsky, Kuznetsov sped down the left wing into Torpedo's zone where the veteran pivot avoided two checks and found 18-year-old linemate Mikhail Fyodorov for the slam dunk finish.

the Toronto Maple Leafs back during the summer of 2018, he had only one thing in mind. That was to fulfill his childhood dreams to play for his hometown and lead the Maple Leafs to a Stanley Cup title. Tavares has sure done all he could during the past seven seasons with Toronto, posting three 35+ goals and four 70+ points campaigns while being part of the now-defunct "core four" along with Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander to lead the offensive attack.

The A's announced that Lawrence Butler underwent surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his right knee. The outfielder also received a platelet-rich plasma injection to address patellar tendonitis in his opposite knee. The club didn't announce a specific recovery timeline but said that Butler will rehab during the offseason in preparation for Spring Training. Butler is coming off a middling season.

The worst-case scenario has played out thus far for both players. Sainristil is off to a rough start, though he did come up with Washington's first takeaway of the year with a Week 4 interception. Lattimore looks like a shell of his four-time Pro Bowl self. He has been targeted in pass coverage and consistently struggled to keep up with faster receivers. Penalties have also been an issue for the Ohio State product.

With another week of football passing by, we have a whole new set of new performances to set the standard around Europe for who the top players around are. Let's look at who's on top of the world this week. For the unfamiliar, the nature of this list is as follows:- The intrinsic feature of 'power rankings' is to have a recency bias, showcasing who's trending upwards rather than just averaging out the entire season so far.