The Premier League makes a return on Boxing Day folks, and by the 28th December every one of the 20 top flight clubs will have kicked off the second half of the campaign.
We’ll see many of the stars who made the Qatar World Cup worth watching back in their club colours in a post Christmas festival of football, kicking off with Brentford vs Tottenham Hotspur in the early Monday match. The round closes when Leeds United entertain Manchester City on Wednesday and that will be a game packed with World Cup stars including the Whites’ Rasmus Kristensen and City’s Bernardo Silva for starters.
Those two players had decent World Cup 2022 campaigns but which players from the Premier League really stood out in Qatar? Well…here are my fantastic five.
Emi Martinez: Argentina and Aston Villa
He earned himself a yellow card for his antics during the World Cup final shootout but Emiliano Martinez won’t care one bit as another star performance between the sticks helped the Albiceleste to become World Champions. The Aston Villa man played a big role in Argentina’s penalty shootout win over the Netherlands in the Round of 16, and when he saved Kingsley Coman’s spot kick in the final France had a big hill to climb. Martinez’ mind games were enough to heap pressure onto the shoulders of Aurelien Tchouameni who promptly dragged his penalty wide and that was pretty much game over.
Martinez won the Golden Glove and he was happy to wind the France up as they booed him from the stands. He won’t be welcome in Paris but he’ll always be a hero in Buenos Aires.
Alexis MacAllister: Argentina and Brighton and Hove Albion
He didn’t write the headlines after Argentina’s historic campaign in Qatar, but Brighton midfielder Alexis MacAllister won plenty of admirers worldwide with his all action display and he was one of the standout players in the final. Lionel Messi was the big story of the final, but MacAllister played a huge part in the Albiceleste’s winning campaign. And he capped it off with a sublime pass to put Angel Di Maria in for Argentina’s second goal.
Premier League fans may wonder why, with a name like MacAllister, the Brighton man plays for Argentina and not Ireland. But he was born in the country he plays for, brought up in La Pampa. And his father, Carlos MacAllister played for Boca Juniors and won three caps for Argentina in 1993.
Another Argentine we must give an honourable mention to is Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez who scored four goals in the competition. We can pretty much guarantee some spectacular Premier League 2022 highlights from the young striker who linked up beautifully with Messi in Qatar.
Hakim Ziyech: Morocco and Chelsea
The Atlas Lions were the surprise package of the tournament, reaching the semi-final, and they played almost the perfect competition as a superbly well organised outfit with all their big names performing to their best. Chelsea winger Ziyech hasn’t always wowed the fans at Stamford Bridge but they will be delighted if he produces his Qatar form back in West London. His electrifying pace, superb ball skills and delivery with either foot made him Morocco’s biggest threat throughout, and Ziyech lifted the levels of the players around him.
Kyle Walker: England and Manchester City
The toughest jobs in the World Cup fell to those players who were tasked with marking the best strikers, and Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappe was the hottest player to handle. He scored a hat-trick in the final but Mbappe had little chance to shine against England as the Three Lions wingback kept him quiet. Kyle Walker could match Mbappe for pace and had him in his pocket for much of the quarter final.
They might be five points behind leaders Arsenal, but the Premier League 2022 betting odds here at SBOTOP price the Sky Blues as 1.45 favourites to retain their league title, and City fans know just how important Walker is.
Richarlison: Brazil and Tottenham Hotspur
With three goals from four games Richarlison was Brazil’s top scorer, Neymar scoring twice, and he seemed to come of age in Qatar. As the main man at Watford and then Everton, Richarlison often seemed to take too much on his shoulders. He almost kept the Toffees up last season single handed, but since moving to Spurs he has been surrounded by better players, and in the Brazil side he was equally impressive without having to try too hard.
His clever movement and effortless control of the ball were a joy to watch and Spurs fans could be in for a treat on Boxing Day.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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