Gab Sutton's EFL Team of the Week: Joe Williams the star performer

By Gab Sutton

Football

Wed December 27, 2023 · 2y ago

Gab Sutton is a football expert who specialises in the Sky Bet EFL.

After every weekend of action, he builds an EFL Team of the Week and picks out a Sporting Life Star performer.

Goalkeeper

Max Crocombe (Burton Albion): Burton Albion could be far adrift at the bottom of League One if they didn’t have Max Crocombe in goal. Out of all the League One goalkeepers with more than one appearance to their name, Crocombe has averaged the most saves per 90 at 3.6, according to WhoScored.

The 30-year-old was at it again in Boxing Day’s 1-0 win over Blackpool, making some top stops whilst assisting the only goal of the game, with a boot upfield for Bobby Kamwa.

Defenders

Wout Faes (Leicester City): Leicester couldn’t quite hold onto victory in Boxing Day evening’s 1-1 draw at Ipswich, but Wout Faes certainly deserved to be on the winning side.

The 25-year-old delivered a classy performance at Portman Road, reading the game superbly, timing his interventions impeccably, whilst also spraying passes to the flanks with distinction, and even going on the odd forward foray, as the tactical setup encourages.

The Belgian’s international calibre will be integral to the Foxes’ bid to pull further clear of Tuesday's opponents, plus Leeds and Southampton, and run away with top spot.

Sean Morrison (Rotherham United): Rotherham kept their gap to safety in single digits on Boxing Day, with a 1-0 win over Play-Off chasers Middlesbrough, and Morrison was arguably the best player on the pitch.

Forging a strong understanding with Hakeem Odoffin and Sebastien Revan, Morrison was a leader and a warrior, organising the defensive unit around him superbly.

If the Millers are to beat the drop this season, ‘Morro’ will be key – although the way Leam Richardson sets the team up may play to his strengths a little better than Matt Taylor’s way.

Dean Lewington (MK Dons): Jack Payne might have represented MK Dons in our XI in different circumstances, but this Boxing Day, it was all about Dean Lewington.

The 39-year-old has broken the record for most league appearances for a professional English club, amassing a whopping 771 games for the Buckinghamshire outfit since 2004-05.

That’s worth celebrating, and given how progressive Lewington remains in possession, under an expansive coach in Mike Williamson, and that he won the free-kick for the goal in the 1-0 win over Colchester, we’ll give him his due.

Wing-backs

Junior Tchamadeu (Stoke City): Young POTY in League Two last season for Colchester, Tchamadeu is unquestionably a prodigious talent, but the question was whether he could step up in his first season for an ambitious Championship club.

The answer has been an emphatic yes, with the 20-year-old’s pace and power helping him massively with the physical aspect of the new challenge, allowing him to carry a threat while he’s still refining his technical game.

Tchamadeu’s end product needs polishing, but he’s getting into the right positions, taking on his opponents at will, and delivered arguably his best performance yet for Stoke in the 3-1 victory at Birmingham.

Liam Millar (Preston North End): Liam Millar has represented something of a dilemma for PNE boss Ryan Lowe this season, in that he’s extremely dangerous going forward, but that his attacking mentality as a left wing-back has led to certain structural imbalances that had become problematic in recent heavy defeats.

In Saturday’s 2-1 win over Leeds, though, the return of Andrew Hughes made a massive difference, with the left centre-backs proficiency in one-on-one scenarios had a freeing effect, allowing Millar’s forward-thinking to become far more of a strength than a weakness.

The Basel loanee was brilliant, dancing around the opposing right-back, whilst bringing penetrative directness and one-on-one qualities that really opened the game up for the hosts.

Midfielders

🌟 Joe Williams (Bristol City): Liam Manning likes his energetic, all-action midfielders: he had one in David Kasumu at MK Dons, and now he has another at Bristol City, in Joe Williams.

The 27-year-old is striving to make up for lost time, after being hit by injuries in his early-to-mid 20s, but he looks back to his best under Manning, bringing spirit, tenacity and an incredible engine to the City midfield.

Williams was man-of-the-match in Boxing Day’s 4-1 win at Watford, and will be hoping he can use that performance as a springboard for a strong 2024.

Louis Thompson (Stevenage): Stevenage not only beat Northampton 3-0 on Boxing Day, they restricted their visitors – who started one of the most technical midfielders in the league in Marc Leonard – to just two shots all afternoon in the ultimate indication of control.

That reflects superbly on the defence, but perhaps especially the midfield, where Louis Thompson won man-of-the-match.

The former Portsmouth midfielder got stuck in and won a lot of second ball contests, in a performance highlighting a player with Championship quality – the only reason he isn’t playing at that level is injuries.

Lewis Brunt (Mansfield Town): Mansfield boss Nigel Clough values versatility in his players, so Lewis Brunt’s demonstration of that will certainly land the Leicester loanee in his good books.

Brunt had starred at centre-back, but it’s a particularly strong area for the Stags, with Aden Flint and Baily Cargill proving two of the signings of the season, fixing what had been an area of vulnerability in previous campaigns.

The 23-year-old, though, showed an outstanding passing range, which inspired Clough to play him at the base of midfield, initially, when Louis Reed was suspended, and then alongside the former Swindon man.

In fact, Brunt’s contributions have encouraged Clough to switch from his favoured 4-4-2 diamond to a narrow 4-2-3-1, and he was outstanding in a 2-0 victory over Grimsby, in which Town had 39 shots – the most in the top four leagues of English football since Man City beat West Brom 3-0 in March 2015.

Forwards

John McAtee (Barnsley): The loss of James Norwood to Oldham had hit Barnsley hard at the start of the season, despite the goalscoring form of Devante Cole, because they missed the former’s relentless pressing.

McAtee might not be as physical or brutish as Norwood, but he does persistently hassle and harry defences, which has the effect of helping Tarn refamiliarize themselves with one of their core strengths from 2022-23.

The former Scunthorpe man bagged a brace in Boxing Day’s 3-2 win at Port Vale, taking his seasonal tally to eight – not bad, for someone who didn’t arrive until late in the window.

George Lloyd (Cheltenham Town): After catching the eye at the back-end of 2017-18, George Lloyd was hoped to be a breakthrough star at Cheltenham, but instead he spent a few years on the periphery.

The academy prospects only season of more than 13 league appearances was 2020-21, and while he featured 32 times in the League Two title win that season, he only scored two goals and many of his 18 starts came due to injuries.

Most years, he’s either been loaned out, or hung around as fourth choice striker as a result of 3-5-2 being the predominant formation – but this season has been different.

Wade Elliott was sacked due to one (own) goal for Town in 13 in all competitions at the start of the campaign and his replacement, Darrell Clarke, favours aggressive pressing from the front, likewise his assistant Adam Murray.

That has favoured Lloyd, who has always been a willing runner with a thirst to battle, his application epitomized by his versatility, and ability to be effective in the air even at 5’8”.

Lloyd is now enjoying the best season of his career under Clarke’s guidance, and now he has his first goals of the campaign, thanks to a brace in Boxing Day’s 2-0 win over Shrewsbury.

Manager

Jason Goodliffe (Sutton United): Goodliffe inherited an arduous job as caretaker, after club legend Matt Gray was sacked following an 8-0 mauling by Stockport.

It was an improved showing under his watch the following Saturday, even if they lost 2-0 to a top Mansfield side, enjoying some moments of control that offered a modicum of hope, before a local derby at Play-Off contenders Wimbledon, 1-0.

Gray had been a 4-4-2 disciple, but Goodliffe’s subtle switch to 4-4-1-1 proved crucial to finding a touch more control of the midfield areas, whilst giving wide men Josh Coley and Omari Patrick the freedom they required to flourish.

The 45-year-old has handled a difficult time with real distinguish and, based on the first two performances, will likely get the chance to keep the club up this season.

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