Gameweek 19
#5 Worst / most ineffective player: Papy Djilobodji
Match: Burnley vs Sunderland
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Djilobodji had an afternoon to forget at the Turf Moor as he put in a performance that belied his recent solid outings for the Black Cats.
The Senegalese defender has been dependable in recent Sunderland games but against the Clarets, he was probably at his worst. Djilobodji was culpable for more than one Burnley goal and the fact that he couldn’t keep up with Andre Gray was clear as daylight, what with his pulling and impeding the Burnley striker.
He will have to be better than on this evidence if Sunderland have any intention of climbing out of the relegation zone.
Honourable mentions: Jordi Amat (vs Bournemouth), Angelo Ogbonna (vs Leicester City), Étienne Capoue (vs Tottenham Hotspur), Cuco Martina (vs West Brom)
Gameweek 20
Worst / most ineffective player: Fernandinho
Match: Manchester City vs Burnley
Manchester City’s midfielder should have known better than to commit a rash scissor challenge so early into the game.
Fernandinho’s tackle was reckless, mistimed and as ridiculous as they come, and the referee was spot on in sending him off.
30 minutes into a crucial game in the New Year, the Brazilian made a two-footed lunge on Burnley’s Johann Berg Gudmundsson resulting in a straight red. In doing so, he was not only callous but also indifferent to the fact that his team would have to play with a man less for more than an hour.
It was also his second red card of the season in the league and third in six games across all competitions. At the time of writing this article, his appeal against the red card had been rejected and he is set to face a 4-game ban.
Honourable mentions: Andros Townsend (vs Swansea), Sebastian Prodl (vs Stoke City), Hector Bellerin (vs Bournemouth), Emre Can (vs Sunderland)
