This article is part of our The Armband series.
We're only five weeks into the season, but matches are piling up for players on all of the bigger squads. After having to recently deal with the international break, European competition continued this week and all of those matches undoubtedly played a part in Paul Pogba's hamstring injury Tuesday. He may be the first, but he won't be the last major player to go down with some kind of muscle ailment in the coming months. To go with that, not many big-name players were rested in this week's Champions League, so it's a wonder if anything will look different this weekend, namely Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus up front for Man City.
While last week was thought to be a tough one for finding a captain, it wasn't so bad in the end with most of the top choices coming through. All of the big names found the score sheet for Man City, while Alexandre Lacazette tallied in a favorable spot and Romelu Lukaku scored yet again. Maybe most importantly is that it's no longer August, meaning Harry Kane finally laced up his scoring boots.
In Gameweek 5, a number of matchups stand out, with Kane one of the top options for captain. In fact, all of Spurs can be considered for their home match against Swansea even after playing Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday. Assuming all the regulars start, Kane and Christian Eriksen (one goal, three assists) will be hard to pass up for an armband. The interesting thing about the Swans is that the home side has failed to score in all four of their league matches this season. Throw in Tottenham's questionable play at Wembley Stadium and there is a sliver of doubt for anyone looking for reasons not to use a Spurs player.
The good news is that Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United are all at home, while Man City travel to Watford. But with Sadio Mane suspended, there are only two players to consider for the Reds against Burnley. Robert Firmino is probably everyone's first choice, but it can't be overlooked that Mohamed Salah has more shots than Firmino (13-10), despite playing 67 fewer minutes. The absence of Mane should also give worry to Liverpool backers after they weren't the same team without him last season.
Chelsea host an Arsenal side that allowed eight goals in its first three matches and haven't scored away yet. Marcos Alonso could be a sneaky option with the clean sheet possibility, while the full return of Eden Hazard is what everyone is waiting for. Alvaro Morata is the easy choice already with three goals and two assists on 14 shots and six chances created through the first four matches.
The loss of Pogba will definitely hurt Man United, but there's no denying how bad Everton have looked against the best clubs in the league, losing their last two against Chelsea and Spurs by a 5-0 score line. Lukaku is clearly the top captain play, already with four goals that coincides with 20 shots and seven chances created. Henrikh Mkhitaryan could have a bigger role as well after tallying five assists in the first four matches. But after Marouane Fellaini replaced Pogba on Tuesday, there's no question the Belgian provides a much different style of play to the game.
As for Man City, they were in Feyenoord (Netherlands) on Wednesday and fortunately have a short trip to Vicarage Road on Saturday. Deciding on which forward to start could be the biggest question between Aguero and Jesus, and that may lead to Kevin De Bruyne or David Silva as safer options for the armband.
For the differentials, Bournemouth have arguably their easiest match yet against Brighton on Friday. While the Cherries have scored only once, Joshua King still has gotten seven shots off. Manolo Gabbiadini and Southampton travel to a Crystal Palace side that has yet to score while allowing eight. But with a new manager in Roy Hodgson, Palace will be ready to turn their fortunes. While one of those guys could find themselves on the score sheet, the early season has been dominated by the highest-paid players and I'm not willing to use a contrarian captain just yet, especially when all of the big clubs are in favorable spots.
