We have seen some impressive performances in the Barclays Premier League this past week and while it was not possible to grant a berth here to all who excelled, I present to you the Barclays Premier League Team of the week for the last edition of matches.
GK: David De Gea (Manchester United)
Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea could do little about the own goals and that blistering strike from Juan Mata, but he exhibited his talents when he made two stunning saves to keep United level in injury time. First, from Juan Mata’s freekick which looked destined for the top corner, and then from that thunderous long range effort from Gary Cahill. De Gea was also good with long balls and was a commanding presence at the back for United.
RB: Micah Richards (Manchester City) This past week or so of football has not been too kind to defenders who have had a torrid time and this one was a tad difficult. However, in my mind, Micah Richards simply owned the right flank against Fulham and completely negated the threat of Chris Baird altogether. A stellar performance from the England hopeful at right back and I might add, at just the right time.
CD: Michael Turner (Sunderland) Sunderland’s dramatic comeback under their manager Martin O’Neill continued as they registered a 3-0 win over Norwich in midweek before defeating Stoke on the road 1-0. Defensive pairing of John O’Shea and Michael Turner were both at it once more with the latter stealing the headlines with superb displays in both games.
CD: Daniel Agger (Liverpool) Was good against Wolves in midweek as the Reds rallied to a 3-0 victory after a long long time and was even better against Tottenham on Monday night. The Dane completely marked out Emanuel Adebayor from the game which enabled his side to a share of the spoils.
LB: Leighton Baines (Everton) Another man who has done his national team prospects no harm by putting in yet another stellar performance on the left flank. He was especially good at home against Manchester City, who suffered defeat at Merseyside. Later on in the week, Baines provided an assist for Victor Anichebe to level the scores 1-1 against Wigan.
DM: Scott Parker (Spurs) This man is one of the favorites to skipper England in the near future and he proved yet again that he is the best player in his position when he worked tirelessly for the likes of Bale and Modric to shine against Wigan on Tuesday and ensured that his team do not lose out to Liverpool on Monday in a game that just could decide the coveted fourth spot in the Premier League.
RM: Theo Walcott (Arsenal) The man simply terrorized Blackburn on the right flank on the weekend. Walcott provided 3 assists for his teammates in Arsenal’s 7-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers, raising the hopes of the Gunners faithful. Walcott was pristine on his side of the pitch at the Emirates Stadium.
LM: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal) This performance from Oxlade-Chamberlain will rightly send shockwaves across Europe. Arsenal really have a rare talent in the form of this man who is just 18 years of age. I can imagine what he will do at his peak. Scored a couple of good well taken goals before being subbed by Wenger in the second half of the game.
AM: Juan Mata (Chelsea) Electrifying performance against Manchester United this Sunday. Set up one the third goal of the game from a well taken free-kick aimed at David Luiz and scored a blinder of a goal for the second goal. Was desperately unlucky to see his freekick in injury time saved by a brilliant De Gea when it looked destined for the top left corner of the goal.
CF: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney showed a lot of class and proved that he is the main man for United when he stepped up to take the all-important penalty with United trailing Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge. He converted it with panache and the next one too to give them a chance to get something out of the game which they did. The man showed what he is made of. Cometh the hour, cometh the man.
ST: Robin van Persie (Arsenal) Sergio Aguero deserves special mention for his efforts in the last couple of matches, however, van Persie’s hattrick did the trick for Arsenal.
His hattrick against Blackburn in the 7-1 rout of Arsenal also took him past Dennis Bergkamp in the goalscoring charts of his club. The flying Dutchman now has 22 goals and 7 assists to his credit so far this season makes him the most potent player in the English Premier League at the present time.