Premier League Team of the Week

Who else besides Robin van Persie made it to our Premier League Team of the Week? Find out!


The Dutch striker caused the shock of the round as his hat-trick helped trounce Barclays Premier League title contenders 5-3 at Stamford Bridge.

Elsewhere, there were wins for Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur while Newcastle kept up their amazing start to the season with an easier than expected game at Stoke.

GK: Mark Schwarzer (Fulham)

Mark Schwarzer was one of the best keepers on display from a Barclays Premier League round of fixtures which only had three clean sheets from ten matches. As Wigan began to exert some pressure on his Fulham side, the big Australian ensured the Lactics found no joy on the goal front. Schwarzer made crucial stops against David Jones and Ben Watson, including expertly tipping the latter’s volley over the bar. Fulham won 2-0.

RB: Angel Rangel (Swansea City)

Swansea City could not have asked more from their right-back Angel Rangel at the weekend against Bolton Wanderers. The Spaniard was tidy at the back but got forward sensibly as well and it was his ball which provided the assist for Swansea’s third goal (scored by Danny Graham) in their 3-1 win over Bolton.

LB: Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City)



Wolves manager Mick McCarthy must be getting a bit sick of seeing Aleksandar Kolarov. The left-back played in both Manchester City’s midweek 5-2 win over Wolves in the League Cup as well as Saturday’s 3-1 win over the same opposition in the Barclays Premier League. He was influential down the left flank in both games – and even got on the score sheet during Saturday’s 3-1 win.

CB: Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle)

It has taken a while for Fabricio Coloccini to show Newcastle United fans what he is capable of. Signed in 2008, he was part of the Newcastle team which went down at the end of that season. However, the Argentinean stayed on and has been instrumental in transforming the Magpies, who now sit third in the Barclays Premier League following their 3-1 win at Stoke on Monday night. Coloccini, as so often the case now, shone in the victory.

CB: Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)
Nemanja Vidic gave Manchester United fans the perfect remedy to cure their Manchester derby hangover. The Serbian had missed United’s 6-1 defeat to City last weekend but was back in the starting line-up on Saturday to face Everton. His presence at the back ensured United kept a clean sheet against the Toffees, guiding them to a 1-0 win which also allowed Sir Alex Ferguson’s men to keep pace with league leaders City.

RM: Theo Walcott (Arsenal)

Theo Walcott tormented his England colleague Ashley Cole during Arsenal’s 5-3 thrilling win over Chelsea. So while Walcott has certainly had his fair share of critics, they cannot take anything away from the winger’s performance on Saturday at Stamford Bridge. His goal was superbly taken and reminded us all of the quality the Arsenal midfielder possesses.

LM: Nathan Dyer (Swansea City)

Nathan Dyer was one of the stars of the show for Swansea as they swept aside Bolton Wanderers 3-1 on Saturday. He was a constant thorn in Bolton’s side and how he finished the game without a goal is beyond comprehension. Bolton had no answer for him with Ricardo Gardner getting sent-off for a cynical foul on the winger.

CM: Scott Parker (Tottenham Hotspur)



An early candidate for signing of the season? That might be overstretching things somewhat but whatever the case Scott Parker has made a fantastic start to his Tottenham career. On Sunday, it was QPR who felt the full force of Parker’s influence in the middle of the park as they lost 3-1. The England international bossed things for Spurs which allowed the likes of Rafael Van der Vaart to shine ahead of him. The Dutchman has scored in five consecutive Barclays Premier League games and is clearly enjoying the freedom he gets with Parker in the team doing the ‘dirty’ work.

CM: Lucas Leiva (Liverpool)

It would’ve been ridiculous to suggest this a few seasons ago but Liverpool are now a better side with Lucas Leiva in the team. Liverpool – especially Charlie Adam – missed him in their disappointing draw with Norwich over a week ago. On Saturday, Lucas dictated things as the Reds triumphed 2-0 over West Brom. He was covering every blade of grass out there, breaking up the play and allowing Adam to pick out the holes in the Baggies’ defence.

ST: Robin van Persie (Arsenal)

Last week we said that Robin van Persie was the best striker in Barclays Premier League at the moment. Guess what? He still is. The Dutchman’s hat-trick pummeled Chelsea 5-3 at Stamford Bridge and brought up his 28th goal in just 27 Barclays Premier League games in 2011. The only other player to have scored a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge in the league was Kanu back in October 1999 (Opta). A no-brainer for our Team of the Week selection.

ST: Demba Ba (Newcastle)



Stoke manager Tony Pulis has proven to be one of the more shrewd managers in the Barclays Premier League when it comes to the transfer window. However, he will wake up on Tuesday morning regretting his decision not to sign Demba Ba. The former West Ham striker, who nearly moved to Stoke in January, has scored eight goals in his last nine Barclays Premier League games including a hat-trick on Monday night to lead Newcastle to a 3-1 win over Stoke.