Here we go again, another edition of my team of the week, I blogged in a while as I was occupied with Christmas holidays as well as work regarding mock exams, which have been a pain in my ass especially since it stopped me from watching the football last week, so I guess better late than never.
Goalkeeper - Artur Boruc
I think this was a hard choice this weekend unlike last time where it looked easy to pick Joe Hart for his performance which was outstanding, none of the keepers had massive performances as the ones who were on the winning side generally had very little to do or the losing side keepers didn't really pull off many great saves. I think I picked Boruc from my view of being a Goalkeeper myself I know how hard it is to have a quiet game then get sporadic chances come at you and well you aren't really ready but Boruc managed to do the opposite of that and in a game where he was rarely tested, whenever he was, he pulled off a great save, especially Long's attempt at the end of the game. In a weekend which was poor for Goalkeepers Boruc stands out.
Left Back - Luke Shaw
This was between Baines and Shaw for me, but I don't know what it is about Baines but as a defender he worries me and this is also why I still prefer Cole as England number one to him, that's a different story though. Against Norwich Baines was fantastic and got forward fantastically, his crossing ability is immense and I love seeing a Left back get forward and showing his midfielders how it is done, but against Norwich he was never under real pressure for a side who only had 2 shots on target, however West Brom only had 2 shots on target but the way they played is classic West Brom. They won more duels, had way more interceptions and, whilst had a small amount of possession compared to S'ton, were not being dominated in terms of plays. Shaw was great in making sure that West Brom weren't going to win it on the counter and not only was great in getting forward to support his team mates he was even better when back supporting the Centre backs.
Right Back - Seamus Coleman
I am sorry but yes I couldn't help it, again this man has been on fire, he was my right back last time and again he is in the same position. I don't know what Martinez has been feeding this lad during the off season but it is obviously working and if I was in Roberto's position I would be giving him buckets full. In a position I thought Everton were needing a replacement in during the pre season he has come in and made it his own, and whilst some believed he was too attacking as a full back he fits in with Baines on the left as a great attacking counterpart where the left and right mids in the Everton side generally cut in now, Baines and Coleman will overlap and look for the cross or Coleman however likes to take it one more and will even go for the goal, he is immense and until a different right back steps up, he might be here next week too.
Centre Back - Per Mertesacker
Big Per as he is known, was great against Villa, and whilst they conceded, sometimes that doesn't affect my view of a centre backs performance because well just look at the Southampton - WBA game, the centre backs in the game all played well and weren't poor yet a side lost in the end. Mertesacker is one the players making Arsenal big contenders for the title this season and after a rocky debut season in the BPL has become one of the best in the league in my opinion and with his performance in the the Villa match deserves all the respect he gets for his style of play, he is the rock in my defence for this 11.
Centre Back - Nemanja Vidic
It's funny how the last time I did this list Vidic was pipped by Mertesacker to get into my squad, however now this time they are alongside together and whilst if I was actually buying my squad this would never happen, I am going by their performances this weekend and Vidic was outstanding against Swansea. Living around Liverpool supporters means you hear them slag off Vidic a lot, especially for his erm not so shiny disciplinary record against Liverpool but against the Swans he was outstanding and this is why I like him, if the rumours are try he is ready to leave Old Trafford that performance will definitely have proven that he is worth a solid bid from any club, supposedly a certain German club sitting in 7th in the Bundesliga.
Right Mid - Adam Johnson
Wow.
Can I leave it at that? Against Fulham he was incredible, this is what he should be doing each weekend or a performance that good on most weekends! He proved he was that good when he was at Middlesbrough and earned himself a transfer to Manchester City but we are all seeing that for any young English player, that is a poor move *Cough* Scott Sinclair *Cough* and that lack of real consistent game time damaged him, just like Gareth Barry, people soon laughed off the idea of him playing for England and playing well all together, but a £10 Million move to Sunderland, where he was rather average for his first season, he is playing a lot better and starting to really get back into some good form, but if he can keep up consistency then he might be here again next week.
Left Mid- Matt Jarvis
I nearly picked Hazard again and I think he would have probably deserved it with the scintillating form he is on which whenever got the ball on Saturday had me smirking and sitting on the edge of my seat ready to laugh in how amazing he can be. However Matt Jarvis showed off some of his best form against Cardiff having a whale of a time making my dear beloved team look hopeless at home not for the first time this season, he gave Theophile - Catherine a hard time on the wings, it was hard for me to admit that he was class against us and in a game we deserved to maybe get a draw from he created the difference when West Ham was on top. No more on Cardiffs loss now please.
Central Mid - Gareth Barry
Well last season we had a Gareth being the catalyst of a team fighting for the top four and now we have another, one being the young Welsh Gareth Bale, and well this one is a bit less of a star. Gareth Barry has come to Everton and many believed he would do very little, even me, but with consistent football it is a wonder what playing can do to a player I once said he was picked last in PE constantly and yet somehow still went Pro, but now I have eaten my words and the way he played against Norwich was just the round up of what he can do now he is on form, not only does the lad have a ridiculous range of passing, successful passing may I add but also he can score you a great distance shot, with power, lots of power. I think if Gareth keeps working this hard and playing this well, Roy might have to look into taking him on the plane to Rio over someone like Cleverley...
Central Mid - Adnan Januzaj
I personally am very sceptical of this lad, it seems every time Manchester United fans declare a youngster the next Christiano Ronaldo, they have a career which leads to very little success and ends up playing for some mid table side in Russia, Italy or a big side in Asia. However that is why I am sceptical, in terms of playing, I think he has a lot to give to any side, being able to play generally anywhere but Central Defensive Mid he is a utility midfielder and does the job best out wide, and showed that off against Swansea. He played well and was a part of most attacks and whilst he was starting out in the CAM position he constantly drifted out wide and allowed Kagawa to move further forward into the centre.
Central Attacking Mid - Charlie Adam
Other than Suarez he was the best player out there during that match and deserved the goal he scored and I think that the game would have gone differently if the Referee hadn't of given a penalty for Sterling's fall, which was soft! However that isn't what I am arguing, Adam plays well in smaller clubs and he showed up as Stokes best player on the day and scored a cracking strike, but he is also a strong player and really showed that when fighting for possession, he was a catalyst in quite a few of Stokes plays and did a great job, but unfortunately was on the losing team to what was a stronger Liverpool side, I nearly gave this position to Gerrard but felt whilst he was great too he lost the ball a lot and in the holding midfield Deep lying playmaker role he was playing, he lost it too much.
Striker - Luis Suarez
Nice to know I can actually put one of the strongest strikers here instead of like last time where none of them played strong enough. Suarez in my opinion is the best striker in the world at the moment, I am a bit keen on Ibra but that is more a personal love for the Swede, this man is Intense, I can't wait to see him in the world cup, hopefully he will be better than at the Confed cup, but more on the reason he is here, he was too good for a cracked Stoke defence, and both his goals were taken so well, I love the guy, and even more now that he has that bad attitude out of his game, unlike Barton, his wasn't loveable but more just crazy. This man deserves all the plaudits he gets when he is on the form he is on now and I would pay silly money for him, which maybe from what I hear might be coming along this summer.
Again thanks for reading, I hope you agree with my choices and if not leave a comment on who you would replace and why, thanks for the time!
