Big wins for Manchester United and Liverpool and all important ones for Chelsea, Spurs and QPR meant that the JOE five-a-side selection committee were faced with a particularly difficult task this weekend.
It’s around about now that the Premier League really starts to get exciting and with four goals in four of the games and more clarity provided on matters at both ends of the table, the weekend just gone certainly didn’t disappoint.
Manchester United tightened their grip on top spot, while Spurs and Chelsea both earned results that will make them very difficult to shift from the last two Champions League spots.
Swansea, Everton and Liverpool all put the heat on Arsenal in fifth and with QPR the only side in the bottom eight to win a game, there is still a chance that ‘Arry might just pull off mission impossible with a bunch of players who may or may not have spent a week in Dubai on the p*ss depending on what you believe.
Here’s who the JOE team deemed worthy of a place on our five-a-side outfit this weekend.
Goalkeeper: Pepe Reina (Liverpool)
Has been maligned, often deservedly so, at different stages this season, but if it wasn’t for the Spanish ‘keeper, Liverpool’s victory over Wigan mightn’t have been as comfortable as it was in the end.
His stop to keep out a Franco di Santo header was particularly impressive, but he also showed great athleticism to stop a number of other Wigan efforts and showed that rumours of his demise might be a little exaggerated at this stage.
Defender: Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur)
The Norf Landan derby was undoubtedly the most important game of the weekend and although the high-line adopted by both defences was a little bit kamikaze at times, the Belgian distinguished himself with an impressive display at White Hart Lane.
Along with Michael Dawson, Vertonghen snuffed out the threat of Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski, made a couple of crucial last ditch interventions when necessary and it helps Spurs’ style of play that he is a very cool customer when in possession of the ball.
A classy performance.
Midfield: Marouane Fellaini (Everton)
Hasn’t been as effective of late as he was early in the season, but the big Belgian with the brilliant hairdo tormented Reading on Saturday at Goodison Park, producing a towering header from an excellent Seamus Coleman cross to put the Toffees in front and helping Steven Pienaar double that lead with a screamer in the second half.
Whether he’ll stay at Everton after this season remains to be seen, but he’ll still have a huge role to play in the Toffees’ push for a place in Europe between now and the end of the season.
Midfield: Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United)
The Japanese midfielder has been slow to settle at Old Trafford and injury has had a disruptive influence on his debut season, but he showed why Fergie splashed the big bucks during the summer with a classy hat-trick that included two of the coolest finishes you’ll see all season.
His first goal just before the break had a little slice of luck about it but there was nothing fortunate about his finishes for his second – which was pure football porn – and third goals in a treble that’ll do his confidence the world of good ahead of the clash with Real Madrid tomorrow night.
Forward: Luis Suarez (Liverpool)
Little about what the Uruguayan genius does should surprise us given the series of master classes he has delivered this season, the latest of which saw him eclipse Robin van Persie at the top of the scoring charts.
Granted, his second goal was a bit of a comedy of errors – he slipped while taking the free-kick, there was a deflection and Ali Al-Habsi slipped while trying to save it – but the finishes for his first and third goals were the signs of a player at the peak of his powers at the moment.
Encouragingly for Liverpool fans, he also seems to have struck up a remarkably quick understanding with Philippe Coutinho, who was one of the unlucky ones to miss out on selection for this particular outfit this week.
Anyone we missed? Do let us know below.
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