Home » Teams » Arsenal » 4 Arsenal Stars And 1 Manchester United Defender Feature In EPL Team Of The Week (17-19 January)

4 Arsenal Stars And 1 Manchester United Defender Feature In EPL Team Of The Week (17-19 January)

Premier League Team Of The Week (17-19 January)

Foster – The England international has provided West Brom with a solid base for a number of years now and he was once again impressive on Monday. Everton weren’t at their best, but they still put West Brom under pressure and Foster coped well, making a few good saves. He also dominated his box, claiming multiple balls into the box. Tony Pulis has made West Brom hard to beat and Foster provides an excellent last wall of defence.

Jenkinson – Carl Jenkinson provided back up for years at Arsenal and now he is showing his class as a Premier League player in the West Ham back four. He has shown himself to be a very capable defender and a player who can get forward and provide dangerous crosses for the likes of Andy Carroll. On Sunday he was impressive once again, it’s no surprise that West Ham want to make the move permanent, and if he continues to develop at his current rate he will be an excellent player.

Mertesacker – Arsenal were excellent on Sunday against the champions. Many thought that Sergio Aguero would dominate the battle against the German international, but Metesacker was brilliant, making some key interceptions  and defending well from the barrage of corners that came from Manchester City. His partnership with Laurent Koscielny provided the platform for the Arsenal victory and if they stay fit, Arsenal will have a great chance of clinching Champions League football yet again.

Marcos Rojo
Marcos Rojo

Rojo – The Argentinian World Cup star is growing into his role at Manchester United and he is showing signs that he will be an excellent player going forwards. He has the strength, intelligence and defensive abilities to be an impressive player and he has a passing range that means he can set up attacks from the back. At the moment, he is lacking a partner who can be the leader in the back four, but he was great on Saturday and key man Charlie Austin was reduced to few chances.

Monreal – The left back is starting to move ahead of Kieran Gibbs in the thoughts of Arsene Wenger after a difficult period covering at centre half. On Sunday, he kept Jesus Navas and Pablo Zabaleta relatively quiet down City’s right hand side, while he provided a good outlet going forward for Arsenal. His clever movement and attacking impulses led the the penalty being awarded and it was a key contribution that was crucial in the victory.

Coquelin – The Frenchman has been incredible since returning from his loan spell at Charlton. He was playing against world class players in Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Jesus Navas and he didn’t look out of place. Arsenal fans will point to the fact that the side requires a defensive midfielder with more experience, but it’s positive to see the development of Coquelin. The youngster provided an effective shield in front of the back four and stopped a lot of attacks before they became too dangerous.

Cazorla

Cazorla
Cazorla

 

It’s difficult not to pick Arsenal players in the team this week as they were truly exceptional at the Etihad playing a game that wasn’t a typical Arsenal game plan. The key to that and probably the standout player of the week was Santi Cazorla, who was everywhere. He was putting in tackles in his own half and dictating the game in the City half. He scored a penalty under pressure in front of the City fans, before providing an excellent delivery from a free kick for Olivier Giroud to head home. The Spaniard is in the prime of his career and is a key part of the Arsenal side going forward.

Oscar – The Brazilian is the only Chelsea player in the team this week, which is incredible given they were so impressive and tore a good Swansea side to pieces. Oscar has been excellent for a number of weeks now and his two goals were well taken in Wales. Meanwhile his contributions in attack were consistent and he caused a real problem for Swansea all afternoon. At the age of 23, Oscar has a real chance of developing into one of the stars of world football.

Eriksen – Christian Eriksen has been quality all season long and has scored a lot of crucial goals this season. He once again popped up with the winner against Sunderland with a well struck goal. Eriksen was back to his self against Sunderland after a dip in performance against Crystal Palace. He gave Spurs real direction in the final third and as usual controlled the pace of the game with his passing.

Elia – Eljero Elia was a signing that was questioned by many people as the winger has obvious quality, but has struggled to find consistency in the past. He has been at a number of big clubs, and has failed to live up to his undoubted potential. On Saturday, his pace and movement saw him get in behind the Newcastle defence twice and on both occasions he showed strength to hold of countryman Daryl Janmaat and slot past Tim Krul. Under Ronald Koeman, he could finally start to perform on a consistent basis.

Gayle – The striker is another English talent who is scoring goals in the Premier League, showing that talent is still coming through the ranks in this country. Alan Pardew’s appointment has seen an upturn in performances for Crystal Palace and Gayle eptomises that. Against Burnley, he scored two goals and got the assist for the other goal, and he led Palace to an incredible victory. He hasn’t had a regular place in the side since joining Palace last summer, this could be his chance.