Premier League Team Of The Week Featuring Chelsea, Liverpool And Burnley Stars – Gameweek 3

There were goals aplenty this weekend, with seven sides scoring three or more goals, while there were an incredible 9 goals shared between Everton and Chelsea. Manchester United continued their poor start to the season with a disappointing draw against Burnley, in a match in which they were the poorer of the two sides, while rivals Manchester City were defeated at home by Stoke.

Goal Keeper:

Rob Green 

After a thumping loss against Tottenham, the QPR goalkeeper may have went into the match against Sunderland low on confidence, but the England international played very well, making crucial saves and kept a clean sheet in the process. The keeper hasn’t been a regular in the top flight for a while, but this season it looks like he could be key to QPR’s survival hopes and if he continues to play like he did on Saturday, they will have a number one they can rely on. The former West Ham player will always be remembered for his mistake in South Africa, however he is a solid keeper and he showed that this weekend.

Defenders:

Daryl Janmaat

Although Newcastle have yet to earn a victory this season, one of their new signings is already starting to emerge as one of the top full backs in the Premier League. Janmaat enjoyed an excellent World Cup and it was seen as somewhat of a coup when Newcastle signed the player as a replacement for Debuchy. On his performances to date, it could be argued he is superior to the French full back, especially when it comes to goal threat, the full back has already leveled Debuchy’s tally for the club. He was very good going forward against Crystal Palace and the movement for his goal was excellent.

Ryan Shawcross

The entire Stoke side were excellent against Manchester City, with Ryan Shawcross being the pick. He was dominating in the air and didn’t give the talented City attack any time on the ball. Furthermore Shawcross’ leadership ablities shone through as he ensured the Stoke side remained calm in the closing stages. He was also a handful from set pieces, with his presence being an issue for Manchester City at both ends of the pitch.

Jason Shackell

Even a misfiring Manchester United side offered a huge test for a side who lack in top flight experience, but Jason Shackell was a rock throughout, marshaling the defence well and he kept Robin van Persie very quiet. The highlight of the match for the defender was an excellent challenge on the Dutchman that thwarted a very promising attack.

Alberto Moreno

After a disappointing debut, Alberto Moreno grew as the game went on against Tottenham and looked assured in both halves of the pitch. He took his goal well and caused lots of problems for the Spurs’ backline, while only Steven Gerrard had more touches of the ball than the Spaniard, showing how key he was to the victory.

Click on the next button to continue

Midfielders:

Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling looks set to become a crucial player for club and country as he is quickly becoming one of the most dangerous players in the division. He was a constant threat to Tottenham and scored a well taken goal. His direct running and pace proved too much to deal with for Spurs and his performances could dictate how well Liverpool do this season.

Cesc Fabregas

The Spaniard has been a revelation since he returned to English football and he got another assist this weekend to make it four for the season. He has easily slotted in to add class to the midfield in the absence of Frank Lampard, while Fabregas’ arrival puts less pressure on the likes of Eden Hazard and Oscar to create goals for the striker. The former Barcelona player links up excellently with Diego Costa and that was clear on Saturday.

Dean Marney

He is the second Burnley player in the team of the week and it’s well deserved as the midfielder looked good against the Manchester United midfield, he certainly didn’t look out of place against such quality individuals. The occasion didn’t get to him either as he made several good tackles and interceptions, while his passing was good throughout. He has played the majority of his football in the lower leagues, but he now has the opportunity to establish himself in the top flight, more performances like Saturday and he will do that.

Jason Puncheon

Crystal Palace have been poor over the opening weeks and there were concerns over Jason Puncheon after Neil Warnock was appointed, given the two had a very public spat last season, but there should have been no worries as the midfielder was excellent against Newcastle. He scored a brilliant goal, despite the chance being very hard, he executed a great bit of skill to beat Tim Krul. His pace was a problem for Newcastle all afternoon.

Strikers:

Diego Costa

Chelsea finally look to have found a world class forward to score the goals necessary to become a force both domestically and in Europe. They look to be the best side so far this season as the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool have already slipped up, while Chelsea have come through unscathed and a lot of that is down to Costa. He allows Chelsea to play more offensively and he is a regular goalscorer, as showed by his two goals this weekend.

Mame Biram Diouf

The former Manchester United striker scored an excellent solo goal to beat Manchester City this weekend and it showed his undoubted ability which could make him one of the signings of the summer. He worked hard for Stoke and deserved a goal. Against the bigger teams, you need your strikers to take their chances and produce moments of magic to find a way past the best defenders in the league, Diouf did that.