Premier League - Team of the week

Eurosport - Mon, 08 Dec 19:43:00 2008

Michael Owen and Deco turn things around to nestle among the week's stars, while Emmanuel Eboue has a lucky escape.

FOOTBALL Michael Owen Newcastle - 0

HOW IT WORKS

We tot up the marks out of 10 awarded in five national newspapers - The Sun, The Mirror, The Mail, The Times and The Guardian - to create a total out of 50. The top player in each position will be rewarded with a spot in the team of the week, while the worst scorers will be named and shamed in our Flops XI.

TEAM OF THE WEEK (4-4-2)

Top headline-grabber this weekend was Aston Villa's Ashley Young , whose stoppage-time winner trumped Joleon Lescott's stoppage-time equaliser just 60 seconds earlier. Both are in the team of the week, as is Young's team-mate Martin Laursen, whose defensive display was reckoned best of the week. Xabi Alonso shone in Liverpool's win at Blackburn, while both Deco and Michael Owen brushed off last weekend's poor performances to make the team this time round. Sunderland's Danny Collins wasn't far off doing the same, but was kept out of the side by Nemanja Vidic .

GK: Marton Fulop (Sunderland) - 37

RB: Glen Johnson (Portsmouth) - 37

CB: Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United) - 37

CB: Martin Laursen (Aston Villa) - 38

LB: Joleon Lescott (Everton) - 35

RM: Jimmy Bullard (Fulham) - 37

CM: Xabi Alonso (Liverpool) - 39

CM: Deco (Chelsea) - 36

LM: Ashley Young (Aston Villa) - 40

FW: Michael Owen (Newcastle) - 38

FW: Geovanni (Hull City) - 36

FLOPS OF THE WEEK

It seems a little harsh on Petr Cech that he makes the flops team this week, considering that he kept a clean sheet. All we can suggest is that Cech might like to contact Russell Kempson at The Times to see why he only earned three out of ten, the score which dipped him just below West Brom's Scott Carson. Elsewhere, there was a bad week for Bolton and a lucky escape for Emmanuel Eboue: the Arsenal defender's lamentable performance is ineligible, since he only came off the bench to replace the injured Samir Nasri. Had he played in the same manner from the start, he would not only have been in the side but also its captain. And probably even player-manager.

GK: Petr Cech (Chelsea) - 26

RB: Andy Griffin (Stoke) - 28

CB: Phil Jagielka (Everton) - 25

CB: Andy O'Brien (Bolton) - 23

LB: Jlloyd Samuel (Bolton) - 24

RM: Nadir Belhaji (Portsmouth) - 22

CM: Fabrice Muamba (Bolton) - 22

CM: Salif Diao (Stoke) - 25

LM: Ryan Babel (Liverpool) - 26

FW: Djibril Cisse (Sunderland) - 25

FW: Henri Camara (Wigan) - 25

TEAM OF THE SEASON (minimum eight starts)

Two tabloid favourites feel the wrath of less glamorous players this week, with City's Michael Ball ousting Ashley Cole and Hull's Geovanni leapfrogging Wayne Rooney in the team of the season rankings. Rooney, however, keeps his place thanks to Fernando Torres finally becoming inelegible - he's now played less than half of Liverpool's matches this season. Another red-top darling - the relentless Frank Lampard - is well clear in the early Player of the Season running.

GK: Shay Given (Newcastle) - 34.00

RB: Jose Bosingwa (Chelsea) - 33.69

CB: Michael Turner (Hull City) - 34.13

CB: Martin Laursen (Aston Villa) - 34.19

LB: Michael Ball (Manchester City) - 31.75

RM: Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City) - 33.86

CM: Frank Lampard (Chelsea) - 35.56

CM: Xabi Alonso (Liverpool) - 34.31

LM: Gareth Barry (Aston Villa) - 34.20

FW: Geovanni (Hull) - 34.07

FW: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) - 34.00

FLOPS OF THE SEASON (minimum eight starts)

The Premier League's managers must be paying attention: several of the flops didn't start for their respective clubs this week, giving underachievers throughout the top division a bit of breathing space. Although Joe Kinnear continues, rather touchingly, to keep faith with Flop of the Season Jose Enrique. Portsmouth pair Papa Bouba Diop and Younes Kaboul make this week's side, as does Blackburn's Morten Gamst Pedersen, albeit with the dubious distinction of being the 'best' player to do so.

GK: Heurelho Gomes (Tottenham) - 27.77

RB: Phil Bardsley (Sunderland) - 28.33

CB: Tal Ben Haim (Manchester City) - 27.00

CB: Younes Kaboul (Portsmouth) - 28.67

LB: Jose Enrique (Newcastle) - 25.67

RM: Julien Faubert (West Ham) - 27.92

CM: Amdy Faye (Stoke) - 26.70

CM: Papa Bouba Diop (Portsmouth) - 28.54

LM: Morten Gamst Pedersen (Blackburn) - 29.29

FW: Dave Kitson (Stoke) - 26.89

FW: Roman Pavlyuchenko (Tottenham) - 26.72

Eurosport

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  1. ALL ENGLISH FOOTBALL
    PREMIER LEAGUE – FA CUP – CARLING­ CUP
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    From , on Tue 9 Dec 1:16PM

  2. is it just me, or is boupa diop really really really­ bent?

    From asma, on Mon 8 Dec 9:42PM

  3. Mon the Scots!!

    From David F, on Mon 8 Dec 9:38PM

  4. what a weirdo...

    From asma, on Mon 8 Dec 9:34PM

  5. Yes, Martin Fülöp was fantastic! All hungarian were­ proud of him even that late lucky goal from Vidic... it­ wasn't his fault...! HAJRÁ MARCI, VELED VAGYUNK! =]

    From Dius, on Mon 8 Dec 9:33PM

  6. Brap Brap, rooney is waaaaaay better than anelkswag.­ rooney is consistant, whereas anelka can only score­ after a kissy kissy from fat phil

    From asma, on Mon 8 Dec 9:31PM

  7. How come Kaboul is in the flops of the season team. He­ was not last week and he didn't play Sunnday. How­ does that work??

    From JO STALIN, on Mon 8 Dec 8:10PM

  8. tbh, i think people are biased against any team that­ does not do well in the prem. i am a stoke fan, and am­ yet to see one of our players in team of the week. we­ have played fantastically against most of the teams,­ and players like sidibe have worked there a*$%s off,­ and get no recognition. come on guys.

    From matt_batemanuk, on Mon 8 Dec 7:40PM

  9. Football fans can't spell.

    From Tony, on Mon 8 Dec 6:00PM

  10. martin fulop was brill against united but why is xabi­ alonso he was @#$% lol

    From paulkim.robinson, on Mon 8 Dec 5:55PM
  11. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    petr cech for england,and cudicini come to that.in the­ flop side indeed

    From David, on Mon 8 Dec 5:40PM
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    From lebujames02, on Mon 8 Dec 5:12PM

  13. jagielka been immence last 12 months,1 bad mistake,next­ everton captain.

    From SUZANNE B, on Mon 8 Dec 4:51PM

  14. serge, martin laursen is not english

    From shadowcurran, on Mon 8 Dec 4:36PM

  15. Invaled comment! AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

    People who­ wrote this are allowed to write this rubbish yet I cant­ leave a statement

    From yip, on Mon 8 Dec 4:35PM

  16. u r all wrong. Go die in hell

    From felix, on Mon 8 Dec 4:32PM

  17. Dave Kitson - English , Xabi Alonso - Spainish

    From Terence, on Mon 8 Dec 3:38PM
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  19. TEAM OF THE SEASON: Only 4 players are NOT­ English(Bosingwa, Shay, Alonso, Geovanni).
    FLOPS OF THE­ SEASON : Only 2 players English(Kitson,­ Bradsley).

    What about the argument stating that the­ National Team is not good because there are too many­ Foreign players in the Premiership?
    Or Newspapers post­ game stars attribution is related to nationality???

    From Serge, on Mon 8 Dec 3:22PM

  20. Watch what a lot of rubbish Man United play when Rooney­ sits out his suspension against Spurs

    From dennis, on Mon 8 Dec 3:03PM
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