A barnstorming performance from Michael Ballack earns the Chelsea midfielder our player of the week accolade, while poor old Ryan Giggs finds himself in lowly company among the flops.

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

Aside from the lawnmower man, Michael Ballack was by some distance the most influential figure in Saturday's clash between Chelsea and Manchester United. The swashbuckling German channelled his anger at London's astronomical house prices to bag two vital goals and send Avram Grant dizzy with glee on the sidelines. Aston Villa striker John Carew remains in the side for the second week running, after scoring a late equaliser at Everton. Gary Cahill also retains his place, with Manchester City's young keeper Joe Hart in as our elite stopper.

1. Joe Hart (Manchester City) - 35

2. Olof Mellberg (Aston Villa) - 33

3. Ashley Cole (Chelsea) - 36

4. Gary Cahill (Bolton) - 38

5. Andre Bikey (Reading) - 35

6. Jermaine Pennant (Liverpool) - 39

7. Lassana Diarra (Portsmouth) - 40

8. Michael Ballack (Chelsea) - 41

9. John Carew (Aston Villa) - 38

10. Obefemi Martins (Newcastle) - 37

11. Andy Reid (Sunderland) - 36

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FLOPS OF THE WEEK

With Derby not playing until Monday, places in this week's flops XI were more readily available than usual. Middlesbrough debutant Brad Jones starts in goal, having done little to worry Mark Schwarzer with a horror show in the Teeside derby. Sour cream of the outfield crop was Bolton striker Grzegorz Rasiak, who contributed to his team's hopeless attacking forays at White Hart Lane. Manchester United's Ryan Giggs may be closing down on Bobby Charlton's appearance record, but he's not quite matching the England legend for form of late.

1. Brad Jones (Middlesbrough) - 20

2. Paul Stalteri (Fulham) - 24

3. David Murphy (Birmingham) - 25

4. Liam Ridgewell (Birmingham) - 24

5. Brede Hangeland (Fulham) - 27

6. Lee Cattermole (Middlesbrough) - 24

7. Damien Plessis (Liverpool) - 26

8. Papa Bouba Diop (Portsmouth) - 27

9. Nwanko Kanu (Portsmouth) - 24

10. Grzegorz Rasiak (Bolton) - 23

11. Ryan Giggs (Manchester United) - 26

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TEAM OF THE SEASON (minimum 17 starts)

It's' been coming. Newcastle's Stephen Harper has replaced Brad Friedel between the sticks in our allstars XI, as he continues to prove a worthy deputy for Shay Given. Elsewhere, Chelsea's Ricardo Carvalho makes way for Bolton's no-nonsense defender Cahill, who shackled Dimitar Berbatov with authority on Saturday. David "the new Beckham" Bentley is benched, with Aston Villa's Ashley Young deservedly coming into the line-up. With two weeks to go, our player of the season award is a straight shoot-out between Mssrs Rooney and Ronaldo, with he of the impossibly slick hair currently shading it.

1. Stephen Harper (Newcastle) - 33.53 average

2. Martin Laursen (Aston Villa) - 33.28

3. Joleon Lescott (Everton) - 33.83

4. Gary Cahill (Bolton) - 33.73

5. John Terry (Chelsea) - 33.5

6. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) - 34.67

7. Ashley Young (Aston Villa) - 34.03

8. Frank Lampard (Chelsea) - 34.20

9. Fernando Torres (Liverpool) - 33.95

10. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) - 35.5

11. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) - 35.56

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FLOPS OF THE SEASON (minimum 17 starts)

Michael Chopra's goal-scoring performance against Middlesbrough has lifted him out of contention, with Derby's Kenny Miller coming in. The Scot will fit in nicely, as one of six from Paul Jewell's relegated superstars. Only a couple of monumentally bad performances from Claude Davis can prevent his team-mate Jay McEveley claiming the worst player of the year award.

1. Paul Robinson (Tottenham Hotspur) - 29.55

2. Chris Baird (Fulham) - 27.74

3. Jay McEveley (Derby County) - 26.31

4. Claude Davis (Derby County) - 26.97

5. Younes Kaboul (Tottenham Hotspur) - 27.52

6. Robbie Savage (Derby County) - 28.09

7. Alan Smith (Newcastle) - 26.93

8. Craig Fagan (Derby County) - 28.12

9. Benni McCarthy (Blackburn Rovers) - 27.9

10. Kenny Miller (Derby County) - 28.78

11. Eddie Lewis (Derby County) - 27.21

Will Tidey / Eurosport