Power Ranking the EPL Brazilians
With the international break over, it was time for the EPL Brazilians to return to their clubs and continue to play for a place in Luiz Felipe Scolari's 2014 World Cup squad.
Some will be more desperate than others in the fight for the final few places in the 23-man party representing their country on home soil in Brazil.
But who were the standout performers this weekend and who needs to up their game in the coming weeks for club and country?
(Dis) Honourable Mentions
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With plenty of Brazilians in action over the weekend, some were unfortunate to miss out on a place in the top five, and others showed exactly why they deserved to be here.
David Luiz
Normally a superb defender but prone to moments of sheer stupidity, Luiz showed off his bad side as he allowed Jordan Mutch to sneak in to put Cardiff into the lead. Not a good day for the Chelsea defender.
The full-back had a quiet game for Manchester United in their 1-1 against Southampton, failing to standout as David Moyes struggles in the hot-seat.
Ramires
The former Benfica man had a sloppy game at times for Chelsea against Cardiff, failing to do his aspirations of playing regularly in the centre of the Blues midfield an favours.
Guly do Prado
The Southampton forward was not given enough time to impress as he came on in the latter stages of his team's last-gasp draw against Manchester United.
5: Willian
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There were plenty of middling performances at the weekend, but Willian edged his rivals and sneaks into the top five after helping Chelsea win 4-1 against Cardiff City.
Willian was strangely deployed behind striker Samuel Eto'o despite his natural position as a winger, but he coped admirably.
However, he performed much better once shifted out wide with Oscar's introduction to the game and retained the ball well with a 82 percent pass completion according to statisticians Squawka.
But he will need a stronger showing than this to stake a place in Jose Mourinho's first-team plans with Juan Mata also gunning for a place in the starting lineup.
4: Sandro
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Sandro marked his return to first-team action with an excellent display in Tottenham's 2-0 win over Aston Villa.
Alongside Paulinho, the Brazilian dominated his opponents in midfield and ensured that Spurs won the midfield battle.
Supremely composed for a player that has been out of action for some time, Sandro completed 80 percent of his passes and was solid throughout.
Interestingly for Sandro, Andre Villas-Boas introduced Mousa Dembele to the play and what was previously a double pivot transformed into a midfield trio with the Brazilian as the anchorman.
The shift in formation allowed Sandro to focus on what he does best—breaking up play and preventing the opponents from gaining momentum.
3: Paulinho
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Paulinho had an excellent game in Tottenham's 2-0 victory over a poor Aston Villa team operating alongside Sandro.
Replicating the Selecao's midfield partnership of Paulinho and Luiz Gustavo, Spurs deployed a Paulinho-Sandro axis in the centre of the park.
The partnership was successful in stifling the Villa attack, but Paulinho had a subdued first half by his own high standards.
In the second half, Paulinho was given more license to get forward and contribute to the attack, leading to a sublime assist for Roberto Soldado's goal.
Dembele's introduction had Paulinho playing as the most advanced midfielder at times, and he was close to adding a goal to his afternoon's work, just failing to make a connection to Andros Townsend's cross when a third Spurs goal seemed inevitable.
2: Oscar
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Oscar may have come on as a second-half substitute for Juan Mata in Chelsea's 4-1 win over Cardiff City, but the Brazilian was sensational in his short time on the pitch.
At the time, the score was 1-1 and Chelsea were struggling to really get going against a stubborn Bluebirds side.
But Oscar's arrival sparked an upturn in their fortunes as they fired in three goals in the last 30 minutes to secure all three points.
The third goal was something special too, as Oscar was left with all the time in the world to unleash a swerving strike that clipped the bar on the way in.
A sensation goal from a player full of confidence, and with his showing it is unlikely he will be warming the bench again soon.
1: Fernandinho
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Manchester City's Fernandinho takes the top spot in this week's top five for his superb display in their 3-1 win over West Ham United.
For the first time this season, the Brazilian clicked with his teammates, particularly midfield partner Yaya Toure, as they dominated a weak Hammers midfield.
Fernandinho broke up play and distributed the ball with ease against the likes of Mark Noble and Mohamed Diame, completing 91 percent of all his passes according to Squawka.
To top off his performance, his sublime pass allowed Sergio Aguero to go one on one with Jussi Jaaskelainen and open the scoring for the visitors.
It was an excellent all-round showing from the former Shakhtar Donetsk man, and he will be pushing for a place in Luiz Felipe Scolari's Selecao ahead of the 2014 World Cup.
