Premier League Team of Week 15: Carroll, Coloccini & Bojan Star
Welcome to the 15th installment of our Premier League Team of the Week for the 2014-15 season.
Here, we analyse every game and pick out a star XI from the weekend's fixtures, choosing the best players to form a viable formation (in this case, a 4-4-1-1.)
Alan Hutton leads the side after a heroic showing for Aston Villa against Leicester City on Sunday, while the defensively sound Newcastle United see two players enter the selection. No Chelsea players this week, though!
Disagree with our selections? Hit us up in the comments section below to start the conversation!
GK: Allan McGregor, Hull City
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There are a few goalkeepers this week that will feel a little aggrieved at missing our Team of the Week, with Kasper Schmeichel and Rob Green in particular playing superbly.
But Allan McGregor pieced together the spectacular saves of Schmeichel, the clean sheet of Green and added his own penalty save to ensure Hull City weren't upset at home to West Bromwich Albion.
RB: Alan Hutton, Aston Villa
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Alan Hutton continues to amaze in his personal turnaround, with his first goal for Aston Villa coming in the form of a winner against Leicester City on Sunday.
He put in an all-action showing throughout, defending stoutly and threading balls forward for Christian Benteke to use. His winner was the icing on the cake—even if his conduct in the Paul Konchesky red card was questionable.
CB: Fabricio Coloccini, Newcastle United
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Fabricio Coloccini has been in masterful form of late, and his performance to nullify Diego Costa deserves rapturous commendation.
He stuck with him tightly as the Spaniard attempted to run the channels and work yards of space in the box, matching him physically and ensuring he didn't really get a sniff.
CB: Richard Dunne, Queens Park Rangers
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Queens Park Rangers don't secure clean sheets very often, and while the excellent Rob Green hasn't made our selection, Richard Dunne has.
Per WhoScored.com, he won six aerial duels as he defended the box against the in-form Danny Ings. Burnley had enough chances to score, but Dunne did just enough to put the opposing strikers off balance on each attack.
LB: Ashley Young, Manchester United
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Manchester United were largely atrocious on Monday night against Southampton, but one good performance did arrive in the form of Ashley Young.
Playing out of position (again) at left-wing-back, he showed reasonable defensive aptitude and pushed forward far better than Antonio Valencia did on the right.
Some of his crosses were put into excellent areas, and in a week where left-back play looked questionable, Young fills the spot here.
DM: Jack Colback, Newcastle United
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Jack Colback was sensational on Saturday, dominating in midfield against a Chelsea side boasting Cesc Fabregas and Oscar.
The man Roy Hodgson dubbed "The Ginger Pirlo" broke up play superbly, tracked Eden Hazard on counter-attacks and threaded a few beautiful passes through to Papiss Cisse in the second half.
A seriously impressive showing.
DM: Lucas Leiva, Liverpool
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Lucas Leiva was Liverpool's best player on Saturday—both a damning indictment of the team's performance, but also a credit to the Brazilian's individual resurgence.
Once locked out of the team and designated an under-performer, he's come back and performed admirably after being given a shot in the Champions League.
On Saturday he drove forward with intent and made a positive impact defensively—if you can excuse the fouls, that is.
Wing: Leroy Fer, Queens Park Rangers
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Leroy Fer scored his second goal of the Premier League season, much to the delight of Harry Redknapp. The wiley boss told Sky Sports cameras live after the game that he expected goals from his midfielders to ease the load on Charlie Austin.
The Dutchman's been playing off the left in a 4-4-2 shape recently and, despite making his name as a central defensive midfielder, has excelled flying forward and breaching the central zones.
Wing: Yannick Bolasie, Crystal Palace
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Yannick Bolasie has good days and bad days. Against Liverpool he was sublime in a 3-1 win, against Aston Villa he frustrated in a 1-0 loss and at White Hart Lane he looked brilliant again in a 0-0 draw.
"Amazing skill from Yanick Bolasie! https://t.co/C7g3YXz64O
— Él Beatle (@GeorgieBest11) December 8, 2014"
He produced an outrageous piece of skill to flummox Eric Dier and Co. in defence, and continued to torment throughout. His quick feet and unpredictable nature make him a real handful, and Spurs had to lean heavily on their defence to secure a point.
CF: Bojan, Stoke City
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Bojan looked silky smooth on Saturday, scything through Arsenal's midfield and creating whenever he got on the ball.
Admittedly, the tracking from the Gunners' midfield was borderline non-existent, but the Spaniard's good movement and strong instincts played a part here.
He was rewarded for his dominance with a well-taken goal.
ST: Andy Carroll, West Ham
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Andy Carroll netted his first goals of the season and added an assist on Sunday as he led West Ham past Swansea City. The Hammers designed some neat set plays to release Carroll from his markers, and he responded with two powerful headed strikes.
His assist for Diafra Sakho, who came off the bench and will now need to displace Carroll, was a nice example of a more refined game we see little of.
