Premier League Team of the Week: Terry, Zabaleta, Coutinho & Benteke Star
Welcome to the 17th instalment 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 4-2-2-2.)
Apologies to Southampton, who despite winning 3-0 against Everton see no players honoured here. Competition was tough and we've favoured attacking midfielders and strikers over some poor wing play this week.
Disagree with our selections? Hit us up in the comments section below to start the conversation!
GK: Costel Pantilimon, Sunderland
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Costel Pantilimon landed in our "winners" section after the Tyne-Wear derby, and his goalkeeping performance stands the most impressive of the weekend.
He was the only one to combine a couple of stellar saves with a clean sheet—sorry, Brad Guzan!—with one in particular showing the giant's immense reflexes as well as his remarkable reach.
Since coming in for Vito Mannone he's been remarkably good.
RB: Pablo Zabaleta, Manchester City
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Pablo Zabaleta was a menace from right-back on Saturday in the Premier League's early kick-off, putting Crystal Palace to the sword with his remarkable, cutting runs.
Manchester City struggled for width and attacking silkiness until he started bombarding forward, missing narrowly with a chipped effort before producing a remarkable cut-back pass for David Silva to bundle home.
CB: Ron Vlaar, Aston Villa
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ESPNFC's Iain Macintosh likened Ron Vlaar to something out of Pacific Rim on Saturday. The Dutchman stood firm and repelled almost every Manchester United attack bar a wonderful Radamel Falcao header.
It was his first start for over a month, returning to the setup and forcing a change in formation—a 3-5-2—and slotting in between the superb Ciaran Clark and Jores Okore.
It's like he'd never missed a minute.
CB: John Terry, Chelsea
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John Terry opened the scoring for Chelsea in the second minute at the Britannia Stadium on Monday evening, heading home and setting the tone.
Stoke City are always a physical challenge and the Blues have wilted in the past, but Terry led a defiant resistance and kept a clean sheet with a little help from Thibaut Courtois, who was also excellent.
LB: Lazar Markovic, Liverpool
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We didn't think we'd ever see the day Lazar Markovic makes Team of the Week at left-back...but here it is. He played left-wing-back for Liverpool at the weekend so it's a legitimate squeeze-in, and the Serbian deserves commendation for his display.
He was one of the best players on the park against Bournemouth and carried that momentum into the weekend game. His link-up play with Philippe Coutinho is key to the Reds' restored, attacking, incisive play.
CM: Nemanja Matic, Chelsea
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Nemanja Matic, as usual, was in godlike form against Stoke City on Monday night. He picked up the official Man of the Match award for his dominant display.
The Serbian dispossessed the Potters players with ease in the middle of the park and sparked attacks, matching Mark Hughes' men physically and outwitting them from a technical standpoint.
CM: Stewart Downing, West Ham United
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Stewart Downing was magnificent once again for West Ham this weekend, and his manager likely can't believe just how influential he's been since switching to a central role.
His golazo from outside the box beat Ben Hamer before the ball had even left the Englishman's foot, and his creativity and movement throughout were a joy to behold.
AMC: Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool
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Philippe Coutinho looks close to regaining top form at the moment, with his performance between the boxes at the weekend superb for most of the game.
He scored Liverpool's deserved opener, but it was his pace, guile and technical skill in tight areas that stood out the most. He and Lazar Markovic were killers on the left, and they were far less wasteful than Adam Lallana.
AMC: David Silva, Manchester City
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We've become a little desensitized to David Silva's genius, but the display he put in against Crystal Palace was one to admire and enthuse about with friends.
His two-goal performance ensured Manchester City crushed the Eagles in the end after coming up short in the first half, with his typical silky turns and sweet passes on show.
ST: Christian Benteke, Aston Villa
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That goal.
Jonny Evans was shown up as a liability, finally, on Saturday afternoon as Christian Benteke ripped him to shreds over the course of 90 minutes.
The Belgian netted an incredible strike to open the scoring and Aston Villa held Manchester United to a point. It's the same United side who had won six on the bounce coming into the fixture, and Benteke scythed through them with ease.
ST: Charlie Austin, Queens Park Rangers
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Charlie Austin is currently third in the Premier League's goal-scoring charts with 11. He's above Alexis Sanchez, Wilfried Bony and Graziano Pelle; he's one behind Diego Costa of Chelsea.
His hat-trick this weekend led Queens Park Rangers to a remarkable three-goal comeback to beat West Bromwich Albion, sparking it with a penalty and finishing it with a cool finish from close range.
He's proving Harry Redknapp correct for keeping faith in him every weekend.
