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Team of the Week - North London duo Walcott and Bale serve wide roles after goal glut weekend
Ben Foster
James Perch - Brede Hangeland - Gabriel Tamas - Ashley Cole
Theo Walcott - Joey Barton - Craig Gardner - Gareth Bale
Andy Carroll - John Elmander
Goalkeeper
Ben Foster (Birmingham City):
With Paul Robinson recently announcing his retirement from international duty, a return to the England set up beckons for Birmingham goalkeeper Ben Foster, who did his chances of a call up no harm at all with a stunning penalty save inspiring his side to a 2-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers.
Defenders
James Perch (Newcastle):
The talented right back who signed from Nottingham Forest this summer made an impressive home debut at St James Park, snuffing out the potential threat from wingers Marc Albrighton and Ashley Young while also showing an adventurous side, overlapping down the right wing to good effect.
Brede Hangeland (Fulham):
The towering figure of Brede Hangeland produced a determined display on Sunday afternoon, putting an unfortunate own goal behind him to head home from a corner at the right end of the pitch to earn his side a valuable point against Manchester United.
Gabriel Tamas (West Bromwich Albion):
Romanian defender Tamas signed for the club this summer on a permanent deal from Auxerre and was given a harsh lesson on his Premier League debut as his side shipped six against champions Chelsea. In contrast, he couldn’t have been more impressive at the Hawthorns on Saturday, helping to keep the threatening Sunderland strike duo of Frazier Campbell and Darren Bent off the score sheet and help his side to victory.
Ashley Cole (Chelsea):
The Chelsea left-back continues to thrive under the management of Carlo Ancelotti. His energetic, ambitious attitude going forward caused havoc in the Wigan defence while he took care of defensive duties with considerable ease.
Midfielders
Theo Walcott (Arsenal):
Walcott recorded the first hat-trick of his professional football career as he helped Arsenal welcome new boys Blackpool to the Premier League in rampant fashion. Walcott was preferred to Emanuel Eboue on the right side of midfield and took full advantage, using his blistering pace to devastating effect, looking almost unplayable at times for the Blackpool defence.
Joey Barton (Newcastle):
Barton set Newcastle on their way to an astonishing 6-0 win, opening the scoring with a spectacular effort from range before going on to dominate the game from the heart of midfield.
Craig Gardner (Birmingham City):
Having signed from arch rivals Aston Villa in January, Craig Gardner has quickly become a fans favourite after his two goals capped an accomplished display from the centre of midfield and secured all three points for the Blues.
Gareth Bale (Tottenham):
Bale more than made up for the absence of strikers Jermaine Defoe, Robbie Keane and Roman Pavlyuchenko, scoring both goals in Tottenham’s 2-1 win over Stoke, including a stunning volley that looks an early candidate for goal of the season
Strikers
Andy Carroll (Newcastle):
The tall Newcastle striker bagged his first Premier League hat-trick as his physical presence caused countless problems for the Aston Villa defence, perhaps getting the attentions of Fabio Capello in the process.
Johan Elmander (Bolton Wanderers):
The powerful Swedish front man produced arguably his most impressive performance in a Bolton shirt to date, grabbing a brace and setting up the other as Bolton secured a comfortable 3-1 victory at Upton Park.
See the full list of OLBG's free Football Tips here.
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