Who struggled to make an impression in the Premier League this time around?
The final Premier League fixtures before the next round of international matches have now been played, with Chelsea’s victory over Arsenal in a tempestuous London derby at Stamford Bridge being the biggest talking point from an exciting weekend’s worth of clashes.
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It wasn’t all good, however, with this XI not covering themselves in glory this weekend:
GK) Fraser Forster (Southampton)
Whilst none of his mistakes cost Southampton a goal during the Saints’ defeat at Tottenham, Forster was nervous through, almost shoveling a tame Christian Eriksen shot into his own net and dropping crosses throughout.
RB) Calum Chambers (Arsenal)
Teenage defender Calum Chambers has started the season in fine form for Arsenal, but this was a tough lesson at right back against the slippery Eden Hazard – the Belgian had the better of him all game and Chambers was very lucky not to be sent off.
CB) Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle United)
In their current predicament, Newcastle desperately need their senior players to step up, but Fabricio Coloccini did the opposite at the Liberty Stadium, being dragged horribly out of position for Wilfried Bony’s goal.
CB) Dejan Lovren (Liverpool)
Croatian centre back Dejan Lovren has never looked like a £20m player since his summer move to Anfield from Southampton and struggled again, pointlessly scything down Saido Berahino to concede a stupid penalty, even if it was outside the box.
LB) Luke Shaw (Manchester United)
Despite the fact that Manchester United just about saw off Everton at Old Trafford, it was in spite of Luke Shaw rather than because of him. The teenager rashly conceded a penalty for a foul on Tony Hibbert and lost Steven Naismith for the Everton goal before going off injured.
CM) Leroy Fer (Queens Park Rangers)
Dutch international Leroy Fer was touted a crucial signing for QPR this summer when he arrived from Norwich City, but this was yet another ineffectual performance, the game at Upton Park largely passing him by.
CM) Steven N’Zonzi (Stoke City)
Steven N’Zonzi is usually the heartbeat of the Stoke midfield, both strong and creative, but he was dominated by an impressive Sunderland performance and never got into things.
ARM) Marko Arnautovic (Stoke City)
Perhaps the worst individual performer of the weekend, Arnautovic’s display for Stoke at Sunderland was lazy, half-hearted and utterly ineffectual.
ACM) Juan Mata (Manchester United)
Wayne Rooney’s suspension has given Mata the chance to return to the line-up and reclaim his place, but the Spaniard didn’t grasp his opportunity – Mata’s presence seems to be a hindrance at the minute.
ALM) Mesut Ozil (Arsenal)
A far cry from some of his more impressively creative performances of late, Ozil was bullied and physically dominated by the Chelsea midfield and lacked the belief to make anything happen.
SC) Romelu Lukaku (Everton)
He may have been given the thankless task of playing as the lone striker for the Toffees at Old Trafford, but Lukaku has underwhelmed since signing permanently and did so again – his touch was way off.