Depending on how you look at it, last week's selections were neither a success or a failure. Our decision to omit Tottenham Hotspur defender Jan Vertonghen was the wrong call, but the late withdrawal of Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney and the early introduction of Manchester City playmaker Kevin de Bruyne was out of our hands.
That said, neither Romelu Lukaku nor Harry Kane managed to score, despite victories for Everton and Spurs respectively, and Angelo Ogbonna will be classed as having helped West Ham United to a clean sheet, although he did suffer a hamstring injury during the first half.
Below, Sports Mole makes another six selections ahead of week six of the Premier League.
Who to pick
1. Philippe Coutinho
Since the start of 2015, Philippe Coutinho has undoubtedly been Liverpool's star man. The Brazilian notched six goals during the second half of last season - five of which came during victories by the narrowest of margins - while he also introduced himself to this campaign with a wonder strike against Stoke City. However, his dismissal against West Ham United not only hindered his side's efforts to get back into that game, but it left Brendan Rodgers without one of his best players for the trip to Old Trafford. The Merseyside giants were poor last weekend, and Coutinho is almost a certainty to be recalled to Premier League action. Liverpool are struggling for goals, and they need some more magic from the 23-year-old to kick-start their season.
2. Memphis Depay
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As far as the Champions League is concerned, Memphis Depay has been Manchester United's best player, with three goals coming in as many games against Club Brugge and former club PSV Eindhoven. However, in the Premier League, the Dutch international has failed to live up to the hype that followed him from the Eredivisie and he was hauled off at half time in last week's win over Liverpool. It was a bold call from Louis van Gaal, who is a big admirer of Depay, and we believe that it is one that could spark the 21-year-old into life. Sunday's opponents Southampton have proved difficult to break down in defence, but Depay possesses the qualities of a match-winner and he could break his duck at St Mary's this weekend.
3. Troy Deeney
During the past four seasons, Troy Deeney has scored 75 goals at Championship level, but since guiding Watford to promotion last season, he is yet to find the back of the net. As captain of the Hornets, he remains an integral part of their side and manager Quique Flores will be expecting at least double figures from the 27-year-old come the end of the season. He has missed out in his first five games, but we think that will come to an end this weekend away at Newcastle United. The North-East side are struggling at both ends of the pitch, and if his partnership with Odion Ighalo continues to blossom in the top flight, they could enjoy their afternoon at St James' Park.
Who to avoid
1. Winston Reid
With West Ham keeping clean sheets in fixtures against Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle United, introducing a Hammers defender into your side probably seems like a tempting choice, but anyone from their backline should be avoided this weekend. Attempting to gain a result at the Etihad Stadium against Manchester City is a tough task as it is, but Slaven Bilic's men will be without Ogbonna for the trip to the North-West. Not only has the Italian international been their best defender since August 8, his experience would have been invaluable against the array of attacking talent that City have at their disposal. His absence is a massive blow to the club, and they could find themselves struggling to keep the score down against the league leaders.
2. Branislav Ivanovic
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It has been six weeks to forget for Branislav Ivanovic. Not only has he been terrorised by wingers up and down the country and been part of a Chelsea team that have lost three of their opening five games in the Premier League, he also found himself out of the starting lineup for their Champions League fixture with Maccabi Tel Aviv in midweek. Regardless of whether the Stamford Bridge stalwart is recalled to the team or not, he is not only fighting for his place in the side but also attempting to prove wrong his doubters, who believe that his lack of pace is leading to the Blues being exposed down the right flank. Even if he is recalled, the Serbian will find himself up against Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez this weekend, and with the hard-working Pedro or Willian missing in front of him, he would likely find himself exposed.
3. Micah Richards
When Micah Richards was handed a central-defensive position upon his arrival at Aston Villa, the decision of Tim Sherwood was met with some caution but for the first two games at least, Richards looked well suited to the move from right-back. However, the former Manchester City player was caught out of position on several occasions during Villa's demoralising 3-2 defeat at Leicester City last weekend and the pressure is on the 27-year-old to produce a response against West Bromwich Albion. The Baggies attack won't strike fear into Richards and his defensive teammates but they cannot afford another below-par outing with Villa needing to rack up points against the teams likely to be in close proximity to them come the end of the season.
