TEAMtalk's Premier League Picks

Rejuvenated duo Yakubu and Shaun Wright-Phillips both feature as TEAMtalk selects Saturday's Premier League talking points.

On Saturday evenings throughout the 2011/12 season, TEAMtalk's writers will present their Premier League Picks - the five special moments, star performers, stunning matches or shocking incidents from the day's action which we expect to dominate the headlines.

We'll be watching all the action unfold on the live TV feeds which are piped into TEAMtalk Towers from grounds up and down the country.

Once you've read through our choices, let us know your opinions by adding a Comment below.

Wenger's defensive blunders

Arsene Wenger's stubborn refusal to stump up the cash for Gary Cahill or Chris Samba in the summer transfer window once again came back to haunt him at Ewood Park, where his creaking defence shot themselves in the foot not once, but twice.

There was little the Gunners could have done to prevent Ayegbeni Yakubu's first goal at it was a classic goal-poacher's finish, and he was ever-so-slightly offside for his second - but they defended set-pieces atrociously all afternoon and looked vulnerable whenever Rovers attacked, suggesting that the scars of their 8-2 mauling at Old Trafford still remain.

Alex Song and Laurent Koscielny were the men who turned the ball into their own net in Keystone Cops fashion, but the lack of leadership in the heart of their defence left poor Wojciech Szczesny so exposed he must have feared all 10 of his team-mates were a threat to him.

Arsenal have now shipped in 14 goals in five Premier League games, and I'm afraid Wenger has to take full responsibility for once again refusing to splash the cash on players he so badly needed.

The difference between the Frenchman and Sir Alex Ferguson is that the Scot clearly identifies his targets and pays the going rate, as he did for Ashley Young and Phil Jones.

Arsenal were crying out for a leader like man mountain Samba, and although he offered no resale value, he would have grabbed the Gunners by the scruff of the neck and given them some physical presence at the back.

Cahill, meanwhile, is a ball-playing England international who arguably has the best years ahead of him so would have been an ideal centre-back partner for Samba.

New signing Per Mertesacker is an experienced international and a class act - but he will take time to adapt to the pace of England's top tier and is always going struggle with the bungling Koscielny alongside him.

Simon Wilkes

Feed the Yak and he will score

Ayegbeni Yakubu may have piled the timber on in the last few months, but he showed at Ewood that he is still a predatory striker - and could be the key to keeping Rovers up if he achieves full fitness.

His brilliant brace stunned the Gunners, with a first goal a deft first-time dink which surprised Wojciech Szczesny who was perhaps expecting him to take a touch to control Junior Hoilett's defence-splitting pass.

His second, although marginally offside, came from being in the right place at the right time, and he's now likely to be the first name on the team sheet for Rovers, and could be dropping the pounds as quickly as he's finding the net.

A word of warning for Rovers fans, though. Arsenal's own goals papered over the cracks for the hosts, who are unlikely to be handed two goals on a plate by most other top-flight defences and still looked like a team lacking unity.

SW

Swans off and running

I questioned where the goals would come from for Swansea on Monday's TEAMtalk Podcast - and they answered that in style by smashing three past woeful West Brom, who were outplayed from start to finish.

Brendan Rodgers' boys were unlucky to lose at The Emirates last weekend, and will take great confidence from opening their goals and victory accounts, having not looked out of their depth in the top tier so far.

Whether they've got the squad to keep their heads above water for the entire season is debatable - but for now they can toast their first-ever Premier League victory, while it's back to the drawing board for Albion.

SW

Hodgson's home and away decision

Talking of my beloved (but battered) Baggies, they showed at the Liberty Stadium that they can't afford to play 4-4-2 away from The Hawthorns.

Roy Hodgson recruited Shane Long in the summer to ease the goal-scoring burden on Peter Odemwingie, but I think he needs to only play one of them up top on the road.

I'm happy to see them terrorising defences together on home soil, but away from home Albion need the extra protection of two holding midfielders who can shield the back, allowing a midfield three the freedom to create chances for a lone striker, with both Odemwingie and Long capable of leading the line.

With the likes of Jerome Thomas, Zoltan Gera, Somen Tchoyi, Graham Dorrans, Chris Brunt and James Morrison to call upon, a 4-2-3-1 formation is is far from a negative approach, and Hodgson needs to realise this sharpish.

SW

Impressive start for SWP

Joey Barton will once again hog the headlines after QPR's superb win at Wolves, but the controversial midfielder was not the only Rangers new boy to make an impression at Molineux.

Shaun Wright-Phillips arrived at Loftus Road on deadline day after a year on the football scrap heap at Manchester City. The former England winger has not wasted any time, though, in repaying the faith Neil Warnock clearly has in him.

Wright-Phillips tortured George Elokobi with his wingplay in the first half - so much so that the Wolves left-back was hooked at half-time - while the QPR winger's diagonal runs off the right flank gave the Wolves centre-halves a problem for which they had no solution.

Wright-Phillips laid on Barton's scruffy opener, and went close himself on a number of occasions, never more so than when he struck the post with a rasping low drive from outside the box in the second half.

An England return may be unlikely, but Wright-Phillips has had an undeniably impressive start to life at QPR as he bids to kick-start his stagnated club career.