Fernando Torres' mental state and the gaping hole left by Emmanuel Frimpong both feature in TEAMtalk's Premier League Picks.

On evenings throughout the 2011/12 season, TEAMtalk's writers are presenting their Premier League Picks - the 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.

Torres' confidence as low as you can go

Where to next for Fernando Torres after the £50million man spurned yet more chances in front of goal for Chelsea at Norwich? I can honestly say in all my years watching football, I have never seen a top-class player lose his form as alarmingly and as drastically as Torres has over the past 18 months.

OK, so his all-round game, and his work-rate, were a solid 6/10 at Carrow Road. But it's his prowess - or rather the absence of it - in front of goal which remains at its absolute lowest-ever ebb.

I can't help but feel that Chelsea will one day look back on their 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford earlier this season - and that miss by Torres in front of the Stretford End - as the decisive moment in the Spaniard's Bridge career. Score it, and he was leaving the game with an impressive double; miss it (as he did) and his confidence was drained to the point where he just doesn't ever look like recovering.

Andre Villas-Boas was quick to question Chelsea's clinicalness in front of goal after the 0-0 draw and in the words of my colleague Sam Nightingale, don't be surprised to see a Falcao-Torres swap deal coming to fruition at the end of the season. James Marshment

Swans brought crashing down to earth

I was impressed as anyone at Swansea's 3-2 win over Arsenal last weekend, but did wonder if certain hacks had been going too far this week with some even labelling them the Premier League's answer to Barcelona.

But the Premier League is a harsh battle ground and pretty passing will only get you so far if you can't mix it on your travels and match your opponents' work-rate - as the Swans found out to their cost on Wearside on Saturday.

Martin O'Neill hasn't changed a great deal since replacing Steve Bruce at Sunderland, but one change he has manufactured is the introduction of James McClean in the engine room - and he was once again brilliant in breaking up Swansea's play in the middle of the park.

Add into the mix the two fine goals they scored via Stephane Sessegnon and Craig Gardner, and O'Neill seems to have stumbled across a winning formula at the Stadium of Light that could yet earn the Cats a highest-ever finish in the Premier League. JM

Midfielders central to Wolves' defeat

Robbie Keane's superb second-half brace will hog the headlines after Villa's West Midlands derby win, but Mick McCarthy will be left to rue two incidents during the second period that deprived the hosts' panicky defence of their protective shield for most of the second period.

Emmanuel Frimpong was the driving force behind Wolves' first-half revival, which earned them a deserved 2-1 half-time lead, despite Christophe Berra's 11th-minute brain-freeze which gifted the Villans their opener. Arsenal loanee Frimpong had a hand in both Wolves goals, the first of which came after he skilfully lost two Villa opponents before feeding Michael Kightly on the right.

Stiliyan Petrov and Gary Gardner could not match the power and pace of Frimpong during the opening period, so his enforced withdrawal 11 minutes after the break came as a major blow to Mick McCarthy, who will be reeling from the news that Frimpong is now facing a lengthy absence due to his facial injury.

Frimpong's early exit could not be helped, but Karl Henry's certainly could and McCarthy will be furious. Henry was rightly sent off after sticking a backheel into the stomach of Marc Albrighton as the Villa winger lay on the floor after a tangle with the Wolves enforcer.

Any hope Wolves had of taking all three points disappeared with Henry, as Villa were given the remaining 15 minutes to have a free run at the jittery home defence. Keane's winner was a stunning strike from outside the box, but had either Frimpong or Henry still been on the pitch, it is highly unlikely the Villa striker would have had time to pull down Roger Johnson's clearance on his left foot before using his right to beat Hennessey from 20 yards. Ian Watson

Seriously easy-going second half for Fulham

"The first half was sort of Brixton, the second half was a holiday in Jamaica," said Martin Jol after Fulham beat Newcastle 5-2 at Craven Cottage on Saturday.

I'm sure the Dutchman didn't mean any offence to the denizens of south London (let's just say he was referring to the difference in the weather between here and the West Indies) but he had to come up with some sort of bold statement about this game of two halves.

Amid all the reports of fall-outs and impending striker departures at the Cottage in recent weeks, Jol has been trying to keep his players focused but he hasn't helped himself with some curious team selections and formations.

Most Fulham fans aren't prepared to give up on the Bobby Zamora-Andrew Johnson partnership just yet, and talk of Catania's Maxi Lopez as a replacement doesn't seem like a significant improvement. Bryan Ruiz has shown flashes of brilliance but on occasions - such as in this game - he can also look unreliable and peripheral.

To Jol's credit, he identified the problem during this game, bringing on Chris Baird for Ruiz at half-time, switching to 4-4-2 and going for a more familiar-looking direct Fulham attack with Johnson and Zamora to the fore, and hat-trick hero Clint Dempsey (the pride of the USA) making runs from deep.

Referee Lee Mason's poor penalty call - Davide Santon fouled Damien Duff outside the box - was the break they needed soon after the interval, and then wave after wave of Fulham attacks crashed on Newcastle's shores like a stormy afternoon at Montego Bay.

Fears that Fulham could be sliding towards the drop have abated for now, but Jol's decisions in the last 10 days of the transfer window will be crucial. It was a rude awakening for Alan Pardew as his Newcastle players lost all concentration, but it's too soon to see this result as anything more than an aberration at the moment. Jon Holmes

Kean capable of saving Rovers

To an innocent bystander, Blackburn's recent turnaround in fortunes - which continued with a well-deserved 1-1 draw away at Everton - would probably equal miracle proportions similar to that of David's defeat of Goliath and Wayne Rooney's victory over hair loss. But when you watch Steve Kean's men actually play, you'll find your opinion slowly changing.

Due to the days of Sam Allardyce, Blackburn are generally stuck with a 'hoofball' tag in the media; that of a team that plays with an unattractive and often ineffective style. But that description of Rovers' play is a lazy cliché. They genuinely do play with an admirable yet simple passing system, and it's lovely to watch. They harbour the technical guile of players such as Junior Hoilett, Martin Olsson, Steven Nzonzi and Morten Gamst Pedersen and compliment that with the grit and determination of David Dunn and Radosav Petrovic, combining to a surprising effect to say that the club are currently embroiled in a relegation dogfight.

Beleaguered manager Kean is slowly but surely turning the fortunes of Blackburn around, and deserves more credit than he's been getting. His past management record may be as non-existent as wantaway defender Chris Samba's stomach for the fight, but fighting a relegation battle with thousands of fans on your back must be hard-work, especially when it appears that the good football Rovers have been playing recently is going completely unnoticed.

It may seem that the only thing Rovers have going for them is an endless supply of chicken from their secretive owners, but, for me, the only two things missing to create a mid-table side at Ewood Park is an instinctive goal scorer and a sudden bout of confidence. Matt Stead

Hoops do their talking on the pitch

Mark Hughes guided his new Queens Park Rangers side to their first Premier League win under his management with a 3-1 victory over Wigan.

The clash at Loftus Road was the proverbial six-pointer, with Wigan bottom of the table and QPR in 18th spot before the game.

All the talk before the match was of QPR captain Joey Barton's comments on Twitter about former boss Neil Warnock. But actions speak louder than words and Hughes' Hoops did their talking on the pitch by earning a vital three points.

Heidar Helguson is enjoying an Indian summer this season, while midfielder Akos Buzsaky, brought into the side by Hughes, had a great game, scoring a superb free-kick and going close with a cracking volley. Tommy Smith's piledriver was the icing on the cake and the win lifted QPR out of the relegation zone.

If Hughes' QPR carry on where they left off here, they should be fine. Sam Nightingale

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