At the end of every Premier League round of fixtures, BBC football pundit Garth Crooks is on hand to give you his Team of the Week.
But who has he picked this time? Take a look and then pick your own team below. As ever, Garth also has his say on the game’s big talking points in the Crooks of the Matter.
Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)
David de Gea couldn’t have done any more to have kept Manchester United in the game against Newcastle at St James’ Park but eventually lost 2-0 after some abject defending. Newcastle’s Nick Pope kept a clean sheet but the Reds never really threatened his goal. Arsenal, however, could have been 3-0 down in the first half against Leeds if it hadn’t been for Aaron Ramsdale. The Arsenal keeper is having a great season and growing in confidence with every game and he will need it. The next few weeks are about to be the most important in his playing career. If Ramsdale can hold his nerve then he’s almost certain to win a Premier League medal. Should he panic or falter in any way it will be curtains. No Pressure.
Nathan Ake (Manchester City)
If ever a non-tackle was a game-changer then the one Nathan Ake pulled out of was it. Ake’s ability to defend is almost as good as how he copes with the big occasion. The Dutch international is unflappable. It was Ake who, having blocked Andy Robertson’s cross from reaching Mohamed Salah in the box, then sprinted towards Cody Gakpo but then had the composure and presence of mind to pull out of the tackle just in time not to impede the player. That didn’t stop Robertson or Salah appealing to referee Simon Hooper for a penalty of course but he was having none of it – and quite rightly. The art of good defending is not just making important tackles but not giving needless free-kicks and penalties away. Brilliant defending by Ake.
Michael Keane (Everton)
I find myself selecting Michael Keane for my team after making a tackle he didn’t have to make. Tottenham’s Cristian Romero had his back to goal and going in precisely the direction the Everton defender wanted him to go so why make the tackle? What impressed me most was Keane never allowed the mistake to affect his game and came up with an extraordinary equaliser. As for Spurs, I wasn’t the least bit surprised by their professional performance against Everton at Goodison Park. It would have been almost impossible not to have responded to the lambasting the Spurs players received from former manager Antonio Conte after their performance against Southampton prior to the international break. Read what I think about Conte’s outburst in the Crooks of the Matter below.
Nayef Aguerd (West Ham)
There was absolutely no doubt about the header by Nayef Aguerd but VAR took an age to make its mind up. The Morocco international is quickly making a name for himself at the London stadium while his winning goal against a Southampton side desperate for points was crucial. This win for West Ham will do their survival prospects no harm and probably saved David Moyes his job. During a weekend when managers seemed to be dropping like flies this victory against the Saints might be the turning point for Moyes and he has Aguerd to thank.
Dan Burn (Newcastle)
Another outstanding performance by Dan Burn against Manchester United. It was a feature of Newcastle’s defending in the white-hot atmosphere of St James’ Park and also highlights the difference between the two teams. The Magpies are proving to be a handful at home, and after years in the wilderness once again have a ground at which teams cannot expect to pick up easy points. United, on the other hand, have players who can produce on the big occasion – as they did when they beat Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final – but they are inconsistent in the league. If ever there were fans who deserve success then it’s the Geordies. Great fans who now have a manager capable of taking the team to new heights.
Alexis Mac Allister (Brighton)
Any player who says he enjoys taking penalties will do for me and what a penalty it was. Not only did Alexis Mac Allister send David Raya the wrong way but the spot-kick was so beautifully taken the Brentford keeper wouldn’t have saved it if he had gone the right way. The Argentina international has been on fire since his triumphant return from the World Cup and provided the Seagulls with real quality in midfield. The big question for Brighton is can they keep him? Quite why a club like Liverpool have not made a serious bid for Mac Allister when their midfield is so short on craft and energy is hard to fathom but you can bet your bottom dollar that one of the big clubs will come in for him before the start of next season.
John McGinn (Aston Villa)
He hadn’t scored a goal for Aston Villa since November 2021. Another one of those wretched football statistic that doesn’t tell the whole story of a player’s contribution to the team. McGinn has arguably been Villa’s most consistent performer for the last two seasons. His left-foot strike cost Chelsea the match and manager Graham Potter his job. The truth be told Potter should never have been given the job in the first place, while his perseverance with Marc Cucurella at left-back merely shone a searchlight on Potter’s managerial shortcomings. Meanwhile, Villa manager Unai Emery has won European titles and has the pedigree to manage a dressing room full of international stars. A feature owner Todd Boehley clearly knows nothing about or why else would he have appointed Potter at a time when Emery was available?
Jack Grealish (Manchester City)
Jack Grealish isn’t renowned for his defending but if he hadn’t found the speed to keep up with Mohamed Salah and block the pass that would have put Diogo Jota in on goal, City would have found themselves 2-0 down. The England international is in a rich vein of form. He played very well against Italy in the Euro 2024 qualifier and even better against Liverpool. Within minutes of making the block on Salah he set up Julian Alvarez to finish off a beautiful move and scored their fourth goal himself. Actually, I didn’t think Grealish was that quick.
Marcus Tavernier (Bournemouth)
Since Gary O’Neil took the reins at Bournemouth they have painstakingly pulled themselves out of the bottom three. Their victory against a Fulham side still reeling from their meltdown at Manchester United was as much to do with their manager’s astute substitutions as it was with the equaliser scored by Marcus Tavernier. The left-foot strike from the youngster was as good as I’ve seen all season and made it impossible for me to leave him out of my final selection. Fulham on the other hand are suffering without Willian and Aleksandar Mitrovic and so they should. Both contributed to the nonsense that took place at Old Trafford. Willian for not immediately walking having received the red card and Mitrovic for manhandling the referee. Mitrovic will be lucky if he kicks another ball in the Premier League this season.
Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal)
It’s good to see Gabriel Jesus playing football again after such a lengthy lay-off. Injuries are an occupational hazard for professional players but when they happen during such an important season it is hellishly frustrating. However his two goals against Leeds, whose lack of finishing in front of goal cost them the match, will have taken away much of the pain he suffered during these past five months. Leeds were poor and they will have to do something a bit special between now and the end of the season to survive relegation. Arsenal on the other hand took complete advantage of the visitors’ inability to take their opportunities and without exerting too much energy. To have Jesus back as they approach their run-in is a massive boost, and with Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea – regardless of their form – still to play they will need him.
Julian Alvarez (Manchester City)
No Erling Haaland or Phil Foden were on show but neither player’s absence seem to make a scrap of difference to Julian Alvarez or Manchester City’s refusal to give up the title chase. The Argentine may lack Haaland’s stature, pace and power but there was no shortage of desire and ability to put a dent into Liverpool’s ego. In fact I would argue that City look a better all-round team without Haaland in the side. With the Norwegian superstar in the team they look less fluent and far more direct especially in the final third of the field than they did against Liverpool. Resting or rotating Haaland in the future, certainly on this showing, might not be such a bad idea for City as some had perhaps originally thought.
The Crooks of the Matter
I said in my team of the week prior to the international break that Antonio Conte wouldn’t last the week after his infamous outburst following Tottenham’s 3-3 draw at Southampton. OK, I was out by 48 hours but I knew he couldn’t possibly take charge of their next fixture after his attack on everyone at the club apart from himself. That said, Conte was right about one thing: Tottenham have developed a culture of failure.
Spurs haven’t won a trophy since 2008 and that’s because they have sacrificed glory on the altar of commercial enterprise. The club is worth a fortune, has wonderful training facilities, but to what end? What’s the point of it all? It’s like having a lovely school with wonderful facilities but poor exam results.
What’s more, if individuals like Conte and Jose Mourinho aren’t good enough to manage Tottenham, and they are serial winners, then who?
The ‘top clubs’ in the English game have been prepared to pay the price for glory – Roman Abramovich did so at Chelsea, John Henry at Liverpool, Sheikh Mansour at Manchester City. Even the much-maligned Glaziers at Manchester United have dug deep into their pockets in order to put their club back among the elite and we all saw what happened at Old Trafford when their fans thought they were being taken for a ride by their owners.
Manchester United feel they are entitled to success, Liverpool demand success, Arsenal expect success and Manchester City plan for success.
Spurs, meanwhile, hope for success and that’s what Conte means when he talks about a culture of failure – and he is right.
Pick your XI from our list and share with your friends.
