At the end of every round of fixtures, BBC football pundit Garth Crooks is on hand to give you his Team of the Week.
Who has he picked this time? Take a look and then pick your own team below and share it on social media. As ever, Garth also has his say on the game’s big talking points in the Crooks of the Matter.
Jason Steele (Brighton): Steele by name steel by nature. My goodness, Jason Steele showed exactly what he was made of during Sunday’s 3-0 win at Arsenal. I thought there were moments in the game where he overplayed and was inches from conceding a goal because of the risks he was prepared to take. This performance was a far cry from the game against Everton where Steele was on the end of a drubbing and conceded five goals. A week later he was facing the title challengers and running rings around them. Quite apart from Steele displaying just how good he is with his feet, he more than played his part in keeping Arsenal at bay with his hands and produced a number of important saves. This was an extraordinary performance by Brighton in extraordinary circumstances, and Steele was at the very heart of it.
Pervis Estupinan (Brighton): His goal was the icing on the cake and his team’s performance blew everybody away. What a display of controlled football by Brighton at Arsenal, who, until this fixture, still had hopes of lifting the title. It might still be mathematically possible but it won’t on Sunday if Manchester City beat Chelsea. Brighton didn’t just look like the home side, they played like the home side and eventually took their hosts apart. I don’t think I’ve seen a more comprehensive display against a team who have dominated the league for the best part of the season for some considerable time. Pervis Estupinan was outstanding and hardly gave Bukayo Saka a kick. Brighton now go above Tottenham with two games in hand and are favourites to land a place in the Europa Conference League.
Moises Caicedo (Brighton): Manchester City beat Arsenal at Emirates Stadium but they didn’t take them apart like Brighton did. The Seagulls rolled up in north London and left with Arsenal’s title dreams in tatters. There can’t be anyone who is seriously expecting Erling Haaland, Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin de Bruyne and the Manchester City bandwagon to blow this now. Arsenal wanted to buy Brighton’s Moises Caicedo and after this performance against the Gunners I can see why. Following his encounter with Gabriel Martinelli you could see this is a player from the old school and he’s going places. They made two bids for the Ecuador international this season and it caused a terrible fuss. Brighton refused the offers and they were sizable. The player, naturally upset, took some time to get over the disappointment but to his credit settled his differences with the Seagulls and continued to produce outstanding performances, notwithstanding this extraordinary trouncing of the Gunners on their own turf.
Manuel Akanji (Manchester City): Manchester City have acquired another top-class defender in Manuel Akanji. He can play in a back three or four, he never hides and always makes himself available to receive the ball, and he’s also very quick, especially in recovery. Akanji used all those attributes in a 3-0 victory at Everton that opens the door to a historic Treble. The next three weeks presents City with their most demanding but biggest opportunity in the club’s history. Should they beat Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday, they would face AC Milan or Inter Milan in the final – neither of whom will frighten City in the slightest. If they beat Chelsea at home four days later the Premier League title is theirs. They can play whoever they like in their remaining league fixtures once they have the title in the bag, saving their most important players for the Champions League and first FA Cup final between City and Manchester United. Apart from having the capacity to win these games they also have the squad to do it. What’s more, the way City celebrated their victory over Everton, they know the Treble is doable.
Curtis Jones (Liverpool): When you score two goals away from home and the team you’re playing are fighting relegation they seldom come back from that. Leicester were dead and buried the moment they conceded their second goal in Monday’s 3-0 defeat at King Power Stadium. The name Curtis Jones will be remembered for some considerable time in Leicester should they not win either of their remaining fixtures against West Ham or Newcastle at St James’ Park. Liverpool on the other hand find themselves on a roll and breathing down the necks of Manchester United, desperately looking at that fourth place and a Champions League spot. If Liverpool can achieve that then the likes of Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice suddenly become affordable. Meanwhile, boos rang round Leicester’s ground as the Foxes remain second-bottom of the Premier League table. I was never convinced at the time that dispensing with the services of Brendan Rodgers was the right thing to do.
Douglas Luiz: (Aston Villa): Precisely what Pedro Porro was doing to allow Jacob Ramsey to brush him aside so easily and put the ball so politely into the back of the net I don’t know. What I do know is Tottenham Hotspur are in freefall. Spurs totally refused any idea of Mauricio Pochettino returning to the club and allowed the man who took them to the Champions League final to take charge of Chelsea next season, when all indicators suggest he was keen to return to Spurs where he felt he had unfinished business. Aston Villa, unlike Spurs, now have a grown-up in charge. Unai Emery is showing what can be achieved when the right managerial appointment is made – his players are playing out of their skins for him. The free-kick by Douglas Luiz in the 2-1 win over Spurs was stunning. Luiz was also brilliant in the corresponding fixture and caused Tottenham all kinds of problems.
Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City): This was a captain’s performance if ever I saw one and a very important win in the scheme of things for Manchester City. Ilkay Gundogan’s display was controlled, disciplined and offered leadership. I never see this player flustered. He took his first goal as well as any seasoned striker, while his free-kick flew past Jordan Pickford as though he wasn’t there – and that was it, game over. The way manager Pep Guardiola celebrated after the game with the City fans and players said it all. It was as though they had already won the title, such was the importance and significance of the victory. This was a tricky game for City given the perilous situation the Toffees find themselves in, but City made it look easy in the end and much of that was down to the professionalism and brilliance of Ilkay Gundogan. Read why I think Gundogan should have received the Footballer of the Year Award in the Crooks of the Matter below.
Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace): I saw the contact made by Joachim Andersen on Jefferson Lerma in Crystal Palace’s 2-0 win over Bournemouth and could not believe no action was taken. It was made with a closed fist and landed square on Jefferson’s nose and broke it. If it had been a middleweight boxing contest it would have scored three on the points card, and Jefferson would have been entitled to a count. In fact the player had to take one. I’ve seen some incompetence since the introduction of VAR but this takes some beating. While most of us were wondering how on earth the incident could have been judged to be anything other than a punch, the video assistant referee thought otherwise. Meanwhile Eberechi Eze was subjecting Bournemouth and thrilling the Crystal Palace crowd with his own brand of knockout blows. This kid looks better every time I see him. His second goal was a peach equalled only by the pass provided for him by Michael Olise. The way these two super youngsters are emerging at Palace is impressive. All they need now is a young manager to help them develop. Oh yes – they had one of them and decided to get rid of him.
Callum Wilson: There was a certain irony in Sam Allardyce’s pre-match comments about wanting Elland Road to be like a bear pit for the visit of Newcastle United. Those who saw the former Bolton centre-back play, and as someone who played against him and felt the weight of his tackles, would understand why the recently appointed Leeds manager used the metaphor. However, this was a game about using your head, not your brawn. Callum Wilson held his nerve and converted two penalties in the 2-2 draw, while Patrick Bamford missed his which, if you are a Leeds fan, must be very worrying. Leeds must win their two remaining games if they want to secure their Premier League status and neither will be a game for faint hearts. Wilson meanwhile does not suffer from that condition. The Newcastle striker was the coolest man in the stadium and has bounced back from a blip in goalscoring form to look as sharp as ever.
Antony: As a Manchester United player you have to deliver. The words of manager Erik ten Hag in his interview after the 2-0 win over Wolves have never rung truer. Not since the days of Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson has United’s red flag looked so promising. Wolves have come a long way since the arrival of Julen Lopetegui but were no match for United. The star of the show was Antony who looked electric on the day. The Brazilian’s ability is not in question, but all too often against the better teams he struggles by allowing his frustrations to get the better of him. United are very close to securing a Champions League place for next season. Ten Hag must impress upon Anthony during the summer that the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich will seek out those frustrations and expose them – and if he wants to stay at United he has to deliver against them as well.
Taiwo Awoniyi: The appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as the new Chelsea boss next season suggests life for Frank Lampard at Stamford Bridge is, once again, over. That doesn’t mean if Pochettino’s time at Chelsea is an unmitigated disaster they can’t haul Lampard back for a third time to hold the fort, such is the barmy nature of professional football these days. Nottingham Forest’s 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge only serves to endorse the need for fresh ideas at the top of the club. Taiwo Awoniyi’s two goals not only exposed their defensive frailties, but provided Forest with a Premier League lifeline. The Nigerian striker struggled, as did his team, in the first half of the season, but regular readers will note I said the only way Steve Cooper’s Forest could survive was if the owner stopped buying players mid-season and allowed the manager to create a team. The World Cup break also bought Cooper time to do precisely that. Meanwhile, Awoniyi has grown into a player and Forest now have a real chance of survival.
The Crooks of the Matter
The football writers doffed their caps to Erling Haaland by honouring him with their award as footballer of the year for his heroic efforts for Manchester City this season. I must say it was somewhat predictable – I would have liked IIkay Gundogan to have won it. The Germany midfielder has been sensational this season and it would have been fitting, having played his 300th game for the club, won numerous titles, and now on the verge of a historic Treble, to have received the accolade.
Ever since the likes of Sir Stanley Matthews, Sir Tom Finney and Bobby Moore received the trophy all those years ago, the award signifies much more than the contribution a player makes in a season. It’s about respect and above all leadership. I admit Haaland offers many attributes, but at 22 he still has so much to learn. I also find it extraordinary Kevin de Bruyne has never won the trophy either. Arguably the best footballer on the planet has never won the Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year award?
Haaland has had a magnificent season, but I do think we should save the game’s most prestigious awards for those who offer more than just goals.
Pick your XI from our list and share with your friends.
