At the end of every Premier League weekend BBC football pundit Garth Crooks will be on hand to give you his Team of the Week.
But who has he picked this time? Take a look then pick your own team. As ever, Garth will have his say on the game’s big talking points in The Crooks of the Matter.
Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)
It has not been easy for Arsenal to find a number one goalkeeper and they have had nothing to compare with the likes of David Seaman. However, with Aaron Ramsdale it seems as if they have found a keeper who complements the sort of team Mikel Arteta is trying to create. No heroics and certainly no tantrums – just an honest keeper prepared to do what is necessary. He is particularly good at spreading himself in one-v-one situations and did it very well against Brentford. He reminds me of legendary Arsenal keeper Bob Wilson, who was a great team player. If Ramsdale can handle the big pressure moments as well as Wilson did, Arsenal’s time at the top of the table might not be as short-lived as some in north London would like.
John Stones (Man City)
What a strike by the Manchester City defender. If Jude Bellingham’s finish for Borussia Dortmund was an indicator why he should be in the starting line-up for England, then why not John Stones – particularly during a period when Harry Maguire can’t get in the Manchester United side and the national team seem to be struggling for centre-backs? Against a top-class European side, Stones looked as competent as any defender on the pitch, and so too in the game against Wolves at the weekend. As for scoring top-class goals against top-class opposition, this is proof of the confidence the player has acquired by remaining at City. Stones is the only English centre-back who is showing any consistent form at the moment.
Manuel Akanji (Man City)
He hardly put a foot wrong throughout the match. In fact, he was so quietly effective against Wolves I was keen to know why I hadn’t noticed this player before. Manuel Akanji, a Switzerland international with a distinctive Nigerian surname. If only Nathan Collins was half as composed as Akanji. The Wolves defender dropped Jack Grealish with what only can be described as a flying karate kick to the midriff. Referee Anthony Taylor dismissed Collins without a second thought, and quite rightly. As for Akanji, it looks like we might be seeing far more of the centre-back this season for City.
William Saliba (Arsenal)
I must say I expected a little more from Brentford, as I did from Ivan Toney considering his recent selection for the England team. However, both Brentford and Toney had to contend with William Saliba, who looks very dangerous in the opposition penalty area and as solid as a rock in his own. If Toney is going to be taken seriously as a starter for the national team, he is going to have to make life much harder for defenders like Saliba. This was a stroll in the park for the Frenchman. It is not always about scoring goals for strikers, but it is about putting yourself about sometimes.
Jack Grealish (Man City)
To hear Jack Grealish admit that the criticism he’s received about his lack of goals and assists since his arrival at Manchester City was fair was not only refreshing but very honest. Against Wolves the England international had his best performance for City since he left Villa Park. It wasn’t just his willingness to get in the six-yard box where it hurts that was impressive, but his link-up play with Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland was telling – a further indication he’s no longer intimidated by his surroundings and finally starting to settle in and produce his best work.
Kevin de Bruyne (Man City)
Manchester City took all the points and there was absolutely nothing Wolves could do about it. Three goals for City and two assists for De Bruyne – job done. The ball into the box for Grealish to score was just sensational, while the pass for Phil Foden’s goal was simply irresistible. It’s getting to a stage when you’re starting to ask yourself: how does De Bruyne continually produce such extraordinary quality? That’s five assists already this season and more are certain to follow. I’ll bet De Bruyne gets as many assists this season as Haaland gets goals.
Joao Palhinha (Fulham)
The goal was spectacular and the victory over Nottingham Forest impressive. Fulham are a very different side under Marco Silva than they were under Scott Parker, and it continues to show itself in their performances. Silva has put together a team who are not afraid to take the game to the opposition and take risks, and that’s precisely what they did against Forest. Meanwhile, I sense a touch of fatalism with each post-match interview given by Steve Cooper and that the task ahead might be too big. The owner has not helped by bringing players to the club in August when they should have been there in July. Cooper has now got to build a team in September and October which, after the World Cup in November, Forest might just be ready to compete in the Premier League in January or February – by which time they could be too far behind to avoid going down.
Granit Xhaka (Arsenal)
I don’t like Granit Xhaka. I find him confrontational, overly aggressive and altogether irritating. Nevertheless, on his day he’s a very good player. He should have left Arsenal years ago. However, for some reason he has not only stayed at the club, but also occasionally wears the captain’s armband, such is his popularity these days. Against Brentford he looked very impressive and so did Arsenal. I would like to know why Brentford didn’t look up for this game, but the Gunners were so good I rather suspect that even if they had it wouldn’t have changed anything – Arsenal were that good. Most worrying.
Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal)
From the moment Gabriel Jesus put on an Arsenal shirt he’s been playing like a man possessed. His enthusiasm and appetite for the game is immense. He’s not just scoring goals for the Gunners but leading the line. His movement around the pitch is fantastic and he plays the game with an infectious arrogance that is spreading through the Arsenal team like wildfire, and the reason why they currently sit on top of the Premier League. The way Jesus generated enough power, on a beautifully flighted ball from Xhaka, to beat David Raya in the Brentford goal provided a glimpse of just how fit and strong Jesus actually is. Why Brazil haven’t selected him for their national team during the international break is a total mystery to me.
Erling Haaland (Man City)
Everything he touches at the moment seems to fly into the back of the net. His goal against Wolves at the weekend was a mishit, and much was made of his finish against Borussia Dortmund in midweek; some even dared to compare it to Johan Cruyff’s goal against Brazil in 1974. It wasn’t in the same class, never mind the same competition. Haaland’s late winner against his old club in the Champions League, while vital in Manchester City’s quest to lift the elusive European title, was a scruffy lunge in a desperate attempt to make contact with the ball. Cruyff’s, on the other hand, was a brilliantly controlled side-foot volley as the player remained upright and suspended in mid-air. Admittedly, goals are goals, but some are better than others.
Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
He waited what felt like ages for a goal and suddenly he scores three in 14 minutes. Spurs manager Antonio Conte insisted Son had been rested for the game against Leicester, but the reality was the South Korea international was out of favour. What a way to regain your confidence, and at the same time stick two fingers up to the manager. To be fair to Conte he did bring Son on after 59 minutes in the hope that the player might seal the game for Spurs – and that’s precisely what he did. Spurs now have options with Richarlison, Dejan Kulusevski and Ivan Perisic available, and Son will have to fight for his place – but this win for Spurs sets up the north London derby beautifully. As for Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers, he’ll be lucky to see the international break out.
The Crooks of the Matter
It somehow feels wrong to resume the season’s fixtures after a short delay without first acknowledging why they were stopped in the first place. Much was made in some quarters about the rights and wrongs of postponing the weekend’s fixtures in honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s death. Some of those comments were made by individuals who weren’t even a figment of one’s imagination in 1952 when a young Queen ascended the throne. However, League fixtures were put on hold in order for the national sport to pay its respects – and quite rightly – to the Royal Family and the passing of the monarch.
There were other competitions like Test cricket, a sport far less likely to stir up feelings or chants that may cause offence, that paid a very moving tribute to the Queen having brought their activities to a halt for 24 hours. Football had reasons to do the same, but chose to stand down and create the space for quiet reflection and families across the country to offer their condolences. Some of whom congregated outside the gates of Balmoral, in the streets of Edinburgh and London all the way to Buckingham Palace, just to catch a glimpse of the cortege. Or merely reminisce about the moment Her Majesty handed our greatest ever captain Bobby Moore the World Cup trophy. The game has now doffed its hat to its longest-serving monarch in the best way it knew how. We may now resume hostilities over managerial sackings and the incompetence of VAR and its officials. The pause was a small price to pay for a sovereign who gave a nation 70 years of unblemished service.
