BBC Premier League team of the week

Much to the delight of supporters across the country, the Premier League returned at the weekend after the international break. That means BBC pundit Garth Crooks is back too and has selected his Premier League team of the week, with Man Utd, Liverpool, Tottenham and Man City dominating the XI, as seen in the graphic below.

Starting with the Red Devils after their win over Swansea City at Old Trafford, David De Gea and Jesse Lingard secure places in the XI after playing starring roles in the victory. The Spaniard was as reliable as ever between the posts, while Lingard grabbed two assists to play a key role in the win which pushes Man Utd into an even stronger position in their pursuit of a top-four finish this season.

It’s no surprise that Crooks has gone for several Tottenham players, as they impressed in their 3-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday, ending a 28-year wait for a win at Stamford Bridge. Naturally, Dele Alli is included after his brace, while Christian Eriksen scored a stunning equaliser before half-time as the attacking pair were fundamental in the win. At the other end of the pitch though, Davinson Sanchez and Jan Vertonghen were pivotal in keeping things tight at the back, as barring a Hugo Lloris mistake for the goal, they were very organised and solid defensively.

Meanwhile, Man City trio Vincent Kompany, David Silva and Leroy Sane make the grade as they helped Pep Guardiola’s side take another step closer to the Premier League title with a comfortable 3-1 win over Everton.

Sane opened the scoring after just four minutes, Silva pulled the strings for the visitors while Kompany was a rock at the back as they all did their part to earn recognition this week. Despite his booking for diving, Sadio Mane gets a place in an attacking trident, as in his defence, he was a constant menace for Crystal Palace even when Liverpool were trailing at Selhurst Park.

The Senegal international grabbed the crucial equaliser to spark the turnaround, and although he was substituted early, he had a good game. It’s debatable though whether he deserves the nod over others, or even teammate Mohamed Salah who scored the winning goal.

West Ham United striker Marko Arnautovic completes the line-up, as he scored twice in his side’s win over Southampton, moving the Hammers up to 14th in the table in the process and five points above the bottom three. As is the case every week though, Crooks was roundly slammed by readers, as seen in the tweets below, as evidently they didn’t agree with his picks.

The BBC pundit is often under fire for his team of the week, and while some of the inclusions this time round are well deserved, he has gone with the same players from three teams for the most part and his efforts this week haven’t gone down well.