Who gave their heart and soul? Garth Crooks' Team of the Week

[CharlieH]

 

 

After every Premier League weekend, BBC football pundit Garth Crooks gathers his thoughts and gives you his Team of the Week.

Here are this week's choices and, as ever, Garth also discusses the game's big talking points in the Crooks of the Matter.

 

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Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa): To beat Arsenal took a superb team performance by Aston Villa from start to finish and it was a wonderful return to Emirates Stadium for manager Unai Emery. His team couldn't have performed any better than a 2-0 win away from home. As far as tactics go Aston Villa carried them out to the letter and it started with Emiliano Martinez.

Playing out from the back, and when Arsenal are pressing, you have to have nerves of steel. Martinez remained unshakeable throughout this entire fixture.

However, he is a goalkeeper first and foremost and when he was called on to produce something special he did precisely that. His point-blank save from Leandro Trossard at a crucial stage in the match was a turning point in the game and Villa never looked back. This is a team and a manager who look like they might be going places.

Fabian Schar (Newcastle): Fabian Schar should have been booked in the first few minutes against Tottenham for his tackle on Son Heung-min and so should Dan Burn for pulling back James Maddison. If referees are going to be lenient in the opening exchanges, and I detect more officials are giving players a little latitude, it should not be for deliberate or premeditated offences.

Let's not go back to the days when it was accepted a defender could have a free hit at a striker and the official would turn a blind eye. Having said that, the fixture was never in doubt once Newcastle realised that their visitors were never up for the battle. This was a poor show by Tottenham but an impressive performance in the end by Newcastle.

From his very first tackle, Schar was determined to leave an impression on the game and he did just that.

Joachim Andersen (Crystal Palace): To win at Anfield was a magnificent result for Crystal Palace and Joachim Andersen was at the heart of this victory for the Eagles. The Denmark international was outstanding alongside Nathaniel Clyne, Jefferson Lerma and Tyrick Mitchell, who between them kept an impressive clean sheet.

The result almost certainly means that Palace will now avoid being sucked into any sort of scrap with Everton, Nottingham Forest or Luton, who are all desperately trying to avoid relegation. Meanwhile, Liverpool's Mo Salah was well off the pace and has been for some time. Jurgen Klopp's team looked like the midweek defeat against Atalanta in the Europa League had taken too much out of them and they appeared to be running on fumes.

Whether Liverpool can recover from dropping points in their last two league fixtures and still mount a credible title challenge remains to be seen, but I think they may have blown it.

Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City): He scored his first goal for the club at the Bernabeu in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in midweek and then along came his first Premier League strike against Luton Town just four days later.

Both were quite superb, although the finish against Real Madrid would have carried far more significance. Nevertheless, the way the Croatia international has seamlessly slotted into the Manchester City set-up is incredibly impressive. Gvardiol's success since he burst into the team has given City options.

The full-back is as comfortable on the ball as Joao Cancelo was when he was occupying the position and seems just as capable of scoring goals. City, who went two points clear at the top of the table, now look ominous. With six league games left to play in the Premier League, a second Treble is still very much on the cards.

Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest): If Nottingham Forest are to stay in the Premier League this season they must keep Morgan Gibbs-White fit. He was their inspiration in the 2-2 draw against Wolves and his headed goal epitomised how the lad is not afraid to get in where it hurts in order to score goals.

 

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