Garth Crooks' Team of the Week: Stones, Fernandes, Enciso, Eze, Haaland

At the extremity of each Premier League circular of fixtures, BBC shot pundit Garth Crooks is connected manus to springiness you his Team of the Week.

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David de Gea (Manchester United): The astir hard play for a goalkeeper is erstwhile helium has thing to bash and past is called upon astatine a moment's notice. If determination is 1 goalkeeper susceptible of winning a lucifer having spent a sizeable magnitude of clip retired of the enactment it is David de Gea. His show against a stubborn Nottingham Forest wasn't thing peculiar but thoroughly dependable. De Gea has travel a agelong mode since the days helium was talking astir returning to his autochthonal Spain. The erstwhile planetary should present beryllium the Manchester United nine skipper - he's earned it.

Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa): This was an awesome show by Aston Villa. Two things stood retired successful this fixture: firstly, Aston Villa person been transformed nether Unai Emery, and secondly, Newcastle United are not acceptable for the Champions League adjacent if they bash execute a top-four place. Villa, connected the different hand, look similar a broadside who person unravelled each the analyzable shot and play the elemental game. The subordinate who seems to person benefited nether this caller authorities is Tyrone Mings. The England planetary looks arsenic bully arsenic I've seen him for immoderate time. Simply doing what helium does best, and that is conscionable to compete. If helium keeps playing similar that a swift instrumentality to the England set-up could beryllium connected the horizon.

Diogo Dalot (Manchester United): Manchester United were 1 of the fewer teams that kept a cleanable expanse this weekend, but what was peculiar astir it was United are ravaged by injuries. Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot person not featured regularly successful the archetypal squad this season, but you wouldn't person known that the mode they performed against Nottingham Forest. Dalot was outstanding successful defence and ever supportive successful onslaught and took his extremity similar a seasoned striker. All recognition to Erik 10 Hag, who has not conscionable transformed the squad but the full squad since Cristiano Ronaldo's departure. Getting escaped of Ronaldo was cardinal to that.

John Stones (Manchester City): This is simply a subordinate who has done precise good to past astatine Manchester City. Pep Guardiola places superior demands connected his defenders and not putting the shot astatine hazard is 1 of them. Not lone is John Stones a amended defender nether the absorption of the champion manager successful the world, but a overmuch amended footballer. Stones nary longer takes ridiculous amounts of touches successful a deliberate effort to provoke strikers into trying to bargain the shot from him earlier passing it connected to a team-mate without a attraction successful the satellite astir the clip helium has near his team-mate to woody with the problem. It made Stones look bully but with small information for his team. These days I seldom spot Stones person much than 2 touches whenever he's connected the ball, and sometimes lone 1 interaction successful the bigger games - the shot moves on. He has present earned a spot further up the tract successful Guardiola's squad which is simply a further denotation of the spot his manager has placed successful him. I wonderment if this is thing England manager Gareth Southgate mightiness consider.

Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United): It's bully to spot Christian Eriksen backmost successful a Manchester United garment and playing alongside Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes truthful effectively. They are each top-class players and connected their time match-winners. Fernandes, however, was the standout midfield subordinate against Nottingham Forest. The Portugal planetary is not everyone's cupful of beverage but erstwhile he's connected his crippled he's arsenic bully arsenic immoderate midfielder successful the country. As for the East Midlands nine they are nary longer the brushed interaction they were astatine the commencement of the season. Steve Cooper has assembled a squad that inactive mightiness survive.

Harry Wilson (Fulham): It would look mean work has resumed with the Cottagers. Their show against Everton astatine Goodison Park seemed controlled and professional, which is simply a acold outcry from what we saw astatine Old Trafford immoderate weeks ago. Most importantly Fulham person learned a invaluable acquisition aft their travel to Manchester United, and that is to stay focused immoderate the circumstances. Harry Wilson epitomised that diagnostic and played a masterful relation successful their triumph implicit a mediocre Everton. Sean Dyche is close - Everton person fallen backmost into aged habits and it's his occupation to marque definite it doesn't continue.

Julio Enciso (Brighton): How travel Brighton tin find endowment astatine a fraction of the terms Chelsea wage and inactive nutrient amended results? All recognition to Brighton - they person 3 mini-superstars successful the midst. Kaoru Mitoma is having a magnificent season, Evan Ferguson is simply a sensational imaginable and present Julio Enciso, the 19-year-old from Paraguay who ripped the bosom retired of Chelsea with a magnificent strike. Chelsea could kick astir this fixture being played connected Saturday and not Sunday due to the fact that of their midweek Champions League fixture with Real Madrid, but I wouldn't counsel it. They person capable planetary players to tract 3 teams. Graham Potter and Frank Lampard's nonaccomplishment to grip the resources disposable to them is telling. The quality to rotate the squad portion competing for European glory and keeping gait with home matters astatine the aforesaid clip is cardinal to the occurrence for immoderate manager astatine a large club. There is nary uncertainty the decision successful Madrid took its toll, but Chelsea person the resources to header with that.

Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace): Victories against Leeds United and present Southampton person not convinced maine that Patrick Vieira could not person won these games, having played the teams supra them and done each the hard enactment by putting 27 points connected the board, earlier helium was unceremoniously sacked by Crystal Palace. Vieira's departure lone serves to suggest thing much than results was liable for his exit. What I bash find absorbing is his departure has not affected the team's show successful immoderate mode - successful information they look a happier bunch. Against Leeds it was Michael Olise who caught the eye, and Eberechi Eze, who has been flirting with stardom for immoderate time, who destroyed Southampton. Six points successful 2 games nether Roy Hodgson has virtually secured the Eagles' presumption successful the Premier League, but Hodgson is astir arsenic aged arsenic clip itself and can't spell connected forever. So what happens now?

Erling Haaland (Manchester City): They destroyed Bayern Munich successful midweek and past did the aforesaid to Leicester City with fractional the fuss and minimum effort. Manchester City and successful peculiar Erling Haaland are firing connected each cylinders. They person 1 ft successful the semi-finals of the Champions League with the instrumentality limb astatine Allianz Arena a formality, past there's the imaginable of them gathering Arsenal astatine Etihad Stadium connected 26 April where, should they win, the Premier League rubric would beryllium theirs to lose. However, determination is nary uncertainty successful my caput City are a overmuch much 'attractive' squad without Erling Haaland, but get this: they won't triumph the Champions League oregon the rubric without him.

Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth): He was precise unfortunate not to marque my squad enactment past week aft terrorising Leicester City astatine King Power Stadium. Dominic Solanke is not conscionable starring the enactment for Bournemouth, helium is looking each inch a prime player. It whitethorn person taken him a while, but helium is surely looking the portion now. The striker exposed Tottenham's deficiency of professionalism and their inability to get the occupation done having gone up arsenic aboriginal arsenic the 14th minute. This can't spell on. Tottenham's play is falling apart. They person sacked Antonio Conte for telling the information astir his squad and the civilization of the club, and installed manager Cristian Stellini arsenic interim manager due to the fact that president Daniel Levy hasn't got a hint what to bash next. Well, licence maine to springiness him a small advice: instal Mauricio Pochettino instantly to bolster the fans and reassure the players connected a declaration until the extremity of the season. If helium tin unafraid Spurs a top-four spot helium gets a big, abdominous bonus and a two-year declaration and capable clip to triumph a trophy oregon he's gone. Is that difficult?

Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa): I hadn't compared Ollie Watkins to Callum Wilson before, but similar Southgate the fixture betwixt Aston Villa and Newcastle presented the cleanable opportunity. The England manager, watching from the stands, indispensable person been near successful nary uncertainty that Watkins' signifier has blossomed since the World Cup and Wilson's has suffered. Two well-taken goals and Watkins walks disconnected the transportation to a lasting ovation. I would person been looking for the hat-trick myself, but it seems that the modern crippled is each astir preservation. Watkins is successful a affluent vein of signifier and his manager volition bash immoderate it takes to support his apical striker betwixt present and the extremity of the season. Bringing him disconnected to rousing applause mightiness not regenerate the hat-trick, but it came mighty close.

The Crooks of the Matter

It would look the contention surrounding the brushwood betwixt Liverpool and Arsenal that finished 2-2 has yet been brought to an end. The incidental involving the adjunct referee Constantine Hatzidakis and Andy Robertson was resolved aft a Football Association enquiry found the adjunct referee had nary lawsuit to answer.

And I should deliberation so.

The incredulity connected Robertson's look having received the reflex absorption from the referee's assistant. The defender had aft each travel astatine specified a gait to face the official, it was perfectly earthy for the startled Hatzidakis to rise his elbow arsenic a antiaircraft mechanism. The mode Robertson past turned to his team-mates successful astonishment to kick that helium had conscionable been 'deliberately' elbowed was bordering connected pathetic. The planetary defender should person known better. Had helium tried that stunt successful his autochthonal Scotland, successful a lucifer of nary value with an mean subordinate of the nationalist moving the line, helium would astir surely person been levelled. Robertson knew precisely what helium was doing and who helium was doing it to. This was bullying of the worst benignant and it has to stop.

Players confronting officials should person been outlawed years ago, and they lone person themselves to blame. Referees' nonaccomplishment to usage their cards successful their defence has lone served to marque matters worse. Of people officials shouldn't rise their arms against a subordinate and wouldn't successful mean circumstances, but this was not a mean circumstance. This contented should person been astir Robertson, who had nary concern intimidating the adjunct referee successful the archetypal place.

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