After every round of Premier League matches this season, BBC football pundit Troy Deeney will give you his team and manager of the week.
Here are this week’s choices. Do you agree? Give us your thoughts using the comments form at the bottom of this page.
Jordan Pickford (Everton): I’ve given Jordan a lot of stick over the course of this season because I think he’s played awful at times, but now I’m going to give him his flowers. I thought he played really well against Newcastle, not only with his penalty save, but I thought he was more measured and more controlled. He got hold of his team, claimed a clean sheet and earned them a well-deserved point.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool): Another clean sheet for Liverpool. I don’t think that is being spoken about enough. Some of the passes he played in the win at Crystal Palace with the outside of his foot were easy on the eye, like the one he played to Mohamed Salah to set him away. He just looks more comfortable and more confident.
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool): Monster. Powerhouse. He never looks worried or concerned. The complaints about a penalty were daft, it was really good defending. The player was never getting there and Van Dijk just made sure. It was another captain-like performance from the big centre-half, who Liverpool need to tie down to a new contract as soon as possible.
Michael Keane (Everton): He gets a lot of stick and is under a lot of pressure at Everton. The fans aren’t having him one bit. James Tarkowski, who normally gets a lot of credit, was poor and Keane was solid as ever cleaning up for him.
Diogo Dalot (Manchester United): He hasn’t been great this season but has been very consistent for Manchester United over the last couple of years. Whether he’s at left-back or right-back, he plays really well. He helped his team to get a good point at high-flying Aston Villa and a result Manchester United really needed.
Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool): He was excellent. He is growing into that holding midfielder that we all thought Liverpool needed. Liverpool thought they needed it when they tried to sign Martin Zubimendi in the summer, but Gravenberch looks like a powerhouse and is getting better and better with each game.
Mateo Kovacic (Manchester City): He got two goals in the win against Fulham and people will focus on that but he also broke the play up and kept the ball moving really well. He had a bit of the dark arts in there too, helping Manchester City to see out the game.
Mikkel Damsgaard (Brentford): He picked up two assists in a topsy-turvy win over Wolves. I had a friend who was at the match and I asked him who the best player was – he said Damsgaard and I trust his opinion.
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal): He got two assists and a goal – that’s becoming a very normal weekend for Saka. Another excellent performance in a game that was a potential banana skin against Southampton. He just looked a class above. Not only is it good for Arsenal but it’s also good news for England.
Jarrod Bowen (West Ham): A huge game not only for West Ham but also for Bowen. The manager was under pressure and he had to deliver as captain – that’s exactly what he did with an assist and a goal. He was a threat all game against an Ipswich team that have been very good all season and he made them look bang average.
Kai Havertz (Arsenal): There’s a lot of pressure on his shoulders because people wonder whether he will score enough goals. He has just equalled Robin van Persie’s record for seven in seven games at Emirates Stadium – that’s no mean feat. He is growing in confidence, looks comfortable and it looks like Arsenal have a top player on their hands.
Marco Silva (Fulham): This is a weird one to say because he was a losing manager, but I was mightily impressed with how Silva was tactically. Fulham ran Manchester City all the way. If all the chances hadn’t fallen to Adama Traore then Fulham probably would have won – they were excellent and put Manchester City under pressure.
Do you agree with Troy’s selections? Who would be in your team of the week? Have your say using the comments form below:
