Manchester City are represented in the latest Premier League team of the week that has been selected by BBC pundit Garth Crooks.
Actually Garth is now down as a ‘Football Analyst’ these days, a posh term for a pundit then!
The performances by Ederson and Kevin de Bruyne in the one nil victory over Chelsea at the weekend at Stamford Bridge was enough to earn them a place in the side alongside the other, in the opinion of the former Spurs striker anyway, most impressive performers in the topflight over the latest weekend.
I think we’ll already know ourselves, and not just based on the latest performance, why Crooks, we’ll also not argue with it, selected the duo as part of his team but explaining his choice he told the BBC.
Ederson:
‘It was like playing with an extra defender the way the Brazilian goalkeeper, who joined Manchester City for £35m from Benfica in the summer, continually swept up at the back for Pep Guardiola’s side against Chelsea. The manner in which Ederson started the game really caught my eye. His save at the near post from Cesar Azpilicueta during the early exchanges was as sharp as it was impressive. But the catch and throw to Raheem Sterling from the ensuing cross was quite brilliant. It was as commanding as it was emphatic and suggested that there was only going to be one winner in this game. That sentiment seemed to be endorsed by Guardiola in his post-match interview, when he revealed his determination to play to win at Stamford Bridge. What must be worrying for Chelsea manager Antonio Conte and Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho is how well Guardiola’s team carried out his instructions to the letter. Let’s not forget this performance was merely four days after City had brushed aside Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League. It’s the second time they have been so impressive after a jaunt in Europe and it is becoming an impressive feature. A bit like their goalkeeper really.’
De Bruyne:
‘BBC commentator Jonathan Pearce thought Kevin de Bruyne was having a quiet game against Chelsea, and by his standards he probably was. That said, De Bruyne did star in City’s 2-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League last week so he could be forgiven for taking his time to come to the boil. He also scored a vital goal in that match as City secured three points against a team who are not to be sniffed at. Nevertheless, the game against Chelsea was a different affair entirely and a terrific contest. The one-two De Bruyne played with Gabriel Jesus which set up the Belgium midfielder’s goal was so inviting I felt like getting off my couch and giving the ball a whack myself. City are looking ominous at the moment, and more reminiscent of Barcelona with every game I see them play. The strike on the run by De Bruyne was so sweetly struck it flew past Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois like a rocket. It needed to be something special because Courtois had earlier made a fantastic save from Fernandinho’s flying header so we knew he was up for it. This was such a compelling victory by City that even Chelsea boss Antonio Conte had to front up in his post-match interview and give credit where it was due, praising Guardiola’s side. City are looking the real deal at the moment.’
It’s always good to see the club represented in this way, and well played to both for their recognition, but the most important thing about the weekend was of course the win.
Full Team:
Ederson (Manchester City), Maya Yoshida (Southampton), James Tarkowski (Burnley), Nacho Monreal (Arsenal), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham Hotspur), Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City), Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur).
