At the end of every round of fixtures, BBC football pundit Garth Crooks is on hand to give you his Team of the Week.
With the Premier League and the FA Cup semi-finals both included this week, who has he picked this time? Take a look and then pick your own team below and share it on social media. As ever, Garth also has his say on the game’s big talking points in the Crooks of the Matter.
Jordan Pickford (Everton): If Everton hope to survive this season and remain in the Premier League, they are going to need Jordan Pickford at his best. Regular readers will know I have a preference for Newcastle’s Nick Pope in the England goal given a choice but there is no doubt Pickford’s form has improved. The England number one seems to have ironed out those glitches in concentration that so often resulted in conceding a goal. Against Crystal Palace, there was little sign of the old Pickford who time after time came to Everton’s rescue and, in the end, the keeper was responsible for the Toffees coming away with a valuable point.
Timothy Castagne (Leicester): These were three massive points for Leicester. I’m still struggling with the departure of Brendan Rodgers from the King Power Stadium but Leicester fans tell me he had to go. OK, but to replace Rodgers with Dean Smith after his disappointing time at Norwich – what sort of appointment is that? What Smith has brought to the Leicester City dressing room, as part of his management team, is John Terry. The former England captain certainly knows everything you need to know about the art of defending and they will need every inch of his experience during their remaining games. Leicester made it difficult for Wolves and, I must admit, looked more organised. Their winning goal came from Timothy Castagne. A right footed full-back with a left-footed finish in open play. Jamie Vardy couldn’t have finished it better.
Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace): The ball for Jordan Ayew to run onto from Marc Guehi during the game’s early exchanges was quite brilliant by the Crystal Palace centre-back. You don’t often see such cultured passes played forward from central defenders – they are normally five-yard passes, a desperate boot up front or a square ball that simply leaves another player with the same problem. It was the sort of pass that made people sit up and take notice. So too was his challenge on Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The Palace defender did just enough to force the Everton centre-forward to rush his shot as he was about to stick the ball into the back of the net. Meanwhile, Palace continue to move up the table with a manager who almost certainly will not be with them next season. Vincent Kompany would be a much better bet for them than Chelsea, for example. Read why I think the owners running Stamford Bridge need to get a grip in the Crooks of the Matter below.
Victor Lindelof (Manchester United): I originally selected Luke Shaw in my team after what I thought was a magnificent performance against Brighton at centre-back in what is becoming a more familiar role for the England international these days. However, it became impossible for me to ignore Victor Lindelof having not only performed brilliantly in the FA Cup semi-final, having spent the best part of the season out of the Manchester United starting line-up, but he then went on to score the winning penalty in the shootout. I have not heard one word of complaint from the defender about having been left out of the team, while his conduct whenever he played has been exemplary. I hope Erik ten Hag rewards him with a cup final start.
Declan Rice (West Ham): He scored an absolute cracker against Gent in the Europa Conference League in midweek and then hit another belter against Bournemouth days later. Declan Rice is once again proving to be an instrumental figure in a West Ham revival. I’m not entirely sure where this West Ham performance came from. They would have gleaned some confidence from their comeback against Arsenal but they went to the Vitality Stadium and absolutely obliterated the Cherries. The win puts the Hammers on 34 points and takes the pressure off David Moyes’ team after securing a semi-final place in a European competition. Declan Rice has to be worth £80m of anyone’s money.
Martin Odegaard (Arsenal): I said it only a few weeks ago that goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale’s entire season will depend on the next seven games. He will either pick up a Premier League title medal or have to console himself with a Champions League spot. If he continues to make the sort of error that cost Arsenal so dearly in the opening minutes against a battling Southampton, then it’s the latter for him. The Arsenal keeper had a good think before making a poor pass between two opposing players and paid the price for allowing his pride to get the better of him. It’s just as well Arsenal have Martin Odegaard in their ranks. The Norway international possesses great leadership skills and a cool head to match. His calm and calculated one-two on the edge of the box with Ben White prior to his superb finish said loud and clear that Odegaard is one man Arsenal can certainly count on in the final stages of the season. I’m not entirely sure about the rest.
James Ward-Prowse (Southampton): This was an extraordinary game for so many different reasons. Who would have thought the injury to William Saliba would have caused Arsenal so much pain? The Frenchman’s absence has had a devastating effect on the team’s ambitions to win the league title. A two-goal lead surrendered at Liverpool and West Ham in consecutive matches suggested Arsenal were feeling the pressure. To go 3-1 down at home to Southampton suggests they are struggling to cope under the weight of it. Furthermore, reports that Saliba won’t be back any time soon only serves to compound the situation. Wednesday night’s game against Manchester City – the only team that can realistically stop them from winning the title – is now crucial. Nothing short of a victory will do. Arsenal’s comeback was impressive but not as impressive as Southampton’s performance on the night and especially James Ward-Prowse. His last-minute block on Reiss Nelson’s attempt on goal was sensational. I reckon there are 10 points achievable for the Saints from six games which will put them on 34 points – and I don’t think that will be enough.
Harry Wilson (Fulham): Harry Wilson makes my team selection for the second consecutive week. His goal at Everton was only matched by his overall performance. However against a struggling Leeds his superb finish demonstrated an appetite for goals that in the absence of Aleksandar Mitrovic was desperately needed at Craven Cottage. What the suspension of the Serbian centre-forward may have done is force Fulham to find an alternative way to score goals by playing through the midfield a little more and not throwing the ball forward at every opportunity to Mitrovic. Their recent style of play has certainly suited the likes of Harry Wilson whose determination to cover the ground and get into the box has been very evident.
Joelinton (Newcastle): This was a horror show by Tottenham. Five goals down away from home against the team you are competing with for a Champions League place? Chairman Daniel Levy should insist the players reimburse travelling fans who no doubt spent a considerable amount of money to watch their team capitulate. Hugo Lloris’ contribution to Tottenham’s first half beggared belief and it was a relief not to see him return for the second half. Newcastle on the other hand looked as though they had completely recovered from their mauling at Villa Park and gone some way to securing a top-four finish. My man of the match and arguably Newcastle’s player of the season is Joelinton. When he arrived at Newcastle he looked anything but a top-four player. He is now ever present in a Newcastle side that’s going places.
Diogo Jota (Liverpool): Liverpool find themselves chasing a top-four place with seven games to play and with no guarantees they will make it on this performance. They looked mightily impressive away at Leeds in midweek but for much of the game against Nottingham Forest they looked like they were struggling. Fortunately they had Diogo Jota on hand, who is no Sadio Mane by the way, but is looking sharp in front of goal again. No-one expected Nottingham Forest to go and win at Anfield, least of all Steve Cooper, who left his leading goalscorer Brennan Johnson on the bench which was rather a pity really. With Johnson in their starting line-up, alongside Taiwo Awoniyi, Forest might have come away with something. Forest may be in the bottom three and staring at relegation but their second-half performance suggests that if they do go down they won’t go quietly.
Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City): What a superb FA Cup semi-final hat-trick this was. The penalty sent the keeper the wrong way, his run for his second goal split the Sheffield United defence in two and left the keeper on his backside, while his third goal with the inside of his left foot gave the keeper no chance. Riyad Mahrez is looking every inch the player he looked at Leicester City. He’s playing with the same swagger and confidence he did when they won the Premier League title. Mahrez’s contribution to Manchester City’s fortunes has put them on course for the Treble. Pep Guardiola won Spain’s version of the treble – and I wouldn’t bet against him doing it again here.
The Crooks of the Matter
When a footballer of Thiago Silva’s reputation feels compelled to stop in the mixed zone after a Champions League defeat and give an interview in his native tongue in order not to be misunderstood, then his club had better sit up and take notice.
The Brazil international said if Chelsea did not “stop and put a strategy in place” they would suffer another difficult campaign next season. I don’t think I have ever heard a more cold, calm and calculated warning from a senior player at the top of his game delivered in years.
If ever Todd Boehly needed to hear from someone in his camp he can trust he should look no further than Silva and take his warning very seriously.
The owner should start by finding out what exactly that strategy actually looks like by employing a top-class manager and technical director.
Silva has no axe to grind, he’s coming to the end of a magnificent career, and clearly wants the best for the club.
What Chelsea must also not do is appoint a 35-year old who has less experience in the game than Silva himself.
Employing Julian Nagelsmann is not the answer; If you are going to appoint a captain of a jumbo 747 then that captain must have more experience than some of its passengers and that is what appointing Nagelsmann will represent to those players at Chelsea – yet another novice.
Let’s be clear here: Chelsea are in a crisis, and Boehly’s responsibility is to count the beans not to get the results. Someone who knows what winning football trophies feels like does that.
Pick your XI from our list and share with your friends.
