Burnley 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 performance by goalkeeper Nick Pope in the one all draw with Liverpool at the weekend at Anfield 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 Pope as part of his team but explaining his choice he told the BBC.
‘Nick Pope was unlucky not to make my team of the week after his performance against Crystal Palace last weekend, when he came on for the injured Tom Heaton and did an excellent job under immense pressure. Against Liverpool, buoyed by their Champions League return in midweek, Pope looked like a goalkeeper competent enough to play in the Champions League himself. His first save from Emre Can was a tricky one, especially travelling at such speed, but the stop from Daniel Sturridge must have given the keeper a lot of confidence. However, it was the save from Trent Alexander-Arnold that did it for me. The youngster was looking for his first Premier League goal and Pope had no intention of giving it to him. It was a wonderful save. Jurgen Klopp was absolutely right to congratulate Pope after the game. It was an outstanding first Premier League start.’
It’s always good to see the club represented in this way, and well played to Pope for his recognition, but the most important thing about the weekend was of course the point.
Full Team:
Nick Pope (Burnley), Jamaal Lascelles (Newcastle United), Joel Matip (Liverpool), Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal), Antonio Valencia (Manchester United), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City), Mario Lemina (Southampton), Sead Kolasic (Arsenal), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Sergio Aguero (Manchester City), Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City).
