Middlesbrough 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 George Friend in the one all draw with Manchester City at the weekend at the Emirates Stadium 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 Friend as part of his team but explaining his choice he told the BBC.
‘If Middlesbrough are going to survive in the Premier League they must remain fearless in the face of adversity. Their performance in the latter stages of the game against Manchester City was immense and, on chances created, they could have quite easily come away with all three points. Boro kept their nerve under extraordinary circumstances and to see Friend produce such a fantastic cross for Marten de Roon’s equaliser – at the most critical time of the match – was incredibly impressive. It cannot be underestimated what is required for a player to produce the right ball when time is running out.’
It’s always good to see the club represented in this way, and well played to Friend for his recognition, but the most important thing about the weekend was of course the point.
Full Team:
Jordan Pickford (Sunderland), Victor Moses (Chelsea), David Luiz (Chelsea), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Michael Dawson (Hull City), George Friend (Middlesbrough), Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool), Paul Pogba (Manchester United), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United), Sadio Mane (Liverpool).
