Tottenham have four players in the Premier League team of the week after Saturday’s 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, more than any other club, and the highest-rated player in the whole XI is a Spurs centre-back.
Build a team of the week from gameweek nine’s player ratings and Spurs take three of the four places across the back, plus one in the middle of the park. Jan Paul van Hecke, Micky van de Ven and Andrew Robertson make up most of the defence, with Mateus Fernandes in midfield.
Chelsea, who beat Manchester United 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, are next with two. Arsenal, now three points clear at the top after winning 1-0 at Anfield, have one in Declan Rice. For a side that was bottom of the table in October, that’s quite the turnaround for Tottenham.
Who made the Premier League team of the week?
Here’s the side, in a 4-3-3, with each player’s club and rating from the weekend:
| Position | Player | Club | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Bart Verbruggen | Brighton | 8.7 |
| RB | Ouattara | Ipswich Town | 7.8 |
| CB | Micky van de Ven | Tottenham | 8.0 |
| CB | Jan Paul van Hecke | Tottenham | 9.0 |
| LB | Andrew Robertson | Tottenham | 7.9 |
| CM | Mateus Fernandes | Tottenham | 8.1 |
| CM | Romeo Lavia | Chelsea | 8.0 |
| CM | Declan Rice | Arsenal | 7.7 |
| RW | Estevao | Chelsea | 7.7 |
| CF | Oli McBurnie | Hull City | 8.4 |
| LW | Jeremy Doku | Man City | 8.1 |
Brighton’s goalkeeper made seven saves in the 1-0 win over Man City, and McBurnie had a goal and an assist in Hull’s 2-2 draw with Ipswich. Neither got near Van Hecke’s 9.0.
Why Van Hecke topped the lot
He scored and he defended. Van Hecke got the goal that doubled Spurs’ lead, bundling it in after his header had been tipped onto the bar, and he won four aerial battles at the other end.
The rating also reflects how much of the ball he had. We went through the passing numbers that nearly matched Palace’s whole team on Monday, and they’re a big part of why a centre-back finished above everyone else in the side.
Van de Ven didn’t give the ball away once
His partner was every bit as tidy. Van de Ven finished with a 100% pass success rate and was a rock in the heart of the defence, which is exactly what you need when your partner is spending long spells in the opposition half.
Robertson’s best game in a Spurs shirt?
It might well have been. Robertson completed 96% of his passes and played a big part in the clean sheet. He’s started at left-back at Stamford Bridge and against Palace, and for now he’s keeping Destiny Udogie, who came on for him in the second half, waiting. We looked at where Udogie’s fitness stands after the game.
Fernandes is starting to justify the price
Fernandes won four aerial duels, made four tackles and completed 72 of his 81 passes. That’s a midfielder doing the dirty work and keeping the ball, and after another strong performance, he’s starting to look worth every penny.
Do the numbers count against 10 men?
Partly. Crystal Palace played most of the game with 10 men, so Spurs were always going to see plenty of the ball, and passing figures like these come with an asterisk.
The clean sheet doesn’t, though. It’s two in a row now after the 2-0 win at Chelsea, and Spurs haven’t conceded since Tonali and Fernandes started together in midfield. A back line can only keep the ball this calmly when it trusts what’s in front of it.
Verdict: the one Spurs name missing is Tonali
Four Spurs players is a fine return, but the most important one might be the man who isn’t there. Roberto De Zerbi was clear after the game: “We played with two players more. Tonali was the double today.”
Ratings reward the things that show up on a stat sheet: passes, tackles, duels, goals. A lot of Sandro Tonali’s best work is stopping a move before it starts, and that rarely gets counted. We made the case for the Tonali and Fernandes partnership already, and this weekend’s team of the week only strengthens it. Van Hecke can push up and Robertson can keep the ball because someone in front of them is closing the gaps.
Three of the back four from one club tells you how good the Spurs defence was on Saturday. The fact that the man protecting it didn’t even make the side tells you how much more there is to come.
