Matchday 7 of the 2016/17 campaign was a fascinating one to behold as the new Premier League season begins to gather pace. Manchester City’s 100% league record and unbeaten record under Pep Guardiola finally met its end at White Hart Lane, in a 2-0 defeat to a swashbuckling Tottenham Hotspur, who are now the only team to remain unbeaten in the top flight this season.
The weekend’s action all kicked off on Friday night however, where Everton were pegged back by another Christian Benteke strike to draw 1-1 at home to Crystal Palace, followed by a win for Merseyside rivals Liverpool during Saturday lunch-time after they came from behind to win 2-1 at Swansea. A dramatic last minute Laurent Koscielny winner saw Arsenal take all three points at Turf Moor against Burnley, whilst Chelsea ended their run of defeats with victory at Hull.
Joe Allen’s 82nd minute equaliser at Old Trafford kept Stoke off the bottom of the league for another week but they still remain in trouble, whilst there were draws between Leicester and Southampton, Sunderland and West Brom, Watford and Bournemouth, and finally between West Ham and Middlesbrough.
But who was amongst the best of the best to make The Boot Room’s pick for Team of the Week? Find out over the next few pages, and feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
Coach: Mauricio Pochettino (Tottenham Hotspur)
Formation: 4-3-3
With injuries to key players, the visit of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to White Hart Lane may well have been a daunting prospect. Mauricio Pochettino however blew that notion out of the water with his team selection, deploying Son Heung-Min centrally and drilling his Tottenham side to press Manchester City relentlessly to hurry them in possession and make the most of having the ball themselves.
His Spurs side beat City at their own game, Son’s energy helping cope with the loss of Kane in attack whilst the defence was able to contain the creativity of Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling and David Silva. The Citizens were rattled and frustrated in North London by the Argentine manager’s well-drilled side, who are now inviting questions as to whether or not they themselves could be title contenders, and he is well worth his money as Manager of the Week.