Premier League Team of the Week: Alli, Son and De Bruyne feature

The Premier League Best XI for Week 13 features rejuvenated Tottenham stars Dele Alli and Heung-Min Son, along with Man City’s Kevin De Bruyne.

Tottenham wasted no time rediscovering their collective swagger after arch-braggart Jose Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino as manager.

Dele Alli and Heung-Min Son turned on the style in Mourinho’s debut, a 3-2 win over West Ham. However, Spurs’ artful duo weren’t the only creative types who thrived in Week 13 of the 2019-20 Premier League season.

Kevin De Bruyne was the oil in the engine for Manchester City, with Riyad Mahrez the luxury optional extra who made the difference in a win over Chelsea.

Find out who else made the latest team of the week:

Goalkeeper: Tim Krul, Norwich

Clean sheets and Norwich are like oil and water. Yet the Canaries somehow managed to keep the back door closed during a 2-0 win away to hapless Everton on Saturday.

Tim Krul’s solid performance between the sticks was the main reason for the rare good day at the office defensively. The Dutch goalkeeper is a veteran of England’s top flight, and it showed when he made a string of top saves to keep the Toffees at bay.

His best saves left Everton No. 10 Gylfi Sigurdsson and little-used striker Cenk Tosun frustrated. Krul’s composure and reflexes perfectly supplemented a back line uncharacteristically stingy at Goodison Park.

Norwich won’t beat the drop without a few more clean sheets, so Krul’s experience will be vital.

Defender: James Tarkowski, Burnley

James Tarkowski is rough around the edges but incredibly effective. In other words, he’s the personification of Burnley’s smart and functional team.

The Clarets are seventh despite and unfashionable squad. It’s a group underpinned by a mean defense anchored by Tarkowski and fellow center back Ben Mee.

Tarkowski was a buccaneering talisman during Saturday’s 3-0 win over bottom-of-the-table Watford. He bossed Andre Gray in the air and timed his tackles on the deck well against the tricky Gerard Deulofeu.

For good measure, the 27-year-old even notched an 88th-minute goal. Tarkwoski delivered a complete performance to underline his status as one of the most reliable players at his position in the division.

Defender: Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool

Tarkowski is good, but no other center back in Europe is on Virgil van Dijk’s level. The Liverpool colossus held the league leaders together during an unusually disjointed performance against Crystal Palace.

Roberto Firmino’s late goal and the help of VAR eventually saw the Reds to a 2-1 win at Selhurst Park. Yet it was Van Dijk who had kept Liverpool in it for long periods thanks to his strength, aggression and unerring positional sense.

Van Dijk bullied Palace target man Christian Benteke after intelligently nullifying the pace and movement of Jordan Ayew. No matter what type of threat they posed, the Eagles couldn’t find a way past Liverpool’s active last line of defense:

The Reds won’t be moved off the top spot as long as Van Dijk remains the linchpin at the back.

Defender: Ricardo Pereira, Leicester

Leicester are on Liverpool’s heels thanks to a similar level of defensive excellence. Caglar Soyuncu has turned heads in the middle, while Ricardo Pereira is earning plaudits on the edge of a well-drilled back four.

Pereira excelled in both phases of the game when the Foxes beat Brighton 2-0 on Saturday. He was a raiding menace going forward thanks to his pace, power and pinpoint crosses.

The 26-year-old’s value in attacking areas is no secret anymore, but Pereira isn’t always credited with elite defensive chops. He proceeded to prove any doubters wrong by consistently thwarting the Seagulls:

Pereira sums up this Leicester team as a smart and capable talent with the application to mix it with the best.

Midfielder: Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City

De Bruyne’s radar rarely fails him when it comes to identifying a defense-splitting pass. Chelsea found out how tough the Belgian creator is to handle during Saturday’s 2-1 defeat.

City were slick going forward from the off thanks to De Bruyne’s deft touches and perfectly weighted passes to release runners. Ironically, the former Chelsea outcast’s most decisive contribution came when he took a chance, rather than created one, by smashing a shot in to equalize N’Golo Kante’s opener.

The key to De Bruyne’s success isn’t just his speed of thought and natural technique. He also wins because of the way he hustles, making him a dream for Pep Guardiola’s tactics based on picture-perfect passing and relentless pressing out of possession.

City are close to crippled by injuries, but De Bruyne staying upright keeps Guardiola’s men firmly in the title race.

Midfielder: Dele Alli, Tottenham

Getting sacked by Chelsea and Manchester United showed the Mourinho way doesn’t always charm modern players. Yet if Alli’s quick rebirth is anything to go by, Mourinho can still hit the mark with the right barb.

The 56-year-old challenged Alli to rediscover his best form ahead of facing the Hammers:

https://twitter.com/Football__Tweet/status/1198197358753959939

Alli responded the right way, leading West Ham on a merry dance while conjuring the type of magic rarely seen toward the end of Pochettino’s time in charge.

One brilliantly timed through pass teed up Son to score Tottenham’s first goal at the London Stadium. Then an improbable bit of touchline heroics sent Son clear again so the forward could cross for Lucas Moura to score.

Alli ended the day having put up his best numbers of the season:

https://twitter.com/Squawka/status/1198251654048550912

Spurs will be a force teams fear if Mourinho continues to keep his chief creator this busy.

Midfielder: John Fleck, Sheffield United

There was nothing cultured about the way John Fleck opened the scoring in Sheffield United’s 3-3 thriller against Manchester United on Sunday. The midfielder’s finish was scrappy, but not scruffy enough to distract from the quality of the rest of his performance.

Fleck was heavily involved in the Blades’ brave and confident approach play. His distribution was quick, neat and efficient, while his movement meant teammates rarely lacked for an option when on the ball.

There was no hiding Fleck’s boldness when he measured a reverse pass to Lys Mousset, allowing the striker to arrow a shot into the bottom corner for the Blades’ second.

Getting this much production from the engine room is a big reason why Fleck and his pals are in the lofty heights of sixth.

Midfielder: Riyad Mahrez, Leicester

Surely there can’t be much more Riyad Mahrez can do to convince Pep Guardiola he deserves to start more often. The winger never lets his manager down on those occasions he’s named in the first XI.

Mahrez continued the pattern of emphatically answering the call by dazzling Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium. His quick feet, close control and endless tricks left Blues defenders snatching at air.

Every team knows not to let Mahrez cut in from the right onto his wand of a left foot. The problem is nobody can stop him.

Chelsea became the latest victims of Mahrez’s go-to move when the Algeria international glided inside and nudged a leftie pass-shot into the bottom corner for City’s winner.

It was the signature moment in a performance worth the price of admission:

With Sergio Aguero and Leroy Sane injured, there is little excuse for Guardiola not to lean on Mahrez more often. It’s the best way to keep City’s title bid credible.

Striker: Heung-Min Son, Tottenham

There was something fitting about Heung-Min Son netting the first goal of the the Mourinho era. Son was one of the few who hadn’t downed tools during the last vestiges of Pochettino’s reign.

Instead, the forward remained arguably Tottenham’s most consistent player. Mourinho will come to love said consistency, just as he will appreciate Son’s versatility.

The South Korean flourished on the left against the Hammers. He scored one goal and assisted another from the same channel.

Son’s runs were well-timed, while he dovetailed his movements brilliantly with those of Moura and Harry Kane.

Son’s fluidity will be crucial if Spurs are going to be as efficient going forward as Mourinho needs them to be.

Striker: Raul Jimenez, Wolves

Keeping Raul Jimenez out of the goals has become mission impossible for defenses this season. Wolves’ dual-threat No. 9 is the ideal mix of industry and end product in the final third.

Jimenez kept up his scoring run by bagging his side’s second to beat Bournemouth 2-1 on Saturday:

https://twitter.com/Squawka/status/1198263337420759040

The goal was just reward for the way Jimenez peppered the Cherries’ back five with shots. His combination of strength, guile and skill was too much to handle.

Every one of the division’s big-name clubs should be making Wolves sweat over Jimenez’s future next summer.

Striker: Jamie Vardy, Leicester

Jamie Vardy’s timeless brilliance for Leicester deserves more respect. Okay, so he’s thriving for Brendan Rodgers, but Vardy also scored when Claude Puel, Claudio Ranieri and Nigel Pearson occupied the dugout.

It doesn’t matter who is in charge, nor which players are around him, Vardy will still find the net. The Foxes’ talisman converted a penalty against Brighton for his 12th league goal of the campaign.

He’s the top scorer in the division and its deadliest marksman away from home:

https://twitter.com/SkySportsStatto/status/1198289286132568067

Vardy may be surpassing the way he played when Leicester won the title in 2016. He continues to be the player the Foxes can’t afford to be without as they mount another unlikely charge toward silverware.