by I was lucky enough to make it into Garth’s team of the week a few times during my time at Watford, although I wasn’t always used in the position I played on the field.
When I helped Watford beat Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-finals in 2016, he played me as a defensive midfielder rather than a striker, which was a new development for me to be honest!
I know Garth was known for choosing such unusual formations at times, but I’m going to do things a little differently. I promise that the players on my team will be in their correct positions to begin with!
But seriously, it’s a real privilege to be able to continue the incredible work Garth has already done with this piece. I can’t wait to get started and I’ve already given a lot of thought to my own selection criteria before the new Premier League season starts on Friday.
The first thing I will look for in a player is their bravery and fearlessness on the ball, but I will also try each week to recognise some of the unsung heroes – any player who may not have been in the spotlight or done anything spectacular for their team, but who I believe played a key role in a great performance.
At the same time, I won’t ignore the obvious candidates. If Liverpool go to Ipswich on the opening weekend and Mohamed Salah scores a hat-trick then he will definitely be in my team, I have nothing to worry about!
But what I really want to do is judge players who are aiming for the same places by the same standards.
For example, we now expect Erling Haaland to score a goal every week for Manchester City, but just because that has become the norm for him doesn’t mean he has to do more than any other striker for me to pick him.
Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins also set the bar high last season when he scored 19 Premier League goals, as did Brentford’s Ivan Toney the season before.
Should they go ahead of Haaland if they score a goal on a particular weekend but still have fewer points than him? No, definitely not.
