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BBC pundit Garth Crooks has, as always, written his ‘Team of the Week’ column, and he has thrown up some interesting points yet again.

Crooks discussed all things from the title race down to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s impact at Southampton, but one statement on Jordan Henderson’s current situation at Liverpool hit home harder than any other points.

The Reds beat Chelsea 2-0, returning to the top of the table in doing so, with Henderson putting in a ‘Man of the Match’ performance to help his side earn all three points.

What did Crooks say?

Henderson has only recently been reinstated into the starting line-up on a more regular basis after a chat with Klopp over his position in the team, and he has put his money where his mouth is with some inspirational displays.

Are the media letting Jurgen Klopp off lightly for his lack of silverware? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

After his showing against the Blues, in which he set up Sadio Mane’s opener, Crooks wrote: “If Liverpool do happen to win the title, the return to form of Jordan Henderson will have had a lot to do with it.

“How much credit Jurgen Klopp will take for that remains to be seen. It was Klopp who dropped Henderson – harshly in my view – but the reaction of the Liverpool captain has been quite remarkable.”

How much credit does Klopp deserve?

None. It was Henderson who walked into the German’s office, told Klopp that he felt he performs better as a No.8 – pointing to his recent displays with England as proof – and forced his boss’ hand.

Now Henderson has put in three excellent performances in the role against Southampton, Porto and Chelsea, meaning there is no way that Klopp can have even a shred of the acclaim for the England international’s upturn in form.

The former Borussia Dortmund manager even apologised for playing Henderson as a No.6 for the past couple of years, but revealed that he ‘had to’ as no other player could.

Fabinho has been at the club for nearly a year however, so if Klopp was waiting for a No.6 to arrive before restoring Henderson to his favoured role why has he delayed such a switch until the final month of the campaign?

Henderson deserves 100% of the credit for speaking up, and even more credit for delivering the performances to match his belief in his own ability.

Tottenham have been accredited the nickname ‘the Harry Kane team’ in recent years by those both inside and out of the industry. None more prevalent than Pep Guardiola, who in 2017 recognised that ‘the Harry Kane’ team were indeed in the title race. Kane is, of course, one of the most important players in the squad. However, in his absences this season, another has emerged as a true superstar – Heung-min Son. 

The South Korean has received relentless praise this season, and rightly so. However, it must also be noted that the forward was once viewed very much as a fringe member of the squad. Son now represents one of Tottenham’s greatest bargains in recent times. Son was brought in from Bayern Leverkusen for just £22m – ask yourself – how much is he worth now?

In his first season managed just four goals and a single assist in 28 Premier League games. In all honesty, this is a poor return for a player who was touted to be an exciting signing for Tottenham. Son most certainly adapted to life in the Premier League, however. He has subsequently reached totals of 14 and 12 goals, currently again standing on 12 with five games remaining.

The forward has indeed vastly improved since his first year at Tottenham, but has stepped it up another level this season. It’s not just goals and assists, Son has emerged as arguably the clubs’s most important player while Kane remains sidelined. He has shown real leadership and nerve, stepping up in crucial moments where no other player did.

The standout moments for Son must be the winning goal in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City, alongside winning the 2019 London Player of the Year.

Son represents such a key player for Tottenham, largely because of his versatility. He has shown he can play on the wing, up front as part of a two or even on his own. The South Korean gives Tottenham an abundance of options, but also gives his all game in game out. There have been moments this time where Son has looked genuinely exhausted, but has never stopped.

Earlier in the season, after a fine performance against Leicester, pundit Garth Crooks said: “When Son plays, his pace gives Tottenham a dimension they lack without him. Two seasons ago he was the most improved Premier League player. Now he’s the most improved Premier League finisher.”

It really does some up the improvement Son has made since his transfer to Tottenham, something emulated by many under the tenure of Pochettino. It seems implausible that Son will move away from Tottenham in the near future. But if he were to, he would now be worth a lot more than the £22m Tottenham originally paid for him – what a bargain!

Tottenham fans – do you think Son is the biggest bargain in recent history? How does he compare to Dele Alli?

It can be all too easy to look at two teams league positions and make some false prejudices. That’s the exact case here too, as with Swansea hosting Middlesbrough later today, the side 15th in the Championship is surely going to be the favourites over the 8th placed bottlers, especially when you factor in the recent form.

At times this season, we’ve seen Swansea playing some incredible football under Graham Potter. It may have taken the ex-Ostersunds manager time to adapt to the Championship, but his brand of football is much better than Tony Pulis’ anti-football.

As the two sides clash, it will be an interesting match-up, and one that if Potters’ side gets going in then they will surely edge it.

TONY PULIS

Tony Pulis is undoubtedly the more experienced gaffer going into this clash, but with experience doesn’t always come advantage, and it’s easy to argue that the Welshman’s football is stagnant and behind the times. Stints with Stoke City, Crystal Palace, West Brom and now Boro in recent times have all brought the same set-piece orientated football, and it’s time he had a rebrand or got out of the game.

In a world where the likes of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are passing teams off the park, Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds are high-pressing their way to glory and Mick Harford’s Luton Town are playing scintillating stuff in the third tier, hoof-ball has no place anywhere in the football league. The EFL is starting to see beautiful football, and whilst Pulis can’t adapt his sides will struggle, as we’ve seen with Boro losing their last four games.

TT GRADE: D

GRAHAM POTTER

There was very little hype and media attention around Graham Potter when he came to Swansea City, especially considering how well picked up on his time at Ostersunds was. The once-unheard of 43-year-old made his name in Sweden, where he miraculously took Ostersunds from a fourth tier club all the way through the Swedish footballing system, into the top flight and even into the Europa League, which he qualified for through winning the Svenska Cup.

His achievements have been incredible, and whilst he may only have Swansea in 15th, the signs have been there. Consistency has been his side’s problem, although he’s shown that his Swans can roll with the punches against the best sides in the country, with their recent FA Cup clash with Manchester City, an unjust 3-2 loss, proving just that. It’s the football that has them standing out, though, and should he add consistency then promotion is a real possibility next season.

TT GRADE: B

TT VERDICT

When comparing Potter and Pulis, it quickly becomes apparent that league position is never a safe barometer with which to compare managers in the Championship.

If given the chance, plenty of Boro fans would be rid of Tony Pulis in a heartbeat, and whilst Swansea may be taking their time to adapt, Potter is certainly the man for the job and is certainly a more apt manager given the current footballing climate than the dinosaur that is Tony Pulis, and that’s why he wins this battle.

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Aaron Mooy should leave Huddersfield at the end of the season and Newcastle would be a good landing place, claims Australian football pundit Simon Hill.

What’s the word?

As reported by Chronicle Live, Hill expects Mooy to leave Huddersfield this summer if, or when, the Terriers get relegated.

The Yorkshire outfit currently sit 13 points from safety with just nine games left to play, so it seems likely that a few of their players will jump ship to stay in the top flight this summer.

And Hill, speaking on a Fox Sports podcast, sees a future in the top tier of English football for his compatriot.

“Maybe somewhere like a Newcastle. Let’s be honest, he’s not going to go to Man United or Man City or Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea etc. but I think that next tier down of club is a possibility.”

The aforementioned Chronicle report claims a deal would likely cost in the region of £20m, so should the Magpies make a move this summer?

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

Is he worth it?

There’s no question Mooy is an incredibly talented player, as it has been clear both in Australia’s World Cup squad and in Huddersfield’s short stay in the Premier League that he is suffering for a lack of quality teammates.

That said, the midfielder is 28, and shelling out close to £20m for his services this summer would be a massive risk.

He has scored just twice and provided no assists in 21 Premier League appearances this season, and his performances have actually gotten worse from the last campaign.

Spending big money (in Mike Ashley terms at least) for a player who is regressing rather than improving, in a position where the Magpies actually have some decent depth, would be completely foolish and would force the club to neglect other positions in more urgent need of upgrades.

Newcastle should ignore Hill’s advice and focus on signing another winger and a left-back before they go about strengthening the midfield, where Rafael Benitez already has five decent options to choose from.

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Southampton’s woes continued as two defensive lapses cost them in their 2-0 defeat against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, and big changes are needed when Saints host fellow relegation battlers Fulham at St Mary’s on Wednesday night.

On the chalkboard

Ralph Hasenhuttl chose to stick with the five-at-the-back system for the trip to north London, but within 17 minutes the visitors had a mountain to climb as they found themselves 2-0 behind, with a misunderstanding between Jack Stephens and goalkeeper Angus Gunn leading to the second.

The result left the south coast outfit in 18th position and one point from safety, and realistically they will know that they need to beat the struggling Cottagers in midweek – especially with fixtures against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur to follow.

With Danny Ings already out and Michael Obafemi seemingly suffering another hamstring issue on his comeback against the Gunners, Hasenhuttl doesn’t exactly have a plethora of attacking options ahead of the crucial clash.

What needs to happen?

Firstly, the Austrian manager needs to stick with what he did at the start of the second-half at the Emirates, by ditching Stephens and playing with a back four.

Southampton don’t need to play five in defence against a team they need to take the game to from the very first minute on Wednesday, and in truth the Saints boss should go with the his preferred 4-2-2-2 formation he has used at previous clubs.

One man who should be included in the starting line-up from the start is Josh Sims, even if he has only been named in the 18-man squad in the Premier League on two occasions this term following a less than successful loan spell with Reading.

With the 21-year-old scoring twice and assisting two more for the U23s in their 6-2 Premier League Cup win against Notts County on Friday, he deserves a chance to put a leaky Fulham defence under pressure from kick-off.

That would allow Nathan Redmond and Sims to play in the advanced positions out wide, with Shane Long, Charlie Austin and Sam Gallagher fighting it out for the two centre-forward spots.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsCarlton Baugh’s 40 was not enough for Jamaica to stretch Trinidad and Tobago•Anthony Harris/West Indies Cricket Board

Trinidad and Tobago may have narrowly missed making the finals of the Caribbean T20, but they put in a thoroughly disciplined performance against a listless Jamaica to settle for third place. The seamers, led by Kevon Cooper, restricted Jamaica to an inadequate 94 in a match initially reduced to 14 overs, before the openers strolled to the revised target of 89 in just 10.1 overs.T&T had the incentive to give their home fans something to cheer about, but Jamaica failed to derive any kind of inspiration. With the exception of Carlton Baugh, none of the batsmen batted with motivation, and it was a continuation of their performance in the semi-final yesterday.Jamaica captain Tamar Lambert won the toss and chose to bat under bright skies, but a sudden downpour forced the players indoors for more than 90 minutes. The Trinidad seamers hit the deck hard and got good carry off a moist surface, getting rid of the attacking opening pair of Chris Gayle and Xavier Marshall early. Gayle, who had a disappointing tournament, holed out to the trap at deep midwicket, before Marshall had his middle stump flattened by a Cooper yorker.Marlon Samuels failed to assume the role of senior pro and was dismissed in embarrassing circumstances. He squeezed the ball to cover and set off for a single but his partner Danza Hyatt was rooted to his end watching the ball. Samuels was stranded at Hyatt’s end giving T&T an easy run-out. Hyatt himself failed to make amends as he lost his off stump to Dave Mohammed trying to pull a ball which wasn’t short enough.Baugh gave the innings some impetus sweeping and cutting Sherwin Ganga for consecutive boundaries. He swept Mohammed over deep square-leg to bring up the first six of the game, and then picked up two crisp boundaries past point off the seamers. But the pressure increased on him as he lost a couple of partners and when Lendl Simmons served up a short delivery, he failed to clear Bravo at deep midwicket. Bravo bowled a fine final over, delivering three dot balls to Lambert as Jamaica limped to 94.Adrian Barath and Simmons made easy work of the target, which was reduced to 89 off 13 overs following a brief shower after 3.2 overs. The pair also ensured they kept with the Duckworth-Lewis par score and didn’t lose any wickets by the end of five overs, the minimum required to constitute a match. The persistent drizzle didn’t help the Jamaican bowlers as they struggled to grip the ball. Simmons used the opportunity to recover some form by going on the attack, often making room and clearing his back leg to muscle the ball away. Barath was powerful off the front foot, lofting and driving square on the off side to pick up five fours in his 39.The match was nowhere close to the intensity of the first semi-final yesterday, but the home fans weren’t complaining as T&T delivered the knockout blow.

We asked West Ham fans who they think is/was a better player in claret and blue, Felipe Anderson or Dimitri Payet, and the results are in the latter’s favour – but only just.

After a stop-start beginning to his Hammers career, Anderson looks to have finally found his rhythm and has chalked up eight goals and two assists in his 20 Premier League appearances, thus winning the hearts of the London Stadium faithful who have not had such a talismanic figure since Payet himself departed in January 2017.

The Frenchman scored one of the Premier League’s best ever free-kicks, one of it’s best ever solo goals and has continued in his classy ways as he returns to Marseille, recording six goals and six assists this season.

However, the 31-year-old’s time at the London Stadium came to an unfortunately sour end as he fell out with the powers that be and was thus allowed to leave – but that clearly hasn’t swayed the West Ham fans from appreciating what he accomplished in his time in England.

You can check out the full results from our poll below…

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”365933″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts West Ham’s Best Month Ever & A Premier League First”]

The majority of West Brom fans that responded to our recent poll backed Sam Field to start in central midfield against Sheffield Wednesday during the midweek round of Championship matches.

So far this season, boss Darren Moore has favoured Chris Brunt in the middle of the park alongside Jake Livermore, who is one of the first names on the teamsheet at the Hawthorns. However, 37-year-old Gareth Barry started in the 3-2 win over Preston North End on the weekend that saw the Baggies take the top spot in the Championship from Leeds.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”302265″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts The Icelandic Coutinho & The Scottish Ronaldo”]

The results of our poll were convincing though, with just four per cent of the Baggies fans that voted wanting Brunt to regain his place for Wednesday’s clash. A huge 80 per cent voted for 20-year-old England U20 international Field, who has only made two late substitute appearances in the league so far this season.

The youngster has had to rely on the Carabao Cup for his starts during this campaign and even then he has been used in a back three, displaying his versatility, but Baggies fans now want to see him start at Hillsborough. Check out the full results below.

After two relegation campaigns, Sunderland need to make some key signings to stop their slump down the leagues. 

New boss Jack Ross need to bring in some top recruits this summer if he is to have any chance of stopping Sunderland’s relegation slide.

The Black Cats have already brought in six players this summer including midfielder, Dylan McGeouch. While that’s a good start, with Didier Ndong likely to leave the club, Jack Ross needs more midfield reinforcements and according to the Chronicle Live, Sunderland are leading the race to sign Rangers midfielder, Greg Docherty on loan.

With Rangers bringing in a raft of new players this summer, the midfielder has been told to leave the club to gain some first-team experience.

The Breakdown

As it stands, there are only seven midfielders in the team for Ross to chose from. Moreover, with Lee Cattermole’s career on the downward slope, the side needs more midfield help.

Docherty is an energetic midfielder, who’s capable of playing in a box-to-box role and is also capable of picking open defences with his passes, however, while the midfielder is a good signing, Jack Ross must work hard to bring in some players.

During a tough and long League One season, Sunderland will need a raft of midfielder to call on.

In the middle of the park, Ethan Robson and Elliot Embleton are great young players who can develop next year but neither have any real experience.

Docherty’s deal isn’t going to cost much but if Sunderland want to get promoted, they might need to be a bit more extravagant.

Thoughts Sunderland fans? 

As reported by The Daily Mail, Everton are interested in signing West Ham defender Winston Reid this summer.

What’s the story?

The current transfer window has been one of the most exciting in recent memory for Everton supporters with the likes of Sandro Ramirez, Wayne Rooney, Jordan Pickford and Michael Keane all arriving in high-profile deals.

It appears though that Ronald Koeman has not yet completed his mammoth signing spree and has set his sights on another defender that can add depth and stability to their backline.

The Mail reckon the Toffees are in for Hammers centre-back Winston Reid and are lining up a £9m bid for the 29-year-old. The report says that Koeman is looking for cover for the injured Ramiro Funes Mori and Reid fits the bill.

Should they make a move?

In 2017 English Premier League terms, £9m is not a lot of money at all and Reid’s pedigree in the top-flight would suggest he is worth every penny of that reported fee.

He’s been a regular performer in the top-flight for five seasons now after helping the Hammers escape the English Championship in the 2011/12. Last term he was a key fixture of Slaven Bilic’s side, starting 30 of their 38 league matches.

While rarely spectacular, he offers a consistent and reliable option to the Hammers and would likely similarly do that at Everton where he’d arguably be surrounded by better players.

If Koeman can get the deal done for as cheap as £9m then this move would be considered a no-brainer.