Chelsea trio earn place in Garth Crooks’ Team of the Week after Burnley win

Garth Crooks has revealed his BBC Sport Team of the Week.
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Ex-Tottenham Hotspur forward Garth Crooks has included three Chelsea players in his Team of the Week following the weekend’s results.

The Blues put four past Burnley at Turf Moor, with Reece James, Kai Havertz (2) and Christian Pulisic scoring for the visitors.

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A brilliant performance for Thomas Tuchel’s side has resulted in James, Havertz and Thiago Silva all being included in Crooks’ side.

Silva has been exceptional for Chelsea this season, claiming his third clean sheet in as many Premier League matches.

Crooks praised the former Paris Saint-Germain defender, writing: “Whoever’s idea it was to bring Silva to Chelsea is a genius.

“The man is 37 years of age and looks like he could play in the Premier League until he’s 40.”

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Reece James made his first start since picking up an injury at the back end of last year and made an immediate impact, scoring and also grabbing an assist.

“The return of Reece James to Chelsea’s starting line-up was telling,” Crooks said.

“James might not be as good in defence as the Spaniard but he gives you much more going forward. His second-half finish and assist for Kai Havertz set the tone for an excellent away win.”

Finally, Crooks included Havertz, who bagged his first brace of the season with another wonderful performance.

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While the German isn’t banging the goals in, he has certainly taken it up another level for Chelsea in his second season in the Premier League.

On Havertz, Crooks said: “To say Kai Havertz has found his feet at Chelsea would be an understatement. The German striker is not only scoring goals but playing brilliantly.

“It has taken him a while to settle in but he has certainly got there, which is just as well as Stamford Bridge can be a graveyard for strikers.”

Elsewhere, Manchester City also have a trio of players included (Joao Cancelo, Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez), while Kasper Schmeichel, Fabian Schar, Philippe Coutinho, Ivan Toney and Bukayo Saka make up the rest of the line-up.