Aston Villa duo lauded in pundit team of the week after ‘impressive’ displays during Tottenham win

Two Aston Villa players have made Garth Crooks’ Premier League team of the week following the win over Tottenham.

Unai Emery continued his fine start as Villa boss after his side picked up maximum points in north London, beating Tottenham. Emi Buendia and Douglas Luiz were on target for Villa as they moved to within two points of the top half. Villa have now won three of their last four Premier League games, and they are trending upwards ahead of their clash with rivals Wolves on Wednesday.

But before then, there must be some deserved praise for the win over Tottenham, and two players, in particular, have been selected for special praise on the back of their performances in the capital. Goalscorers Buendia and Luiz have both made the cut for Crooks’ Premier League team of the week on BBC.

Speaking about Buendia, Crooks said: “When are Spurs going to get a top-class goalkeeper? One who can save the team points and not cost them matches? People keep telling me he’s won a World Cup so he must be good. France won the World Cup in spite of Hugo Lloris not because of him. On Sunday, the shot by Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz was a routine save for a decent goalkeeper but such is Lloris’ lack of concentration the ball rebounds of his chest and allowed the excellent Buendia a bite at the cherry.

“Make no mistake, this Tottenham defeat by Villa is even more excruciating as their North London rivals sit seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table at the start of the New Year.”

Discussing Luiz, and indeed Tottenham, Crooks added: “The pass by John McGinn for Villa’s second against Spurs was only equalled by the finishing touch provided by Douglas Luiz. The Brazilian midfielder was extremely impressive throughout this encounter. There can be no doubt that the arrival of Unai Emery has served to galvanise the Villa but Spurs are starting games desperately slowly these days and are suffering as a consequence.

“Something is not quite right at Tottenham at the moment and I’m beginning to wonder whether Antonio Conte is the right man to fix it. There was a distinct lack of urgency, passion and defensive nous among the Tottenham Hotspur rank and file. I’ve already aired my thoughts about Hugo Lloris but Spurs also need two centre-halves in order to give themselves a real chance of securing a top-four place.”