Troy Deeney's Team of the Week: Konsa, Jackson and Four Bournemouth Stars Make the Cut
BBC Sport pundit Troy Deeney has named his Premier League Team of the Week, with four Bournemouth players rewarded for three wins in eight days and Arsenal's Ezri Konsa included after a goal in a solid defensive display. Aston Villa's Zion Suzuki and Nicolas Jackson also feature.
- Selector: BBC football pundit Troy Deeney, naming his team after every round of Premier League matches this season
- Most represented club: Bournemouth, with four players plus manager Marco Rose
- Goalkeeper: Zion Suzuki (Aston Villa), praised as "a big-game player"
- Arsenal inclusion: Ezri Konsa, selected for being "absolutely solid" and adding a goal
- Top scorer in the XI: Nicolas Jackson (Aston Villa), who scored twice against Man City
- Manager: Marco Rose (Bournemouth), after three big wins in eight days
What was said
Deeney explained each pick in detail. On Zion Suzuki, he said: "Fact, he's just a big-game player who gets the job done, comes up with big saves. He couldn't do anything about Erling Haaland's goal."
"What an unbelievable week, three big wins in eight days. He's massive in terms of showing composure. Andoni Iraola didn't do well in his first 10 games at Bournemouth, and Rose has come in and just kept a calm, calm head."
"It was like a captain's performance from the right-back. A lot of people go up against Jeremy Doku and struggle. He didn't. He gets the job done."
"For the first time against Chelsea we saw what Spurs saw in him: pace, power, hard work, and then obviously an unbelievable goal to finish it as well."
The striking theme across Deeney's selections is a preference for unglamorous, effective defenders. He described James Hill and Ezri Konsa as players who are "absolutely solid" and "just proper defenders who defend", noting Hill "was celebrating making tackles because that's what he does".
The full Team of the Week
- GK: Zion Suzuki (Aston Villa)
- RB: Matty Cash (Aston Villa)
- CB: James Hill (Bournemouth)
- CB: Ezri Konsa (Arsenal)
- LB: Adrien Truffert (Bournemouth)
- CM: Shea Charles (Fulham)
- CM: Nico Gonzalez (Newcastle)
- AM (10): Marcus Tavernier (Bournemouth)
- RW: Rayan (Bournemouth)
- FW: Mathys Tel (Tottenham)
- FW: Nicolas Jackson (Aston Villa)
- Manager: Marco Rose (Bournemouth)
Why Deeney values defenders over headline names
Ezri Konsa and James Hill were picked for near-identical reasons: dependability. Deeney was explicit that neither is being lauded for "theatrics" or for showy build-up play, but for the fundamentals. Konsa's goal gave him "an extra little part", but the base case is a centre-back who simply defends.
The Matty Cash selection is the most tactically pointed. Deeney framed it around the winger Cash faced, Jeremy Doku, explaining that the Villa right-back did not struggle against him and recovered when Manchester City did get down his side. Villa's whole display, he argued, was "epitomised" by that duel.
Up front, Nicolas Jackson and Mathys Tel offer contrasting routes into the XI. Jackson's claim is pure output: two goals against Man City, "seven goals for him this season, four of them in the Premier League". Tel's is narrative — a difficult start at Tottenham finally producing pace, power, hard work and "an unbelievable goal" against Chelsea.
The Bournemouth bloc is the story of the round. Deeney noted the club had beaten Sunderland, AC Milan and Manchester United in a week, scoring eight and conceding none. Marcus Tavernier was "forced in" at number 10, Rayan given the right flank after a near-hat-trick, and Adrien Truffert credited for assists and defensive shutdowns from left-back.
Talking points
- Should James Hill really sit alongside Ezri Konsa ahead of more decorated centre-backs, or is Deeney over-rewarding Bournemouth's team-wide form?
- Nico Gonzalez over bigger Newcastle names is the selection most open to argument — does one control-the-game display merit a spot?
- Deeney admits he "didn't really want to put a Fulham player in" — does that undermine Shea Charles being included at all?
- With four Bournemouth players plus the manager, has a single week's three-win run been over-weighted across the XI?
What happens next
Bournemouth will look to carry their eight-goals-scored, zero-conceded run into their next fixture, with Marco Rose under pressure to keep the composure Deeney highlighted. Aston Villa's Suzuki, Cash and Jackson face the task of repeating a big-game display, while Tottenham's Tel must back up his Chelsea performance. Deeney will name his next Team of the Week after the following round of Premier League matches.
Frequently asked questions
Who is in Troy Deeney's Premier League Team of the Week?
Zion Suzuki, Matty Cash, James Hill, Ezri Konsa, Adrien Truffert, Shea Charles, Nico Gonzalez, Marcus Tavernier, Rayan, Mathys Tel and Nicolas Jackson, with Marco Rose as manager.
Why did Troy Deeney pick Ezri Konsa?
Deeney said Konsa and James Hill were selected for being "absolutely solid" and "proper defenders who defend", adding that Konsa "gets a goal, so he gets an extra little part for that".
Did Nicolas Jackson score twice against Man City?
Yes. Deeney wrote that Jackson "scores two goals against Man City" and noted it was seven goals for him this season, four of them in the Premier League.
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