Alan Shearer has named an all guns blazing attacking line-up for his Premier League team of the week.
Shearer remains the Premier League’s all-time top goalscorer, and his attacking instincts do not appear to have dimmed in the 19 years since he retired.
After casting his eye over the weekend’s action, Shearer picked his XI standout players on Monday, and only had room for two defenders.
The Newcastle legend opted for Ipswich’s Alex Palmer in goal after his eye-catching display in his side’s 1-1 draw at Aston Villa, but only chose Brighton’s Adam Webster and Tottenham back Djed Spence to protect him in defence.
Both men kept clean sheets in their respective fixtures, with Brighton beating Chelsea 3-0, while Spurs edged past Manchester United 1-0.
Moving further forwards, and Shearer went with a midfield pivot of Nico Gonzalez and Ryan Christie, with Everton playmaker Carlos Alcaraz just in front of them.
Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer has named his Premier League team of the week
Djed Spence (left) was one of only two defenders to feature in Shearer’s XI
Man City’s hat-trick hero Omar Marmoush (centre) was one of four wingers in Shearer’s team
Shearer’s XI contained just two defenders and four wingers as he went all-out attack
Gonzalez was branded a ‘mini-Rodri’ by Pep Guardiola after starring in Manchester City’s 4-0 win over Newcastle, while Christie scored Bournemouth’s second goal in their 3-1 win at neighbours Southampton.
Alcaraz also got on the scoresheet on Saturday, netting the winner in Everton’s 2-1 victory away at Crystal Palace.
Shearer plumped for some goalscoring talent in the middle of the pitch, but was not done there as he selected no fewer than four wingers in his side.
Brighton duo Yankuba Minteh and Kaoru Mitoma both made the cut after combining for all three of the Seagulls’ goals against Chelsea, while Ethan Nwaneri and Omar Marmoush were somehow squeezed in just ahead of them.
Nwaneri produced a stunning performance that saw him compared to Lionel Messi by Joe Cole in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Leicester, and Marmoush was an obvious pick following his hat-trick for City.
Up front, Mikel Merino got the nod after coming off the bench to score both of Arsenal’s goals as a makeshift striker.
In total, nine goals were scored by the players in Shearer’s XI over the weekend, and the ex-striker seems to think this would be more than enough to get past any opposition after naming a team with an astonishing lack of defensive cover.
