Troy Deeney names his Premier League team and manager of the week after latest round (19 October 2026)
On 19 October 2026 BBC pundit Troy Deeney published his Premier League team and manager of the week following the latest round of fixtures, naming a 11-player XI plus a manager. His selections include Bart Verbruggen, Levi Colwill, Gabriel, Luka Vuskovic, Diogo Dalot, Sander Berge, Diego Gomez, Pedro Neto, Johan Manzambi, James Maddison, Erling Haaland and manager Fabian Hurzeler.
Deeney issues a team and manager pick after every round of Premier League matches this season on BBC and the piece presents this week's choices. The article asks readers for their views and directs them to the comments form below. It also references related reads on Maddison, Brighton and Palace.
On goalkeeping and across the backline Deeney selected Brighton's Bart Verbruggen, Chelsea's Levi Colwill, Arsenal's Gabriel and Brighton's Luka Vuskovic. On Verbruggen he said: "I was looking at other teams, but there were so many games this week with very poor quality. Even David Raya against Forest had two shots to deal with, terrible from a goalkeeping point of view, so Verbruggen goes in for his clean sheet." Colwill was chosen "only because Chelsea got a clean sheet in the league for the first time since January" and because he stepped up with the young goalkeeper Mike Penders in there, Deeney added. On Gabriel Deeney noted that "Arsenal win 1-0 and get the job done" and preferred Gabriel's experience and quality over Ezri Konsa, while Vuskovic was included for the same defensive solidity that justified Verbruggen's inclusion.
Deeney named Manchester United's Diogo Dalot and Fulham's Sander Berge among his picks for their roles in crucial fixtures. About Dalot he wrote that Dalot "played at left-back and I thought he was amazing. Could he offer a little more in terms of quality? Absolutely. But high energy, dealt with the physical threat, defended well and offered an outlet going forward in a game that was very scrappy." On Berge he said: "It was a massive game against Hull, a six-pointer and if Fulham lose that they are going down in my opinion. But they got the job done and he was at the heart of everything good for them."
Among the attackers Deeney included Brighton's Diego Gomez and Chelsea's Pedro Neto for decisive contributions. On Gomez he wrote that "He scored from the halfway line, nothing more needs to be said." He highlighted Neto's two goals and match-winning impact, adding: "He is one of those players when you look at him you think 'he is good, but I don't know why he is good', but in this game he put it all together. With all the talk of Morgan Rogers, Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer, he could have a sneaky good season because these guys will take the attention of defenders and Neto can get in with his pace at the back post."
Deeney also picked Johan Manzambi, James Maddison and Erling Haaland for their recent form and match contributions. On Manzambi he said: "By far the player of the month so far. An unbelievable young talent from Switzerland, 21 years of age, carrying this Aston Villa team with an aura and humbleness of 'I want to learn and do more', but also 'I'm the man of this team, give me the ball, let me show you what I can do'." Of Maddison he wrote: "Welcome back James Maddison. Spurs needed a bit of quality in the final third and we were unsure who would score for them, and Maddison puts it in the top corner. Great to see him back, great to see him healthy and great to see him smiling." On Haaland he commented: "For already the third time and with probably another 10 times to go, Mr Erling Haaland. Started up top, job done, two goals against a really poor Ipswich team and he could've had a hat-trick. Unreal from him."
Deeney appointed Brighton's Fabian Hurzeler as his manager of the week and explained the reasons behind that choice. He said: "He is doing an unbelievable job. A lot of people, including myself, were wondering whether he doing a 'pat myself on the back lap of appreciation tour' after beating Arsenal - but actually what he was showing is that he is a very good manager who can continue to deliver week in and week out. He was fantastic, got the tactics spot on and also introduced some players who had been out injured."
Readers are invited to respond to Deeney's selections using the comments form below the article. Related pieces linked at the end of the feature include "Maddison's magic moment for Spurs - 18 months in the making", "Are free-scoring Brighton genuine title contenders?" and "Palace manager Sage facing fight to keep his job".