The number of Tottenham stars included in various Team of the Weeks shows that the Lilywhites delivered a complete performance against Crystal Palace.

The one constant Spurs presence in every single Team of the Week for Gameweek 9 has been Jan Paul van Hecke, who helped the Lilywhites keep yet another clean sheet and scored the all-important second goal.

In fact, the Dutchman is the highest-rated outfield player in gameweek 9 as per both Sofascore and WhoScored.

That shows exactly why Roberto De Zerbi was keen on reuniting with the 26-year-old, who is proving crucial in the team’s build-up play.

Tottenham star Sandro Tonali has been named in Alan Shearer’s Team of the Week

Troy Deeney named Archie Gray alongside Van Hecke in his Team of the Week after the 20-year-old netted Tottenham’s opener with a fine back-post header.

Alan Shearer’s Team of the Week also has two Spurs players, but the man who joins Van Hecke in his side is another summer signing, Sandro Tonali.

Shearer’s Premier League Team of the Week: Verbruggen; Vuskovic, Van Hecke, Konsa; Rice, Tonali; Estevao, Rudoni, Dewsbury-Hall, Sakamoto, Rogers.

However, the 26-year-old has certainly silenced his critics over the last few weeks, with his engine, decision-making in possession, and ability to win duels being crucial in helping Spurs dominate the midfield battle.

Tonali’s partnership with Mateus Fernandes is already proving to be elite

Tonali is just one half of Spurs’ new-look central midfield pairing, and one can argue that the other half, Mateus Fernandes, has been even more critical after finally getting a chance to play in his preferred number six role.

While we may be dealing with a small sample size at this stage of the season, the numbers suggest Fernandes is among the best in the Premier League at finding passes under pressure.

Tonali’s and Fernandes’ skill sets are very complementary, with the former applying pressure high up the pitch and winning duels while the latter putting out fires in front of the back four and playing the role of a regista.