To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Garth Crooks Mocked For Picking Liverpool Player Who Didn’t Play In ‘Team Of The Week’

Garth Crooks Mocked For Picking Liverpool Player Who Didn’t Play In ‘Team Of The Week’

“You think you’ve seen it all in 2020 but then Garth Crooks describes the scary moments Joel Matip had during a game he didn’t play in."

Alex Reid

Alex Reid

Garth Crooks has faced ridicule from football fans for picking Liverpool defender Joel Matip in his Team of the Week - praising his display in a game he didn't play in as part of his reasoning.

Oh Garth. The BBC pundit alluded to Matip's performance in Liverpool vs Tottenham last Wednesday, writing: "He survived one or two scary moments but did enough against Spurs to help seal the win."

Except Matip was not even in the squad for the Reds' 2-1 victory over Jose Mourinho's side, with centre-back Rhys Williams making his Premier League debut in defence alongside Fabinho. So Matip definitely survived all of the "scary moments" by not actually setting foot on the pitch.

To be fair to Crooks, Matip DID play in the 7-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday, which was also referenced by the pundit, who said the 29-year-old defender gave the Eagles "nightmares on set-pieces".

The BBC Sport article has now been updated to take out any reference to Matip taking on Spurs and - let's face it - we all make mistakes.

But naturally football fans on social media were quick to spot and leap on Crooks' error.

"You think you've seen it all in 2020 but then Garth Crooks describes the scary moments Joel Matip had during a game he didn't play in," said one. "No context, indeed."

"Damn I thought I'd lost my mind for a bit there. Was scratching my head trying to remember what he did against Spurs," said another.

Crooks' Team of the Week has often thrown up the odd questionable selection. He's crammed some players into some very strange positions - such as in 2015, when Alexis Sanchez and Marko Arnautovic were selected as wing-backs.

Also, back in 2012, Crooks suggested that West Brom's James Morrison might enter England manager Roy Hodgson's plans. Morrison had been a Scotland international for four years.

Add picking Matip based - at least partly - on a game he didn't even play in to the list. Garth, we have to be honest: we hope you never change.

Featured image credit: PA Images/BBC Sport

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: Liverpool, Football News, Football, Premier League, Liverpool News, Joel Matip

Alex Reid is a writer at SPORTbible who’s previously strung words together for FourFourTwo, Boxing News, The Guardian and, yes, Cruise International (it’s about big ships, not Tom). Interests range from football and boxing to real sports like WWE and darts. He is not a cage fighter.

X

@otheralexreid