Defense
Right Back: Kyle Walker, Tottenham
If Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin were healthy, the battle for starting RB would be the toughest decision in the North London XI. But with Bellerin a doubt, Walker walks into the XI easily and deservedly.
Walker has started every league game for Spurs this season and has racked up two assists as a buccaneering fullback on the right side.
Though he’s been inconsistent at times since his sparkling 2011-12 season, Walker has carried his form into this season following a good Euro 2016. He’s slightly ahead of Bellerin as the top right back in the EPL this season.
Left Back: Danny Rose, Tottenham
With Arsenal’s left back situation currently up in the air for Sunday, Rose’s selection here is a no-brainer. Given his talent, it’d be an easy choice regardless.
A Team of the Year member last season, Rose has continued to be the EPL’s most exciting left back this season. With a goal and four yellow cards through six league games, Rose is a can’t-miss type of player on the field.
Based on early season indications, Rose and Chelsea’s Cesar Azpilicueta are the EPL’s top left backs once again.
Center Back: Laurent Koscielny, Arsenal
The Arsenal captain had long been an under-appreciated central defender, but last season, he put the league on notice as Arsenal boasted an improved defense. He’s been even better this year.
Koscielny missed Arsenal’s Match Day 1 loss while on an extended recovery following the Euros, and sure enough, the Gunners’ defense suffered because of it in the team’s 4-3 loss to Liverpool.
Upon his return to the lineup, Arsenal have only allowed more than one goal in one league game, a 3-2 win over Swansea. In addition to being a rock in the back, Koscielny has netted a pair of huge goals.
He scored on a bicycle kick in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Southampton and provided a last-gasp winner in an ugly 1-0 win at Burnley.
Center Back: Jan Vertonghen, Tottenham
Arsenal’s Shkodran Mustafi has been good since his late-August arrival, but Vertonghen gets the edge because of who he doesn’t have playing next to him.
Spurs CB Toby Alderweireld, who was the club’s top player last season, has missed the past month with a leg injury, and Tottenham’s defense hasn’t missed a beat.
They key number: 10.1. That’s how many clearances Vertonghen has averaged this season. It’s tops on Tottenham and five more than Mustafi.