Fabulous century of assists shows how excellent Cesc Fabregas still is... but does the Chelsea playmaker make my team of the week?

FABREGS

Cesc Fabregas always seems to be singled out for what he can't do. He is criticised for not covering every blade of grass, or not always tracking his runners. 

What he does have is the ability to pick a pass in a pressure moment to win a game. To reach 100 assists in the Premier League is a phenomenal achievement. 

It will be interesting to see if he keeps his place on Wednesday at Tottenham against whom he has been most creative, as our graphic shows.

A third of his Chelsea assists have been for Diego Costa and that doesn't surprise me. 

You never see Costa running in behind when N'Golo Kante or Nemanja Matic get on the ball as he knows they won't find him. 

As soon as Fabregas gets on the ball Costa sets off. He knows the midfielder will pick him out. 

His pass to set up Costa at Man City was worth the admission fee alone. 

This year he has had to knuckle down but keeps showing he is still a match winner. 

GIROUD'S GOAL NOT IN MY TOP 20 

Olivier Giroud's scorpion kick against Crystal Palace is the best improvised goal I have ever seen. 

It wasn't something we thought he had in his locker — it was the sort of goal you would associate more with Alexis Sanchez. 

I am taking nothing away from Giroud but his strike does not make my top 20 Premier League goals. 

As good as it was, I wouldn't put it in the same bracket Thierry Henry's volley against Manchester United, Wayne Rooney's overhead kick against Manchester City or Dele Alli's flick and volley last year against Crystal Palace... and the list goes on!

MARTIAL MUST LISTEN JOSE 

Jose Mourinho is right when he says that Anthony Martial should listen to him, not his agent. Martial has been more peripheral this season but Sevilla would be the wrong move for him. 

SUPER STAT 

There were 86 seconds between Anthony Martial's equaliser against Middlesbrough at Old Trafford and Paul Pogba's winning goal.

I can imagine United, and Jose, are scared to let him go. If they are not careful there is every chance he could become another Kevin De Bruyne, who Mourinho let go at Chelsea. 

I understand why agents want to move their players around but Martial is not going to find many better clubs than Manchester United. 

With Martial's £58million price tag comes added scrutiny. While he has not had the same impact as last season, he is still just 21 and has a manager who will help him.

PS It wasn't that long ago people were slaughtering Paul Pogba, but he is having the last laugh. 

Pogba has been so influential in recent weeks and capped another fine display with the winner against Middlesbrough.

RANIERI'S TOUGH LOVE PAYS OFF 

Being dropped was the wake-up call Riyad Mahrez needed. 

He has had the most incredible 2016 — winning the title and being named player of the year — but every now and again his levels have slipped. 

Mahrez has such wonderful ability but if he wants to be considered as one of the best players in the Premier League he cannot afford to switch off. 

After Claudio Ranieri put him on the bench against Everton on Boxing Day, Mahrez responded with a big performance against West Ham. 

Ranieri realised Mahrez needed some tough love and it was a good piece of management.

SWANSEA A MASSIVE GAMBLE FOR CLEMENT 

Bringing in a new manager is the least of Swansea's worries. The priority for Paul Clement is to sign some new defenders. 

Swansea have never replaced Ashley Williams and are crying out for a leader at the back. 

They have conceded 44 goals already and, as our table shows, are on course to become one of the 

leakiest defences in Premier League history. 

I don't think all is lost for Swansea. If you offered me the chance to take over at any of the clubs in the bottom three, I would choose them over Sunderland or Hull. 

With the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fernando Llorente they still have some quality in their squad. I know Paul and he will get them passing the ball well. 

This is a massive gamble for him — he could have won the Bundesliga and Champions League had he stayed as Bayern Munich  ssistant — but I believe he can get Swansea going.

 HAT-TRICK HERO GRAY GETTING IT WRIGHT

Andre Gray possesses what every defender fears — power and aggression. Gray is hungry for goals. 

He has a little bit of Ian Wright about him in how he always gets into the right areas to score. 

I picked him in my 10 to watch at the start of the season and thought that if Burnley created chances for him he would thrive. 

He has followed up a great goal against Middlesbrough with a hat-trick. Gray is another who has made it from the Conference to the top flight and, if he gets his head down, can become the next Jamie Vardy or Charlie Austin. 

There were plenty of ups and downs for Gray last year but fortunately for him it finished on a high.

MILNER MASTER OF ALL TRADES! 

No player wants to be known as a utility man. You are seen as a jack of all trades and a master of none. There have been very few great utility players. 

Stevie Nicol, who I played with at Liverpool, was one and now there is another at Anfield in James Milner. 

He burst on to the scene at Leeds as a flying winger and is now shining as a left back in a team challenging for the title. 

He kept Raheem Sterling quiet against Manchester City and if a recognised left back becomes available this month, I'm not sure Jurgen Klopp would want to upset the apple cart. 

BLUES' TOUGHEST YET 

I am really looking forward to the Premier League in 2017 as this is shaping up to be the best title race for years. 

Chelsea may be looking good for the title but I still think there are twists to come — starting at Tottenham on Wednesday. 

Spurs were fantastic at Stamford Bridge a few weeks ago and have hit their stride with back-to-back 4-1 victories. This clash already has the feel of an early title decider.