EPL 100: Ranking of Premier League's Best Players After Matchday 36
With the 2017-18 Premier League season nearing its conclusion, major moves in our EPL100 are in distinctly short supply. That's why this week we've picked out one player in each section who perhaps hasn't received the adulation or attention he's deserved this term.
Here's to the unsung heroes.
We have updated our lists to take into account Matchday 35. They are divided into seven position groups and are based solely on performances in the Premier League in 2017-18.
To be eligible, a player must have taken part in at least half the games his team has played.
Goalkeepers
1 of 7
When he signed early last summer, not too much was expected of Brighton & Hove Albion's Mat Ryan. There were even some suggestions on social media that he was signed as competition and another goalkeeper should be on his way.
But the Australia international has started every league game and varied from good to excellent. Saturday saw him fall into the latter category, showing bravery and reflexes to keep a clean sheet at Burnley.
Biggest rise: Mat Ryan (+1)
Biggest fall: Jonas Lossl (-1)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | David De Gea (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 2 | Ederson (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 3 | Nick Pope (Stay) | Burnley |
| 4 | Lukasz Fabianski (Stay) | Swansea City |
| 5 | Jordan Pickford (Stay) | Everton |
| 6 | Thibaut Courtois (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 7 | Kasper Schmeichel (Stay) | Leicester City |
| 8 | Mat Ryan (+1) | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 9 | Jonas Lossl (-1) | Huddersfield Town |
| 10 | Jack Butland (Stay) | Stoke City |
Right-Backs/Right Wing-Backs
2 of 7
It's difficult to escape the feeling Watford haven't received their fair dues this season. There have been plenty of games where they have played well and contrived to lose, and their list of injuries has piled higher than most.
Kiko Femenia is one of those who spent a big chunk of the campaign on the sidelines, cut down just as he was finding his groove and impressing.
It's been a little tougher for him to find his rhythm since coming back, but keep him in mind for next season when you're looking for high-impact performers at full-back.
Biggest rise: Multiple (+2)
Biggest fall: Multiple (-2)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Kyle Walker (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 2 | Matthew Lowton (Stay) | Burnley |
| 3 | Victor Moses (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 4 | Antonio Valencia (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 5 | Kieran Trippier (+2) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 6 | Hector Bellerin (+2) | Arsenal |
| 7 | Kiko Femenia (-2) | Watford |
| 8 | DeAndre Yedlin (-2) | Newcastle United |
| 9 | Cedric Soares (New!) | Southampton |
| 10 | Florent Hadergjonaj (Stay) | Huddersfield Town |
Left-Backs/Left Wing-Backs
3 of 7
Entering the rankings for the first time this season is Patrick van Aanholt, whose steady incline in performances have matched those of his Crystal Palace team.
He's spent some time out of the side and had to be patient when Jeffrey Schlupp nabbed his spot earlier in the campaign, but he has now started 17 straight games and even procured three goals—one of which was a thumper against David De Gea.
Biggest rise: Ryan Bertrand (+1)
Biggest fall: Multiple (-1)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Andy Robertson (Stay) | Liverpool |
| 2 | Fabian Delph (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 3 | Ben Davies (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 4 | Marcos Alonso (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 5 | Stephen Ward (Stay) | Burnley |
| 6 | Ashley Young (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 7 | Ryan Bertrand (+1) | Southampton |
| 8 | Sead Kolasinac (-1) | Arsenal |
| 9 | Patrick van Aanholt (New!) | Crystal Palace |
| 10 | Ben Chilwell (-1) | Leicester City |
Centre-Backs
4 of 7
It feels as though every Chelsea centre-back has made headlines this season bar one: Antonio Rudiger.
While Gary Cahill's waning powers have been debated, Cesar Azpilicueta's mastery lauded and Andreas Christensen's mixed campaign rated and then subsequently slated, Rudiger has simply swept along in the background.
He's done pretty well in his debut season all things considered; he has shown defensive strength and passed well from the back. Chelsea have a lot to sort out this summer, but they can at least count on Rudiger as a building block in defence.
Biggest rise: Antonio Rudiger (+4)
Biggest fall: Harry Maguire (-3)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Jan Vertonghen (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 2 | Cesar Azpilicueta (+1) | Chelsea |
| 3 | Nicolas Otamendi (-1) | Manchester City |
| 4 | Ben Mee (Stay) | Burnley |
| 5 | James Tarkowski (Stay) | Burnley |
| 6 | Jamaal Lascelles (Stay) | Newcastle United |
| 7 | Davinson Sanchez (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 8 | Virgil van Dijk (+2) | Liverpool |
| 9 | Nacho Monreal (-1) | Arsenal |
| 10 | Antonio Rudiger (+4) | Chelsea |
| 11 | James Tomkins (+1) | Crystal Palace |
| 12 | Harry Maguire (-3) | Leicester City |
| 13 | Christopher Schindler (-2) | Huddersfield Town |
| 14 | Phil Jones (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 15 | Andreas Christensen (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 16 | Kurt Zouma (Stay) | Stoke City |
| 17 | Lewis Dunk (+1) | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 18 | Nathan Ake (-1) | Bournemouth |
| 19 | Alfie Mawson (Stay) | Swansea City |
| 20 | Florian Lejeune (Stay) | Newcastle United |
Defensive Midfielders/Central Midfielders
5 of 7
If this round-table discussion from The Chronicle is anything to go by, Jamaal Lascelles has Newcastle United's Player of the Season award wrapped up. It's interesting to note one voter mentions Mohamed Diame, though, citing his consistency as a key factor in his nomination.
Diame has been a reliable, physical presence for the Magpies, setting an aggressive tone when required but also showing a touch of guile when required. His high points aren't as high as Jonjo Shelvey's, but he rarely plays badly.
Biggest rise: Mario Lemina (+5)
Biggest fall: Jonjo Shelvey (-3)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | David Silva (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 2 | Fernandinho (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 3 | N'Golo Kante (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 4 | Nemanja Matic (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 5 | Paul Pogba (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 6 | Aaron Ramsey (Stay) | Arsenal |
| 7 | Mousa Dembele (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 8 | Jack Cork (Stay) | Burnley |
| 9 | Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Stay) | Liverpool |
| 10 | Eric Dier (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 11 | Emre Can (Stay) | Liverpool |
| 12 | Wilfred Ndidi (Stay) | Leicester City |
| 13 | Mohamed Diame (Stay) | Newcastle United |
| 14 | Luka Milivojevic (+1) | Crystal Palace |
| 15 | Mario Lemina (+5) | Southampton |
| 16 | Abdoulaye Doucoure (Stay) | Watford |
| 17 | Jonjo Shelvey (-3) | Newcastle United |
| 18 | Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (-1) | Southampton |
| 19 | Aaron Mooy (-1) | Huddersfield Town |
| 20 | Cesc Fabregas (New!) | Chelsea |
Attacking Midfielders/Wingers
6 of 7
Johann Berg Gudmundsson's had an amazing season for Burnley; it is he, not Gylfi Sigurdsson, who has been Iceland's most prolific creator in the Premier League in 2017-18.
His assist tally of eight matches Mesut Ozil's and betters Sadio Mane's. The whip he gets on his crosses has served the Clarets' giant forwards extremely well, and he works back to help his full-back without fail.
Biggest rise: Multiple (+1)
Biggest fall: Multiple (-1)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Kevin De Bruyne (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 2 | Mohamed Salah (Stay) | Liverpool |
| 3 | Raheem Sterling (+1) | Manchester City |
| 4 | Leroy Sane (-1) | Manchester City |
| 5 | Christian Eriksen (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 6 | Eden Hazard (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 7 | Sadio Mane (Stay) | Liverpool |
| 8 | Heung-Min Son (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 9 | Mesut Ozil (Stay) | Arsenal |
| 10 | Jesse Lingard (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 11 | Alexis Sanchez (+1) | Manchester United |
| 12 | Riyad Mahrez (-1) | Leicester City |
| 13 | Dele Alli (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 14 | JB Gudmundsson (Stay) | Burnley |
| 15 | Willian (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 16 | Bernardo Silva (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 17 | Jose Izquierdo (Stay) | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 18 | Juan Mata (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 19 | Matt Ritchie (+1) | Newcastle United |
| 20 | Ruben Loftus-Cheek (New!) | Crystal Palace |
Strikers
7 of 7
You would think a team such as Manchester City, who score goals for fun and are on the verge of setting league records, would have their strikers praised constantly, but that hasn't really been the case. Instead it's almost everyone else who has been lauded.
But it's important to note the fact Sergio Aguero has been shut down for the season and the Citizens haven't missed a beat. If anything, they've looked more fluid in his absence—as they did earlier in the season—because Gabriel Jesus is the perfect link player for Pep Guardiola's system.
Don't be surprised if the Brazil international takes on such a key role in 2018-19 that Aguero is actually phased out of the side.
Biggest rise: Multiple (+1)
Biggest fall: Jamie Vardy (-2)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Roberto Firmino (Stay) | Liverpool |
| 2 | Harry Kane (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 3 | Sergio Aguero (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 4 | Romelu Lukaku (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 5 | Gabriel Jesus (+1) | Manchester City |
| 6 | Wilfried Zaha (+1) | Crystal Palace |
| 7 | Jamie Vardy (-2) | Leicester City |
| 8 | Alexandre Lacazette (Stay) | Arsenal |
| 9 | Marko Arnautovic (Stay) | West Ham United |
| 10 | Chris Wood (Stay) | Burnley |
All statistics via WhoScored.com
