Ranking Aston Villa's 5 Best Players This Season so Far

After a hugely topsy-turvy start to the season that saw Paul Lambert's side beat the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City yet fall to disappointing defeats at the hands of Newcastle United and Everton, Aston Villa look to be heading in the right direction.

The claret and blues go into Monday night's West Midlands derby against West Brom coming off the back of two clean sheets and and an impressive victory over Cardiff City last time out.

Lambert's men currently lie 12th in the Premier League table but could leapfrog the Baggies and Swansea into 10th place with a victory over Steve Clarke's men.

Though last season's disastrous campaign now seems to be fading into the distance, Villa players and fans are fully aware that a few bad results could drag them into the mire once more.

There are signs of huge improvement, however, and the fear of what could have been last season has now been replaced by optimism. Cautious optimism.

Lambert saw signs of his players jelling towards the end of last season and there seems to be a continuity this year.

The players have improved significantly and are all pulling in the same direction, but there are a select few that are doing a little more—doing a stellar job to get Villa back to where their fans think they belong.

The following is a ranking of Aston Villa's five best players this season so far.

5. Christian Benteke

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Last season's saviour, Christian Benteke, picked up this season where he left off last—scoring goals.

The Belgian grabbed two in Villa's 3-1 win over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, netting another two in the following three games as he sat atop the Premier League scoring charts.

The 22-year-old then suffered a hip flexor injury during Villa's clash with Norwich and missed the following two fixtures.

Benteke has since struggled to find the back of the net upon his return but, as expected, has been pivotal in Villa's steady climb up the league table.

The striker has been the focal point of Villa's attacks, and although he has found goals hard to come by for the first time since his move to England, he has provided much-needed support when Villa have scored.

4. Ciaran Clark

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Irish centre-half Ciaran Clark has, for years, divided opinion amongst Villa fans. The Harrow-born defender joined Villa's youth academy in 2000, breaking into the first team nine years later.

The tall 24-year-old is undoubtedly an asset in aerial battles, but a lack of pace and technical ability appeared to be Clark's downfall during the first few years he spent trying to force his way into the first team.

However, it now seems that Clark is transforming the opinions of Villa fans. An injury to summer acquisition Jores Okore gifted him with an opportunity to stake a claim for a regular starting berth alongside captain Ron Vlaar—something of which he has grabbed with both hands.

The Irishman has featured nine times for Villa this campaign and has played a vital role in the heart of the Villa defence in the games where they have managed to keep a clean sheet.

Questions still loom large over Clark's ability with the ball at his feet, but his tenacity and desire mask the flaws in his game.

3. Fabian Delph

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Combative midfielder Fabian Delph has finally started to perform to a standard of what was expected by many Villa fans and managers over the recent years.

Much hype surrounded the Bradford-born youngster following his transfer from Leeds in 2009, but a succession of troubling injuries stopped Delph in his tracks.

An overly aggressive temperament also inhibited the midfielder in his quest to become a permanent fixture in the Villa midfield, but his attitude and luck with injuries appears to have changed this season.

Delph missed Villa's last two fixtures through illness but featured heavily in the previous nine—helping the claret and blues to wins over Arsenal and Manchester City, amongst others, and did not look out of place when facing some of the most revered midfield partnerships in the league.

Performing spectacularly against the likes of Frank Lampard, Oscar and Ramires as well as Yaya Toure, Fernandinho and Jesus Navas, the Villa man was tipped for an international call-up, though it never came.

A fit-again Delph will be installed back into the heart of Villa's midfield against West Brom and will hope to continue in the fine form he exhibited before his layoff.

2. Brad Guzan

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Brad Guzan is having the finest season of his career to date. The American stopper was, like Vlaar, one of the stars last season, although his stats don't make for particularly great reading—though that was no fault of his own.

Villa went a Premier League record of 26 games without keeping a clean sheet until they were able to shut out Norwich in September, Guzan the man responsible for bringing the run to an end.

Since then Villa have been able to keep three more clean sheets, preventing Hull, West Ham and Cardiff from finding the back of the net.

The 29-year-old joined Villa in 2008 and waited four long years to claim the No. 1 spot, but his patience and positive attitude have seen him progress at a rapid speed. He has since become a fan favourite and is sure to remain at the club for years to come.

1. Ron Vlaar

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Aston Villa's captain marvel has been the stand-out player this season. The imposing Dutchman has played every minute of Villa's 11 Premier League fixtures this term and has set a fine example to the rest of his team-mates of what is expected of the players.

Vlaar took to England's top flight like a fish to water following his transfer from Feyenoord in August 2012 and was one of a select few to impress during the horror show of the 2012/13 campaign.

According to Squawka, Vlaar has a consistently high average pass success rate of 83 percent—though that's not too uncommon for a centre-half who likes to keep things simple.

The 28-year-old has impressed where it matters, though, winning on average 71 percent of his duels in each of the 11 games he has played in so far this season.

Powerful, commanding on the ground and in the air and with a cool head with the ball at his feet, Vlaar has been one of the Premier League's more consistent performers this year and is vital to Villa's progression.