Premier League Player Rankings After Week 6: Hazard Slips, Pelle Rises
Welcome to the sixth edition of our Premier League player rankings, continuing for another season in its mission to quantify the form of England's top-tier players.
We pick the Top 20 players on the basis of form and performances in league games only. After six weeks form has officially been set, although recent upturns in club fortunes have dramatically effected our ranking here.
Take a look and see if you agree with our selections, and if you feel like we've missed anyone, let us know in the comments below.
Dropping out
1 of 21
Philippe Senderos, Aston Villa
Angel Di Maria, Manchester United
Aaron Ramsey, Arsenal
Jason Shackell, Burnley
Eric Dier, Tottenham Hotspur
20. Sergio Aguero, Manchester City
2 of 21
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
Sergio Aguero is picking up speed, netting his fourth goal in as many starts against Hull City this weekend.
The concern with the Argentine is only ever from a fitness perspective, as Manuel Pellegrini has become forced to carefully manage his star striker's hamstrings and it appears he can't play consecutive full games.
That said, he's tied for fourth in the Premier League goalscorers list, so his absences don't even appear to matter.
19. Gylfi Sigurdsson, Swansea City
3 of 21
Last Week: 10
Differential: -9
Gylfi Sigurdsson's hot start is over, and he's clinging to a spot in our top-20 by a thread.
The Icelandic international began with four assists in three games and notched his first of the season too, but has sloped off as Swansea City have—hardly a coincidence, you might say.
18. Abel Hernandez, Hull City
4 of 21
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
Abel Hernandez has two goals in two games for Hull City, starting fast and endearing himself to the KC Stadium crowd.
His grumpy ex-chairman has accused him of chasing money by moving to Humberside, per The Mirror, but if he continues to trouble defences in this manner, he can effectively use the Tigers as a stepping stone.
He's big, fast, physical and instinctive.
17. Victor Moses, Stoke City
5 of 21
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
Where on earth did this come from?
Victor Moses may have found his level: Shining in a mediocre team rather than playing bit-part roles at a top one.
He's resumed as a dribbling machine, managing 11 successful over three games, per WhoScored.com, and assisted the winning goal against Newcastle United on Monday.
16. Raheem Sterling, Liverpool
6 of 21
Last Week: 16
Differential: -
Raheem Sterling has been struggling with consistency; he's in and out, up and down in our rankings every single week.
It's to be expected of a kid who is just 19 years of age and seemingly carrying the burden of a club title charge, and he admittedly disappointed in his decision-making against Everton this weekend.
15. Nathaniel Clyne, Southampton
7 of 21
Last Week: 18
Differential: +3
Nathaniel Clyne wasn't at his most influential on Saturday afternoon, struggling to contain Chilean Eduardo Vargas at times.
As a result he lingers near the bottom of our rankings, but he doesn't drop out on account of his stellar start to the season overall. Calum Chambers' exit has meant he's been able to hold down the right-back spot full-time, and he's clearly enjoying the ride.
14. Mile Jedinak, Crystal Palace
8 of 21
Last Week: Honourable Mention
Differential: New!
Mile Jedinak continues to set himself apart as a reliable head in Crystal Palace's midfield, helping Neil Warnock continue his fantastic start to life as manager (again).
His goal against Leciester City was his second of the season and builds on a great showing last week too. Jedinak re-entered the power rankings last week as an honourable mention, and now climbs into the top-20 proper.
13. Hugo Lloris, Tottenham Hotspur
9 of 21
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
Hugo Lloris was magnificent for Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby, with even Arsenal fans admitting he was near-perfect in his display.
He played a huge role in securing the draw for Spurs under extreme duress at times, making one particular save from behind his line in epic fashion.
12. Leonardo Ulloa, Leicester City
10 of 21
Last Week: 8
Differential: -4
Leonardo Ulloa drew a blank at Selhurst Park this weekend, struggling to break through the brick wall erected by Scott Dann and Damien Delaney.
It was arguably his first off-performance in front of goal so far, but he still put himself about and pressured Crystal Palace on the ball in deeper areas.
It's tough for him to have a "bad" game because he offers much more than a goal threat.
11. Lee Cattermole, Sunderland
11 of 21
Last Week: 11
Differential: -
Lee Cattermole has shed the nickname "Clattermole" somewhat, but could well deserve the new moniker of "Scattermole"—due to his slightly inconsistent showings in 2014. He's a very good player, no question, but can sometimes follow up a great performance with a poor one.
Not this time.
His performance last week was excellent, and thankfully he followed it up with a solid day.
10. Ryan Shawcross, Stoke City
12 of 21
Last Week: 14
Differential: +4
Ryan Shawcross continued his strong start to the season and finally tied it with a home victory.
Stoke City have been abject at the Britannia Stadium despite coming into the season with high hopes and a new look/style, but Shawcross has been his typical self, providing steel and solidity to a mean defensive line.
9. Dusan Tadic, Southampton
13 of 21
Last Week: 15
Differential: +6
Dusan Tadic is a creative machine, and although he's yet to find his shooting boots, he continues to impress in serving up chances for teammates.
He's Ronald Koeman's relative Adam Lallana, and his attributes mirror the Englishman's in eerily close fashion. He hit the woodwork this week, getting closer to the goal, and picked up an assist.
8. Nemanja Matic, Chelsea
14 of 21
Last Week: 6
Differential: -2
Nemanja Matic had an easy game against an Aston Villa side who barely attacked, registering just one shot on target, per WhoScored.com.
His defensive grace and attacking verve were rarely needed—though Fabian Delph gave him a few frights, just as he did last season—and the Serbian helped the Blues to another clean sheet.
7. Fraser Forster, Southampton
15 of 21
Last Week: 5
Differential: -2
No clean sheet for Fraser Forster this week, but it's difficult to get too upset with a solid goalkeeper who is performing well for the second-placed team in the Premier League.
He made just one solitary save, per WhoScored.com, and failed to keep a clean sheet, but he's most certainly been a factor in Southampton's resilient-looking defensive performances.
6. Branislav Ivanovic, Chelsea
16 of 21
Last Week: 7
Differential: +1
Another week, another strong performance from Branislav Ivanovic.
He wasn't really troubled by Aston Villa, who only mustered one shot on target, per WhoScored.com, but a clean sheet is a defender's bread and butter and he'll be happy with his showing.
Filipe Luis continues to wait in the wings as a result of Ivanovic's stubbornness.
5. Graziano Pelle, Southampton
17 of 21
Last Week: 9
Differential: +4
Take a bow, Graziano Pelle!
With the game locked at 1-1, the Italian teed himself up in the box and fired an epic overhead kick into the top corner to settle the match. Queens Park Rangers had no response, and the class of the goal brought into focus Charlie Austin's rather meagre, modest efforts.
Southampton have a gem.
4. Eden Hazard, Chelsea
18 of 21
Last Week: 1
Differential: -3
B/R's Garry Hayes listed Eden Hazard as a "loser" in his post-match column for Chelsea's win over Aston Villa this weekend, and that's enough to knock him off top spot.
"Jose Mourinho was asked in the post-match press conference if he thought Eden Hazard was off the pace against Aston Villa.
"His response was a simple nod to acknowledge he agreed."
There's serious competition for places on the wings, and while this is a one-off sub-par showing, he has shown a tendency to make it a streak in the past.
3. Cesc Fabregas, Chelsea
19 of 21
Last Week: 3
Differential: -
A game in which Cesc Fabregas did not record an assist? "Sightings" of the Lochness monster are more common.
That said, he didn't have to be at his best to beat a poor Aston Villa outfit, and the early goal from Oscar set up a fairly easy game for the Blues midfield.
Cesc was tidy on the ball, totaled a whopping 162 touches, per WhoScored.com.
2. Morgan Schneiderlin, Southampton
20 of 21
Last Week: 2
Differential: -
Morgan Schneiderlin, seemingly for the first time this season, did not have an outstanding game.
That's not to say he played badly—in fact, he was solid as usual—but it speaks of the sky-high standard he has set for himself in the short season already.
Regardless of Graziano Pelle and Dusan Tadic's form, Schneiderlin is the best player on the South Coast right now.
1. Diego Costa, Chelsea
21 of 21
Last Week: 4
Differential: +3
Per BBC Sport, Jose Mourinho has revealed Diego Costa is doing "almost nothing" in training during the weeks between matches.
The Spaniard is still dealing with the hamstring issue that saw him bow out of the UEFA Champions League final inside the first 10 minutes, but it doesn't show at the weekend when he continually blitzes Premier League defences.
His header against Aston Villa was his eighth league strike in six games.
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