Premier League Player Rankings After Weekend of October 4-5: Chelsea Stars Shine
Welcome to the seventh 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. Chelsea's great form continued but Southampton's came to a screeching halt—how will that effect our order this week?
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
Dropping out this week:
Ryan Shawcross, Stoke City
Mile Jedinak, Crystal Palace
Nathaniel Clyne, Southampton
Raheem Sterling, Liverpool
Abel Hernandez, Hull City
20. Oscar, Chelsea
2 of 21
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
As if having five Chelsea players in our top-20 last week wasn't enough, we've added a sixth in the form of Oscar.
It's perhaps a slightly controversial call for some, given the amount of fouls he got through at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, but his brief was to disrupt and press, and he carried out his tasks to perfection.
In previous games, he's scored against Aston Villa and grabbed an assist against Swansea City. He's in form.
19. Leonardo Ulloa, Leicester City
3 of 21
Last Week: 12
Differential: -7
Leonardo Ulloa drew another blank this week, making it two in a row to somewhat negate his early great form.
The Argentine, Leicester City's top scorer this season so far with five league goals, was substituted just past the hour mark for David Nugent despite the Foxes possessing the lead at the time.
18. Nacer Chadli, Tottenham Hotspur
4 of 21
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
Nacer Chadli continued his great form over the last few weeks by torturing Southampton's right-hand side on Sunday.
The Belgium international struggled to settle last season under Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood, but under Mauricio Pochettino he's flourishing.
Admittedly, he likely could have entered our top-20 last week.
17. Victor Moses, Stoke City
5 of 21
Last Week: 17
Differential: -
Victor Moses was substituted early in Stoke City's loss to Sunderland, but still managed to serve up one assist in the 18 minutes he was actually on the pitch.
The ailment stopped him from building upon a strong start so he remains in our rankings and doesn't move. He'll be sent for more tests over the international break, per Martin Spinks at The Stoke Sentinel, and Stephen Keshi will have to do without him in the Nigeria camp.
16. Diafra Sakho, West Ham
6 of 21
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
Where on earth did this come from?
Summoning the spirit of Christian Benteke, perhaps, Diafra Sakho is currently showing the world you can thrive in the Premier League as a striker if given but a simple chance.
With four goals in four games he's jumped onto our radar, and he's earning glowing reviews:
"@stighefootball Quick, moves well, a penchant for finding space in crowded penalty areas. A very decent striker for £4m.
— Alex Richards (@AA_Richards) October 6, 2014"
15. Gylfi Sigurdsson, Swansea City
7 of 21
Last Week: 19
Differential: +4
The slide stops!
Gylfi Sigurdsson returned to relevance this weekend as he collected two assists in a 2-2 draw with Newcastle United.
He'd gone completely off the boil in recent weeks and was on the verge of slipping out of the top-20, but a double-barrelled game from him, teeing up Wayne Routledge and Wilfried Bony, sees him rise again.
14. Stewart Downing, West Ham
8 of 21
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
Stewart Downing made a cameo appearance in our top-20 earlier in this season but fell away. Now he's found an element of consistency, and we're happy to reinstate him following West Ham United's 2-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers.
He's finding his feet after an up-and-down two-year spell, playing in more attacking positions and inside a narrower midfield from Sam Allardyce.
13. Angel Di Maria, Manchester United
9 of 21
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
Make room, make room! Eden Hazard, Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure will be on red alert as Angel Di Maria enters the conversation for best overall player in the Premier League.
He was, again, the best (outfield) player on the pitch as Manchester United beat Everton 2-1 on Sunday, notching the opener, one assist and running riot throughout.
12. Dusan Tadic, Southampton
10 of 21
Last Week: 9
Differential: -3
Last year, "shut down by Danny Rose" was damning on a winger. This time around, perhaps not so much.
Disappointingly for Tadic, he didn't get switched over to the left side, where he could take on Eric Dier and leave Sadio Mane to go rapido o rapido with Rose.
A lack of pace meant he never got close enough to provide service for Graziano Pelle, and he drops as a result.
11. Sergio Aguero, Manchester City
11 of 21
Last Week: 20
Differential: +9
Sergio Aguero crept into our top-20 last week and retains his place after another goalscoring outing against Aston Villa.
It looked for a while as if he'd fail to make the breakthrough, snatching at his chances and hitting the woodwork at one stage, but finally broke Nathan Baker's resistance in the closing stages to score.
10. Lee Cattermole, Sunderland
12 of 21
Last Week: 11
Differential: +1
Lee Cattermole played his part in a 3-1 victory over Stoke City this weekend, but the limelight fell away from him for once.
Connor Wickham and Steven Fletcher drew the plaudits after their performances in front of goal, leading the Black Cats to their first league win of the season.
9. Hugo Lloris, Tottenham Hotspur
13 of 21
Last Week: 13
Differential: +4
Hugo Lloris didn't have a fat lot to do this weekend, facing just three shots on target from Southampton, per WhoScored.com.
His clean sheet looked a little generous given Sadio Mane's horrendous miss with half the goal gaping, but on the balance of the last two performances (Arsenal away included), he continues to rise up in our rankings once again.
8. Fraser Forster, Southampton
14 of 21
Last Week: 7
Differential: -1
Fraser Forster delivered his first shaky performance since joining Southampton, showing dodgy hands and unsure palms throughout the match.
He's not to blame for Christian Eriksen's goal—it was a well-hit, accurate strike—but his overall game was far less assured than usual.
Hopefully just a blip for the big bear.
7. Graziano Pelle, Southampton
15 of 21
Last Week: 5
Differential: -2
Graziano Pelle was left isolated, helpless and marooned against Tottenham Hotspur's defence on Sunday, meaning he started October with a rare blank on the scoresheet.
Mauricio Pochettino's nullification of Steven Davis and Dusan Tadic left him double-marked by Younes Kaboul and Jan Vertonghen. As a result, he didn't trouble the scoresheet at all.
6. Nemanja Matic, Chelsea
16 of 21
Last Week: 8
Differential: +2
Nemanja Matic had it easy on Sunday; sitting back in Chelsea's defensive midfield, he completed his duties at a canter and could well have found time to puff on a cigar between actions.
He and Cesc Fabregas are, without doubt, the best holding midfield pair in the Premier League by a distance. As a duo they seem unstoppable, impenetrable and immovable.
5. Morgan Schneiderlin, Southampton
17 of 21
Last Week: 2
Differential: -3
Morgan Schneiderlin posted his worst showing of the season in Southampton's 1-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
That's not a particularly strong insult given the standard he's set, but for the first time he was overrun a little in midfield despite receiving help from Victor Wanyama in the engine room.
4. Branislav Ivanovic, Chelsea
18 of 21
Last Week: 6
Differential: +2
Branislav Ivanovic and Alexis Sanchez, pictured, tussled all day, but the former came out the victor. Like so many wingers this season, the Chilean was unable to get in and around the full-back long enough to cause any damage.
The inspired performances from Ivanovic, thought to be on the verge of bowing out in favour of Filipe Luis at one stage, have been key to Jose Mourinho's flexible, yet stubborn, system at Stamford Bridge.
3. Eden Hazard, Chelsea
19 of 21
Last Week: 4
Differential: +1
Eden Hazard was decisive in Chelsea's win over Arsenal—a word we don't associate with him often enough.
He's in talks to sign a new deal upward of £200,000-per-week, per The Guardian, and to really earn that kind of money he needs to play like he did on Sunday more often.
B/R's Garry Hayes was suitably impressed by the Belgian wizard at Stamford Bridge:
"There was no need to ask either manager who or what proved the difference in Chelsea's 2-0 defeat of Arsenal on Sunday at Stamford Bridge.
"It was clear. Eden Hazard was it.
"To Arsenal's dismay, Ozil floundered in the face of scrutiny.
"Hazard didn't."
2. Diego Costa, Chelsea
20 of 21
Last Week: 1
Differential: -1
Another game, another goal for Diego Costa.
He missed an open goal late in the game to make it Chelsea 3-0 Arsenal—luckily the offside flag was raised—but that was quickly forgotten as it didn't affect the scoreline.
A slightly quieter game for him overall as the Blues won the game in midfield.
1. Cesc Fabregas
21 of 21
Last Week: 3
Differential: +2
Cesc Fabregas was brilliant against his former club Arsenal this weekend. So strong was his performance, he displaces goalscorer Diego Costa at the top of our rankings.
The assist for Costa's goal, making it 2-0 and sealing the result, was the icing on the cake for the Spaniard. Rarely do we see him work so hard off the ball to ensure the midfield remains compact and solid.
His form over the past few weeks makes him the clear No. 1 after seven rounds of play, and with every passing performance, questions are raised over why Arsene Wenger decided against signing the magician.
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