Premier League Player Rankings After Weekend of November 1-3: Oscar Impresses
Welcome to the 10th 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 and Southampton—two sides who have typically dominated our ranking—both won again, so expect plenty of red, white and blue. Unsurprisingly, no Aston Villa players made the cut.
The rankings are formed based on the player's last four games, with slightly more emphasis placed on their most recent outing.
Only Premier League performances are counted, and one-week wonders do not find their way in by default (see: David de Gea did not qualify in Week 7 for one great showing but now has after consistently strong form).
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
David Silva—Held a lower ranking after recently coming into form but will miss a few weeks due to a knee injury.
Gylfi Sigurdsson—Has struggled to maintain his epic start. Finally slips off.
20. Nathaniel Clyne, Southampton
2 of 21
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
Nathaniel Clyne has been flirting with the lower reaches of our top 20 all season, entering and leaving in accordance with other players' form.
He was great again against Hull City, holding firm for a clean sheet and notably displaying his improved defensive skill-set. He's not just a marauding athlete anymore; he's a fully-grown, top-tier defender.
19. Enner Valencia, West Ham United
3 of 21
Last Week: 20
Differential: +1
Enner Valencia netted the all-important equaliser for West Ham this weekend, keeping Sam Allardyce's unbeaten streak alive and, crucially, shouldering the load in the absence of Diafra Sakho.
The Ecuador international was lively throughout, and his perseverance was rewarded in the second half. He's now on three goals and two assists from seven starts—an impressive haul.
18. Leighton Baines, Everton
4 of 21
Last Week: 19
Differential: +1
Leighton Baines wasn't able to cleave Swansea City open this weekend, with his offensive output and set-piece deliveries struggling to make an impact.
He did, at least, contribute toward a clean sheet, and as a defender he'll be happy with that. Everton will likely see the 0-0 at Goodison Park as a missed opportunity, and Roberto Martinez will be disappointed Baines' final-third threat diminished as the game went on.
17. David de Gea, Manchester United
5 of 21
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
David de Gea has been performing well for a number of weeks, and after displaying the type of consistency required to enter the rankings, he does so on the back of a strong showing at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester United would likely have conceded three or four were it not for the Spaniard, who flung himself about the goalmouth to keep his nine colleagues in with a shout of a result.
16. Diafra Sakho, West Ham
6 of 21
Last Week: 11
Differential: -5
Diafra Sakho missed the game this weekend with an injury, and his absence was felt as Stoke City raced into a two-goal lead.
Reports that he is out for a month with a shoulder injury, via Jeremy Wilson of The Telegraph, have perhaps been exaggerated, and Sam Allardyce will be keen to restore him to the starting XI as quickly as possible.
Enner Valencia picked up the slack, but there's no replacing the six-in-six-starts monster.
15. Hugo Lloris, Tottenham Hotspur
7 of 21
Last Week: 15
Differential: -
It was a bit of a weird game for Hugo Lloris, who did very little but was still beaten by Andi Weimann's inventive effort and left sprawling after Christian Benteke's piledriver that struck the bar.
Tottenham Hotspur rode out a first-half storm and improved a little in the second, and after Benteke had gone off, Lloris may as well have set up a deck chair and stereo system to keep him company.
14. Saido Berahino, West Bromwich Albion
8 of 21
Last Week: 13
Differential: -1
Saido Berahino struggled to assert his authority during West Bromwich Albion's 1-0 victory over Leicester City but did fire in a teasing cross for the only strike of the game (an Esteban Cambiasso own goal).
The hype machine will ensure his every game is scrutinised, but at 21 years of age, he's certain not to play superbly every game. Go easy on him.
13. Diego Costa, Chelsea
9 of 21
Last Week: 12
Differential: -1
Diego Costa returned to action after what felt like a long time out, and while he didn't score for Chelsea, he made his presence felt.
His hustle, bustle and underrated technique were on display in the build-up to Oscar's sublime strike, and he generally looked busy before being subbed off to preserve his health.
12. Branislav Ivanovic, Chelsea
10 of 21
Last Week: 10
Differential: -2
Nothing too flashy from Branislav Ivanovic, but not too many mistakes either. He returned from suspension against Queens Park Rangers at the right time, filled in for Cesar Azpilicueta and provided a steady influence.
The issue for Jose Mourinho is that Filipe Luis has come in and performed well; how will he carve up his full-back selections now?
11. Oscar, Chelsea
11 of 21
Last Week: 14
Differential: +3
Oscar was probably the best player on the pitch when Chelsea met Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, firing an incredible outside-of-the-boot effort into the net to open the scoring and generally harassing the opposing players.
He was the sole player Jose Mourinho had anything good to say about at half-time and after the game; the manager told reporters he's now a phenomenal player again but can still significantly improve.
10. Graziano Pelle, Southampton
12 of 21
Last Week: 6
Differential: -4
Make no mistake: This was perhaps the first Southampton victory of the season founded on solid defensive principles rather than attacking verve. That's not to say the defence has been poor—it hasn't!—but it's never had to bear the brunt of the work either.
Graziano Pelle looked a little tired and failed to impact the game, then skewed a chance late on. A rare off-day for him.
9. Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal
13 of 21
Last Week: 17
Differential: +8
Alexis Sanchez is soaring after a so-so start to life at Arsenal, and Arsene Wenger's use of him behind the striker or even level with Danny Welbeck is paying off massively.
With four goals in two games and two Man of the Match awards to go with them, it's very obvious who Arsenal's form player of the moment is. Hint: He's from Chile, and his shorts look ridiculous, but absolutely no one cares when he's torching defences every week.
8. Fraser Forster, Southampton
14 of 21
Last Week: 8
Differential: -
Another week, another clean sheet for Fraser Forster. In other news, the sky is blue and Earth's population count is still spiraling.
He didn't have too much to do this week despite Southampton coming under pressure but did make one save at the end to ensure his side took all three points.
7. Stewart Downing, West Ham
15 of 21
Last Week: 9
Differential: +2
If you listen carefully enough, you can hear a faint "Stewart Downing for England" chant emanating from east London and in particular around the Upton Park area.
Another goal and another assist—taking his tally to two and four, respectively—helped the Hammers fight back from a two-goal deficit and draw with Stoke City.
6. Sergio Aguero, Manchester City
16 of 21
Last Week: 7
Differential: +1
Sergio Aguero scored the winning goal in a Manchester derby, further propelling himself into the Manchester City hall of fame.
As noted by Martin Laurence of WhoScored.com, Aguero has more shots on target (26) than all of Aston Villa (19) this season.
He could have won a penalty off Marouane Fellaini had the referee spotted a clear infringement. The Argentine was his typical, irritating, tough-to-contain self.
5. Dusan Tadic, Southampton
17 of 21
Last Week: 3
Differential: -2
Dusan Tadic is still ranging from the sublime to the average—a fact lost on many who purport the story that he is already a UEFA Champions League-calibre player.
He needs to improve his consistency and excel in every game to win everyone over, and at the KC Stadium he struggled to impose his will from the flank.
It's happened three times in 10 games. Hopefully Tadic finds his feet and excels every week soon.
4. Nemanja Matic, Chelsea
18 of 21
Last Week: 5
Differential: +1
A hard-fought game usually suits Nemanja Matic, who shines in places no one else does due to his immense physicality and assuredness in the tackle.
Against Queens Park Rangers, it was more of the same from the Serbian, who is quite clearly the best overall defensive midfielder in the Premier League.
3. Eden Hazard, Chelsea
19 of 21
Last Week: 4
Differential: +1
After being dropped in the box by Queens Park Rangers, Eden Hazard dusted himself off and converted the penalty to win the game in typically cool fashion.
He's beginning to make a decisive impact in games, and his immense dribbling skills were, of course, on full display as he tortured QPR's right-hand side.
2. Cesc Fabregas, Chelsea
20 of 21
Last Week: 2
Differential: -
Cesc Fabregas has now either scored or assisted in his last six games for Chelsea—a phenomenal record that proves his incredible consistency and excellence.
His measured control and slick passing were back on show as Diego Costa re-entered the lineup, and he came close to scoring in the first half.
1. Morgan Schneiderlin, Southampton
21 of 21
Last Week: 1
Differential: -
Morgan Schneiderlin continues his reign at the top of our rankings, making it three straight weeks at the summit after another masterful display shielding Southampton's defence.
The Saints came under a fair amount of pressure against Hull City and were made to work for their victory, with the Frenchman working in tandem with Victor Wanyama to halt the Tigers' approach.
He's just a rock in midfield.
Please note: All statistics are courtesy of WhoScored.com.
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