11 Biggest Game-Changers in the EPL
From Diego Costa up front to Vincent Kompany on the back line, each of these players can alter the outcome of a match all by themselves, both with their consistently superb talent and their persistent threat of a moment of brilliance.
While early results from the current Barclays Premier League season do not provide the main criteria for judgment, those soaring to success certainly have a leg up.
This list also considers the bigger picture, including a player's past accomplishments, his performance outside the EPL and his prospects for the future, so some up-and-comers earned their way onto the list as well.
The primary criteria for inclusion boils down to one thing: When these players are at their best, can they single-handedly decide the result of a match?
Here is the starting XI from goalkeeper to strikers—deploying a highly unusual 2-4-4 formation—but with so much talent crammed into one team, no opponent would stand a chance anyway.
Tim Howard, Everton, Goalkeeper
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As he proved at the 2014 World Cup, 35-year-old American Tim Howard stands among the world's best goalkeepers.
The United States got swept up in a brand new soccer meme that had nothing to do with Alex Morgan: Things Howard could have saved. These included Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction during the Super Bowl, the comet that killed the dinosaurs, Luis Suarez biting Giorgio Chiellini and the death of Mufasa in The Lion King.
Playing for Everton, Howard can enjoy the quality of Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman in front of him while he rests his weary bones. But when called into action, there are few better than the sure-handed man from North Brunswick, New Jersey.
In his Premier League career, only nine 'keepers have recorded more clean sheets than Howard: 121 clean sheets to date, via PremierLeague.com. Wikipedia says only nine 'keepers in EPL history have more saves.
In fact, Howard is so good that he can even score goals from 100 yards away.
Howard's longevity and ability to sustain a high level of play is demonstrated by two individual honors coming a dozen years apart: 2001 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and 2013 CONCACAF Goalkeeper of the Year. And he likely would have been a Golden Glove finalist at the World Cup, were it not for Team USA's shoddy overall defense.
Vincent Kompany, Manchester City, Defender
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While all the glory boys hog the spotlight with highlight-reel goals and Vine-worthy celebrations of said goals, one man has risen above all others in the trenches on the back line: Belgian defender Vincent Kompany.
He shone at the World Cup during the summer, helping lead Belgium deep into the tournament, but his precipitous rise as a player has centered in England.
Since 2008, Kompany has been a towering defensive stalwart for Manchester City, so talented, in fact, he makes superb right-back Pablo Zabaleta look merely above average.
Kompany's former Manchester City boss Mark Hughes gushed over the 28-year-old, via the Mirror's Ian Baker: "Was he the best money City have ever spent? Yeah... He's not motivated by anything other than winning as many trophies as he can."
And as the cherry on top for the Citizens, while they landed a tremendous bargain in Kompany who now captains the side, they also snatched his talents away from top rival Manchester United, who pursued him back in '08 as well. How different things might have been had Kompany decided to call Old Trafford home instead.
Leighton Baines, Everton, Defender
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Everton's Leighton Baines offers everything one could want from a defender, with a preternatural sense for where to be on the back line and a dangerous attacking instinct that has produced six assists and two goals in 11 matches, plus another three assists and a goal in four Europa League matches.
The 29-year-old from Merseyside may have been overlooked in the past on account of his 5'8" height, but his play at the back confirms his tremendous on-field stature.
Moreover, Baines provides a veteran defensive presence for the Toffees, which also makes him a useful tutor for younger players like 20-year-old midfielder Ross Barkley.
After all, Barkley doesn't seem like he's learning much playing for England under manager Roy Hodgson, judging by this excoriating Vine, captured moments after Barkley subbed on late in a 3-1 win over Scotland. Instead, he should just do whatever Baines says.
Raheem Sterling, Liverpool, Midfielder
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Attacking midfielder Raheem Sterling brims with talent, and he hasn't even turned 20 yet. Born in Jamaica, Sterling earned a few valuable caps with England during the World Cup and looks set to secure a place on the national side for years to come.
Liverpool has benefited greatly from Sterling's talents, and the 5'7" kid is not short on tenacity. After all, his middle name is Shaquille.
As Sterling told the Daily Mail's Simon Jones and Sami Mokbel: "I've always played against guys who are bigger than me... With the physicality, I had to learn new tricks, learn to outsmart my opponent. It was good for me trying to outplay the older, bigger guys. It was scary at first, but after a while I got used to it."
Sterling has tallied three goals and three assists in 10 matches this season, and he added a pair of goals in two Champions Cup appearances as well. It's proven to be a fortuitous signing for Liverpool after gambling on him at 15 years old in a risky transfer from Queens Park Rangers.
Angel Di Maria, Manchester United, Midfielder
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When Manchester United winger Angel Di Maria plays at the top of his game, he's nearly impossible to stop.
The 26-year-old from Argentina enjoyed a torrid three weeks at the start of September, beginning with his one-goal-three-assist turn against Germany on Sept. 3. Then he tallied a goal and an assist in each of his next two appearances for United, doing so yet again in a 2-1 victory over Everton on Oct. 5.
Whether he plays in the attacking midfield or out on the wing, Di Maria can punish opponents because of his versatility, which has produced three goals and five assists in nine matches for the Red Devils.
Eden Hazard, Chelsea, Midfielder
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Eden Hazard has blossomed into one of the world's finest players at the tender age of 23, and he's a big reason why the Belgian national team appears to have such promising days ahead.
Hazard's club, Chelsea, is similarly loaded with talent. In addition to Diego Costa up front, Hazard also has Spanish supreme Cesc Fabregas in the midfield. But the 5'8" Hazard has such savvy and quickness that he has drawn comparisons to the world-class talent of Lionel Messi.
In fact, that direct comparison has come up numerous times, with Hazard telling France's L'Equipe in February, via the Daily Mail: "I'm much younger than [Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo]. They have won things that I haven't. But I'm as good as they were at my age. If I want to be like them I need to win trophies."
In August, Hazard vacillated back, admitting to the Daily Mail's Matt Barlow when asked about being Chelsea’s version of Ronaldo or Messi: "It's too much for me, actually. I don't like it. I am not this year better than them... I need to work. I am getting closer."
And the comparison just keeps on coming, with Fabregas telling the Mirror's Alex Richards: "Hazard has that incredible ability to unsettle the opposition. He is the link between midfield and attack for us; he is our Messi because he makes the difference."
At very least, Hazard looks ready to assume the legacy of revered Belgian midfielder Enzo Scifo, which may not mean much to Chelsea fans, but it confirms the quality of the Blues' rising superstar.
Yaya Toure, Manchester City, Midfielder
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Following Yaya Toure's 20 goals and nine assists for Manchester City in 35 EPL matches last season, it was plainly evident that the man from Ivory Coast has lost nothing off his edge in midfield, even after entering his 30s.
However, the occasion of Toure's 31st birthday caused some controversy in May and suggested the player might not possess the maturity often gained by veterans with life experience. His agent Dimitri Seluk told BBC Sport that Toure was "very upset" by how the team marked his birthday.
Toure received a cake from the team during a flight to the United Arab Emirates to celebrate City's league title. The team also tweeted birthday wishes to Toure, but when they arrived in Abu Dhabi, Toure was apparently upset that team owners did not shake his hand and wish him happy birthday personally.
As asinine as the whole kerfuffle was, there's no denying that after Toure's tremendous season, he deserved as many cakes and handshakes as he pleased.
But just in case anyone was worried about lingering misgivings, Toure confirmed in September that his sights remain on the prize, via BBC Sport:
"Over the summer there was a lot of speculation about birthday cakes and rubbish like that. It was disappointing for me... I know the fans love me; they are always good to me. My target now is the Champions League. I want to win it for them.
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Saido Berahino, West Brom, Forward
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West Bromwich Albion striker Saido Berahino may have remained on the sidelines instead of making his debut with the English national team on Nov. 18, but the sparkling talent from Burundi has a promising career ahead of him.
The 21-year-old has already netted seven goals in EPL play for the Baggies, including five goals in a four-match span.
The young star has shown considerable promise since a young age, but he is unique both for having made good on that talent and for his persistent humility in the face of success.
Berahino's former teacher, Aston Manor Academy's head of sport David Brown, spoke to the youngster's maturity, telling the Birmingham Mail's Brett Gibbons:
"His work ethic was fantastic and he would take on board any criticism levelled at him whatever the sport... Saido gives back a lot. He comes back to see us and gives lots of advice to the youngsters in the football, athletics and basketball teams.
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West Brom's head of academy recruitment Steve Hopcroft echoed that assessment, via The Telegraph's John Percy:
"A lot of players stray off the path and never come back but Saido was always a happy boy, a humble kid. Even now at 21 he lives with his mum and takes his mum and sisters on holiday.
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With tremendous talent paired with modesty, Berahino seems poised to become one of the marquee goalscorers in the Premiership, an eventuality which would almost certainly draw him away from the Hawthorns.
Sergio Aguero, Manchester City, Forward
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Sergio Aguero stormed out of the gate with 12 goals to begin the EPL season. That gives him twice as many as any other player outside the top four scorers, and his goals account for more than half of his team's tallies.
Aguero, 26, stands at just 5'6", but he has a tall legacy to live up to as the former son-in-law of Argentine legend Diego Maradona. Another obstacle to his brilliance have been nagging hamstring injuries, which held him out of a handful of matches last season.
This season, he's making up for lost time. And even if injuries should sideline him once again, Aguero will never have to buy a beer as long as there are Manchester City fans nearby.
His goal in the 94th minute against Queens Park Rangers on the final day of the 2011-12 season delivered the league for the Citizens, producing one of the most thrilling moments in EPL history, not to mention club history.
Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal, Forward
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Arsenal's 25-year-old forward Alexis Sanchez has wasted no time in leaving his mark on the Premier League season, netting eight goals and picking up a pair of assists just nine matches into the campaign.
The Chilean also looked potent in the World Cup during the summer, scoring a pair of goals for a very pesky national team. And when he gets some momentum behind him, watch out.
Since October 25, Sanchez has scored eight goals in six matches, starting with back-to-back two-goal appearances in wins over Sunderland and Burnley.
He followed up with a goal in Champions League play against Anderlecht before notching another EPL goal vs. Swansea. Then he kept on rolling with a pair of international goals over a five-day span in tilts with Venezuela and Uruguay.
Sanchez's supremacy can't be argued, and it's even conceivable that he's continuing to improve his fearsome play thanks to increased playing time following the move from Barcelona FC.
Diego Costa, Chelsea, Forward
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Chelsea forward Diego Costa started the 2014-15 EPL slate with a bang, tallying a brace in the 6-3 thrashing of Everton on Aug. 30, then earning a hat-trick two weeks later in a win over Swansea. The Blues' one-man wrecking crew now has 10 goals through just nine matches.
Though born in Brazil, the 26-year-old competes internationally for Spain, which has afforded him the opportunity to play with veterans from what was arguably one of the best teams in international history.
But arguments in favor of Costa's talent really need no bolstering, especially when you can just watch some of his sublime goals like this silky smooth overhead kick from last season when he played for Atletico Madrid.
