Premier League Player Rankings After Weekend of December 20-21
Welcome to the 17th edition of our Premier League player rankings, continuing for another season in its mission to quantify the form of England's top-tier players.
A former No. 1 moves back to the summit after a masterful display at the Britannia Stadium, but which Chelsea player is it? We have three new faces as Morgan Schneiderlin, Wayne Rooney and Santi Cazorla drop out.
The rankings are formed based on the player's last four games, with slightly more emphasis placed on his 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 21Morgan Schneiderlin—injuries have ruined his winter so far, and he drops out. He'll need to build form back over at least three games upon return to re-enter.
Santi Cazorla—a one-and-done for Cazorla, who went missing, largely, against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
Wayne Rooney—the Englishman failed to replicate a dominant performance from the week before at Villa Park, which was a surprise given his incredible record against Paul Lambert's men.
20. Andy Carroll, West Ham
2 of 21
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
Andy Carroll has been playing very well over the last month or so, and another goalscoring performance this weekend against Leicester City is enough to lift him into the top 20.
As he was regaining fitness, he was dominating aerially but not scoring, but now he's combining both assets to fierce effect. All of a sudden, people are remembering how good he can be.
19. Mile Jedinak, Crystal Palace
3 of 21
Last Week: 16
Differential: -3
Mile Jedinak held the Crystal Palace midfield together rather well for 45 minutes against Manchester City, but he eventually relented as his team did in the second half.
His tussles with Yaya Toure are always intriguing from a physical standpoint, but again the City man won out in the end. We've seen better from Jedinak, but he was always up against it given the gulf in class between the two sides.
18. Yaya Toure, Manchester City
4 of 21
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
Yaya Toure is no longer underperforming. He started the season in shocking form, but with the 2014 World Cup fitness hangover out of the way, the Ivory Coast international has begun to roll.
He has four goals in his last six Premier League outings—very Yaya Toure-esque figures if we may say so ourselves—and has started dominating in midfield as we've come to expect.
His resurgence has been a big factor in Manchester City's improvement.
17. Alan Hutton, Aston Villa
5 of 21
Last Week: 17
Differential: n/a
Alan Hutton was suspended for Aston Villa's clash with Manchester United this weekend, and in his absence, Matthew Lowton was torn a new one by an improving Ashley Young.
16. John Terry, Chelsea
6 of 21
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
It's probably time to bring John Terry into our top 20, and no, it's not just because of his goal against Stoke City. The strike compounded and rubber-stamped the great form he's been in, but Chelsea fans will agree he's been a pillar in defence all season.
With Gary Cahill looking iffy at times and a revolving door existing at both full-back positions, Terry has been the only constant. He's responded by playing some of his finest-ever football.
15. Bojan, Stoke City
7 of 21
Last Week: 14
Differential: -1
Bojan showed a willingness to get involved and produced a few nice touches against Chelsea, but he ultimately failed to impact as Nemanja Matic took control of the game.
He was spared a substitution due to his ability to create, clocking eight dribbles, per WhoScored.com, as he speared his team forward in vain.
14. Graziano Pelle, Southampton
8 of 21
Last Week: 15
Differential: +1
Much better!
Graziano Pelle was lingering on thin ice in these power rankings, but a goalscoring display against Everton this weekend reinstates his stock.
The Italian ducked out of the squad midweek as Southampton lost to Sheffield United, but he came back refreshed and led the line with aplomb.
13. Yannick Bolasie, Crystal Palace
9 of 21
Last Week: 12
Differential: -1
Crystal Palace drew a blank at Etihad Stadium, but Yannick Bolasie caused plenty of problems to Manchester City's defensive structure throughout.
Pablo Zabaleta had a wonderful game pushing forward but needed help defensively. With Neil Warnock looking for a striker in the January window—Bafetimbi Gomis could be coming in, per Wales Online—he may yet be able to up his assist tally in the second half of the season.
12. Charlie Austin, Queens Park Rangers
10 of 21
Last Week: 18
Differential: +6
Charlie Austin, take a bow!
A hat-trick hero on Saturday, clawing his Queens Park Rangers side out of a 2-0 hole and into a winning position, marked the perfect comeback from suspension the previous week.
A super day's work that sees him ascending!
11. Wilfried Bony, Swansea City
11 of 21
Last Week: 10
Differential: -1
Wilfried Bony was given a rest by manager Garry Monk this weekend, opting to start Bafetimbi Gomis in his place. Per Goal, the club have spoken about easing the goalscoring load on the Ivorian's shoulders, so this tallies up.
He got 15 minutes off the bench.
10. Nathaniel Clyne, Southampton
12 of 21
Last Week: 13
Differential: +3
Nathaniel Clyne was back to his dominant best on Saturday, putting Leighton Baines' defensive skill set under the microscope and exposing its frailties.
He played a major role in one of the goals, surging forward and crossing for Graziano Pelle to eventually turn home. This is the Clyne we wanted to see; it's the Clyne England see as a right-back for the next 10 years.
9. Branislav Ivanovic, Chelsea
13 of 21
Last Week: 10
Differential: +1
Branislav Ivanovic moves up one this week, despite a so-so showing against Stoke City. The physical battle the Britannia Stadium presents is usually one the Serbian thrives on, but he wore down throughout the game.
As the Potters searched for a way back into the game late on, Oussama Assaidi slipped by him a few times. It was not the worst performance, but it was certainly not the finest showing from Ivanovic. Still, a clean sheet is hard to argue with!
8. Diego Costa, Chelsea
14 of 21
Last Week: 10
Differential: +2
Diego Costa did the most uncharacteristic of things on Monday night: He missed a one vs. one with goalkeeper Asmir Begovic after Cesc Fabregas had put him through.
Luckily, his game doesn't solely revolve around goals, and he had a fair impact in holding up play and pushing forward against an aggressive, gargantuan defensive line.
7. Oscar, Chelsea
15 of 21
Last Week: 6
Differential: -1
Oscar didn't play this week as Jose Mourinho shuffled his pack. John Obi Mikel joined Nemanja Matic in defensive midfield to beef things out, pushing Cesc Fabregas into the No. 10 role and Oscar out.
6. Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal
16 of 21
Last Week: 5
Differential: -1
Alexis Sanchez put in an almost anonymous performance against Liverpool this weekend, struggling to get into the game from the right-hand flank.
Arsenal as a collective were terrible, but we expected more than just a few fruitless dribbles and several downcast looks from the Chilean.
5. Stewart Downing, West Ham
17 of 21
Last Week: 7
Differential: +2
Every week at Upton Park it's the Stewart Downing show; the fans file in and pay their ticket fees not to see West Ham, but to see a mercurial English international reborn in a central-midfield role.
This week he played slightly deeper in a flat role, rather than at the point of a diamond, but he excelled nonetheless and fired in a wonderful goal to seal a victory.
4. David de Gea, Manchester United
18 of 21
Last Week: 3
Differential: -1
David de Gea stood no chance against Christian Benteke's curling effort in the first half vs. Aston Villa this weekend, but he did pop up to deny the Belgian later, palming a goal-bound header over the bar.
No clean sheet, but it was another good, meaningful performance. He's not going to have to hit the heights every week, but he is proving himself spectacularly reliable week in, week out.
3. Cesc Fabregas, Chelsea
19 of 21
Last Week: 4
Differential: +1
Cesc Fabregas made it 14 combined goals and assists in 16 Premier League starts, per WhoScored.com, with one of each in a 2-0 victory over Stoke City.
That knack of being involved when it matters the most has him on his way to one of his finest-ever seasons, and his goal late on to seal the win at Britannia Stadium was very easy on the eye.
2. Eden Hazard, Chelsea
20 of 21
Last Week: 1
Differential: -1
Eden Hazard was handy enough on Monday evening, but he didn't do enough to retain top spot in our rankings as a team-mate outperformed him on the night.
He picked up an assist for Cesc Fabregas' late tally to boost his numbers, but he didn't have his way with the defensive line in the same manner he usually does.
1. Nemanja Matic, Chelsea
21 of 21
Last Week: 2
Differential: +1
Nemanja Matic is currently staking his claim to be considered the best overall Premier League player, not just clear best defensive midfielder in the division.
He nullified Stoke City with consummate ease on Monday. Per WhoScored.com, he managed a remarkable nine tackles as attack after attack broke down at his feet.
The Serbian deserves to go atop over Christmas.
