Premier League Player Rankings After Feb. 21-22 Fixtures: Kane, Silva Rise
Welcome to the latest edition of our 2014-15 Premier League player rankings, continuing for another season in its mission to quantify the form of England's top-tier players.
We have two new additions, after players on the lower rungs finally dropped out, and strong representation from Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
The rankings are formed based on the players' last four games, with slightly more emphasis placed on their most recent outings.
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
Dropping Out
Graziano Pelle: Exhausted, form has dropped off a cliff.
Willian: Came off the bench for Chelsea this weekend as Juan Cuadrado got another start.
Honourable Mentions
Mamadou Sakho, Liverpool
Kurt Zouma, Chelsea
Esteban Cambiasso, Leicester City
Ki Sung-yueng, Swansea City
Samir Nasri, Manchester City
Sergio Aguero, Manchester City
20. Christian Eriksen, Tottenham Hotspur
2 of 21
Last Week: 17
Differential: -3
Christian Eriksen came off the bench at half-time when Tottenham Hotspur played West Ham United this weekend. After starting midweek vs. Fiorentina and playing an awful lot of football this season, it'd be understandable if he's tired.
Despite Spurs turning the game on its head and rescuing a 2-2 draw at the death against their London rivals, Eriksen didn't help create much, and the game largely passed him by.
19. Danny Ings, Burnley
3 of 21
Last Week: 15
Differential: -4
Danny Ings was very quiet at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, and his strike partner, Ashley Barnes, stole all the attention—albeit for all the wrong reasons.
He carved out one chance late on Zouma's side but failed to capitalise, capping a quiet individual showing despite the fact that Burnley grabbed a point. He's usually the heartbeat of the side.
18. Francis Coquelin, Arsenal
4 of 21
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
If you called this at the start of the season, then you should probably open your own Mystic Meg-style operation at the local fare. Francis Coquelin emerging as the answer to Arsenal's defensive midfield issues is one hell of a turnout for the books.
The Frenchman was his usual proactive self against Crystal Palace, tallying up dizzying defensive statistics—five tackles, seven ball recoveries, six interceptions and seven clearances, per WhoScored.com—despite sustaining a yellow card early on to put him in the referee's spotlight.
17. Simon Mignolet, Liverpool
5 of 21
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
Simon Mignolet in the Premier League player form rankings? Quick, check outside for blue moons and airborne pigs!
In all seriousness, he's been phenomenal since the turn of the year. He was benched for Brad Jones but then returned to the team early, and since then, he's exuded the sort of confidence and commanding nature that epitomises Liverpool's defensive change in fortunes.
In tricky conditions at St Mary's Stadium and under a lot of pressure, he excelled on Sunday.
16. John Terry, Chelsea
6 of 21
Last Week: 16
Differential: None
Once again, solid if unspectacular from John Terry, who didn't allow many major chances and played better than new regular central defensive partner Kurt Zouma.
He's been by far the best centre-back in the Premier League this season so far—a field blighted by inconsistent showings, granted—and per Sky Sports, Chelsea fans could be treated to another year or more of his marshalling the defence.
15. Mesut Ozil, Arsenal
7 of 21
Last Week: 18
Differential: +3
Mesut Ozil was up there with some of the finer performers on the pitch at Selhurst Park on Saturday, working his magic in the final third once again.
He's building a good run of form ahead of Arsenal's crunch run-in to end the season, and with a three-month injury and absence already sustained, he'll be fresher than most, if not all, of his colleagues for it.
He could be their prime weapon in the race for glory.
14. Hugo Lloris, Tottenham Hotspur
8 of 21
Last Week: 12
Differential: -2
Hugo Lloris is always good for a few eye-catching saves, but he didn't have his best game on Sunday afternoon.
There wasn't really an awful lot he could do to stop West Ham United's goals—both Cheikhou Kouyate and Diafra Sakho's strikes were superb—but he spilled a few catches back into the danger zone and lived life close to the edge in all honesty.
13. Stewart Downing, West Ham United
9 of 21
Last Week: 13
Differential: None
Stewart Downing was relegated to a workmanlike role against Tottenham Hotspur, playing on the right of a deep 4-2-3-1 and helping Carl Jenkinson with the marauding Danny Rose.
Usually the creative star at the tip of a midfield diamond, the England international showed the "other" side to his game and stuck to his task studiously. He settled into central midfield later on as the Hammers tried to close out the game.
12. Emre Can, Liverpool
10 of 21
Last Week: 11
Differential: -1
If you thought Hugo Lloris walked the line this weekend, what is there to say about Emre Can?
The Liverpool stud showed once again he has a slightly rash side to his game, bundling Filip Djuricic over in the box after just 25 seconds at St Mary's Stadium. Fortunately for him, no penalty was awarded.
It's possible to possess some sympathy for the German; he had to move to the left side of defence to allow Dejan Lovren in on the right. He bagged a clean sheet for the day, which is a plus, but it was a slightly shaky showing.
11. Santi Cazorla, Arsenal
11 of 21
Last Week: 9
Differential: -2
Santi Cazorla this week? Not his usual self.
Arsenal were fairly unimpressive across the board bar a select few players (notably Per Mertesacker and Danny Welbeck), and the Spaniard wasn't able to assert himself as he usually would.
Often the driving force and catalyst for attacks in midfield, Cazorla was limited to a tough role in the centre and had to help close off a grinding victory.
10. Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool
12 of 21
Last Week: 10
Differential: None
Golazo Philippe Coutinho! If you haven't seen his 30-yard thunderbolt to open the scoring against Southampton this weekend, we suggest you rectify that mistake immediately.
That was in the third minute, and unfortunately for Liverpool, that was his zenith for the afternoon. For the other 87, he struggled to find room playing against Victor Wanyama and Morgan Schneiderlin.
9. David Silva, Manchester City
13 of 21
Last Week: 14
Differential: +5
David Silva destroyed Newcastle United on Saturday evening, scoring twice and providing one assist in a clear Man of the Match-worthy performance. He made our Team of the Week as a result.
In the previous game against Stoke City, he pulled all the strings without getting too much of the credit, and it appears as though the Spaniard is hitting a ripe vein of form at just the right time.
8. Nathaniel Clyne, Southampton
14 of 21
Last Week: 8
Differential: None
Nathaniel Clyne looked dangerous whenever he got forward, and his overlapping run on the right side often caused Liverpool's issues on the back line in the first half.
He should have won a free-kick after skinning Can and being brought down for a foul, but referee Kevin Friend didn't award it during the course of a bizarre, mistake-ridden afternoon.
Brendan Rodgers' introduction of Alberto Moreno swung the battle in the Reds' favour.
7. Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal
15 of 21
Last Week: 6
Differential: -1
To put it mildly, not his best body of work.
Alexis Sanchez was a little greedy against Crystal Palace, holding onto the ball for too long at times, and he fluffed a great chance to finish the game off following Mesut Ozil's tee-off.
It doesn't knock the Chilean too badly in the ranking, and it certainly doesn't distract from his MVP-esque season thus far.
6. Cesc Fabregas, Chelsea
16 of 21
Last Week: 5
Differential: -1
You hate to say it, but Cesc Fabregas looks a little flat. Perhaps he could do with a little rest—Chelsea do have the depth and options available, after all.
He failed to influence the game against Burnley and suffered late on without his usual defensive midfield partner, Nemanja Matic. It's arguable the Blues sort of gave up following the Serbian's red card, but that's not an excuse.
Cesc drops one, and he's lucky the others around him underperformed or else he'd drop even further.
5. David De Gea, Manchester United
17 of 21
Last Week: 3
Differential: -2
David De Gea could do absolutely nothing for Swansea City's two goals this weekend, leading to a 2-1 defeat and a loss of footing in the race for the Premier League top four.
The Spaniard made a couple of stops as per usual but didn't star like he usually does. His defence, and in particular Paddy McNair, hardly exuded confidence, and it destabilised the team away from home.
4. Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur
18 of 21
Last Week: 7
Differential: +3
He saved the day. Again.
Harry Kane's remarkable season continued as he slammed home a last-minute penalty (at the second attempt) to give Tottenham Hotspur a 2-2 draw at home to West Ham.
He looked lively throughout, and whenever he dropped in to midfield, he created chances for others. Sadly for him, his attacking midfield three provided nothing, and he had to win the penalty himself.
3. Nemanja Matic, Chelsea
19 of 21
Last Week: 2
Differential: -1
Matic played just fine until he got sent off for pushing Ashley Barnes during Chelsea's draw with Burnley. The Serbian was prompted by a follow-through challenge on him and has received a two-game suspension, per The FA.
He drops in the ranking as a result but isn't removed as Diego Costa was. He'll only miss one Premier League game (the other is the Capital One Cup final), whereas the Spaniard was banned for three.
2. Branislav Ivanovic, Chelsea
20 of 21
Last Week: 4
Differential: +2
Branislav Ivanovic moved onto 19 career goals for Chelsea this weekend after opening the scoring against Burnley. That's one shy of £50 million man Fernando Torres' tally in the blue.
He seems to be getting a little bit carried away with his goalscoring form, blazing shots over from 25 yards and such, but his defensive impact still registers as he continues to lock up his side.
As ever, his penetrative runs helped the Blues dominate in patches.
1. Eden Hazard, Chelsea
21 of 21
Last Week: 1
Differential: None
Twinkle-toes Eden Hazard ripped Burnley apart in the first half of Chelsea's draw with Burnley; his mesmeric dribbling skills were on full display.
The assist for Ivanovic's goal was fantastic, as Hazard jinked past defenders before firing a timely cut-back for the Serbian to fire home. The Belgian stays top—just—after a close fight with Ivanovic.
