Premier League Player Rankings After Feb 28-Mar 4 Fixtures: Coutinho, Ozil Star
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 gameweeks to keep track of, so some of the player movements are drastic. Alexis Sanchez papered over the cracks with a goal, but he's not fooling us, while Philippe Coutinho makes a run at the top three.
The rankings are formed based on 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 (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 section below.
Dropping out / Honourable Mentions
1 of 21
Dropping Out
Danny Ings, Burnley: The Englishman's purple patch is over, and he drops out of the top 20 for the time being.
Honourable Mentions
Kurt Zouma, Chelsea
Ki Sung-yueng, Swansea City
Sergio Aguero, Manchester City
Sadio Mane, Southampton
Ashley Young, Manchester United
Martin Skrtel, Liverpool
Olivier Giroud, Arsenal
20. Christian Eriksen, Tottenham Hotspur
2 of 21
Last Week: 20
Differential: None
Christian Eriksen put in a rather meek performance in the first half against Swansea City but then displayed his game-changing ability in a flash in the second.
His driving run, cutting in from the left, teed up Ryan Mason for the go-ahead goal. Like many of the Tottenham Hotspur midfielders, he looks like he could do with a rest.
19. Simon Mignolet, Liverpool
3 of 21
Last Week: 17
Differential: -2
Simon Mignolet went largely untested against Burnley, but there were some definite issues with his performance against Manchester City.
His refusal to leave his box and sweep up long balls allowed Yaya Toure and David Silva to drop passes in behind for Sergio Aguero. A proactive goalkeeper would have removed that threat almost instantly, but Mignolet allowed the threat to remain all game long.
18. Stewart Downing, West Ham United
4 of 21
Last Week: 13
Differential: -5
Stewart Downing endured a difficult week of football, largely failing to free himself from the shackles of both Cesar Azpilicueta and Martin Kelly.
He came alive against Crystal Palace once the visitors had been reduced to 10 men on Saturday, dictating play from the edge of the box and picking up an assist, but he underwhelmed overall.
17. Jordan Henderson, Liverpool
5 of 21
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
Did you know Jordan Henderson has never lost a game as Liverpool captain? Twelve games with 10 wins and two draws—that's 2.7 points per game.
His screamer that gave the Reds the lead against Manchester City and general excellence throughout was followed by another quality showing against Burnley. That Steven Gerrard is missing from the setup has barely registered with fans of the club.
16. John Terry, Chelsea
6 of 21
Last Week: 16
Differential: None
John Terry's goalscoring performance in the Capital One Cup final victory isn't counted here, but yet another commanding, vocal showing that ended in a clean sheet is hardly a novelty to Chelsea fans.
The Englishman continued his excellent recent form by shutting West Ham United down in the defensive third, and while Diafra Sakho took several snapshots throughout, the Hammers rarely truly threatened.
15. Hugo Lloris, Tottenham Hotspur
7 of 21
Last Week: 14
Differential: -1
Hugo Lloris is all about match-winning saves, and he proved that once again in the dying seconds as Tottenham Hotspur beat Swansea City, 3-2, on Wednesday night.
His denying of Federico Fernandez safeguarded a vital three-point haul after his club experienced a rough week. Scraping an undeserved draw against West Ham, dropping out of the UEFA Europa League and losing the Capital One Cup final in a seven-day period was tough for fans to take.
Lloris moves down due to those around him excelling.
14. Francis Coquelin, Arsenal
8 of 21
Last Week: 18
Differential: +4
Francis Coquelin was forced to play against Queens Park Rangers in a rather fetching white mask—a consequence of having his nose broken in the previous match against Everton.
He played well in both, helping keep a clean sheet and chop up attacks against the Toffees before digging in to help a rotating defensive line hold firm against a spirited QPR onslaught.
13. Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal
9 of 21
Last Week: 7
Differential: -6
We weren't sure this was possible, but Alexis Sanchez actually looks a bit tired. Fans' concerns over the Chilean's fitness were compounded when he missed an easy chance against Queens Park Rangers on Wednesday, but he soon made up for it with a near-post finish to kill the game.
With Danny Welbeck, Mesut Ozil and more waiting in the wings, there is now a chance to rest Alexis. His goal merely papers over the cracks. He's brilliant, but he needs a week off.
It might seem odd for the former Barcelona man to drop harshly after scoring, but his performance against Everton wasn't great, and the goal at Loftus Road misleads.
12. Emre Can, Liverpool
10 of 21
Last Week: 12
Differential: None
Emre Can was barely threatened in defence as Liverpool smashed Burnley midweek, and although a few troublesome long passes did put the German under pressure against Manchester City, he emerges with a very positive grade from the two games combined.
There's been far less rumbustious running and attacking surges, and more in the way of calm, measured defending that's allowing the Reds to form a solid base to play off. His slight scare against Southampton appears to have been a one-off.
11. Mesut Ozil, Arsenal
11 of 21
Last Week: 15
Differential: +4
Mesut Ozil's excellent run of form continues in the Premier League; his two-assist performance helped Arsenal past Everton in a gritty game, and his stellar skills were firmly on show against Queens Park Rangers.
The Loftus Road pitch—tiny, hostile and bobbly—is the sort he's struggled on in the past, but it's becoming clearer and clearer that Ozil is settling in England and starting to show his best.
10. Santi Cazorla, Arsenal
12 of 21
Last Week: 11
Differential: +1
A tight pitch and an aggressive home team didn't phase Santi Cazorla; against QPR, he continued to work yards of space for himself and beat markers with slaloming dribbles regardless.
The Spaniard's been ever so slightly off the boil over the last week or so (UEFA Champions League action included), so it was warming to see him return to imperious form here once again.
9. David Silva, Manchester City
13 of 21
Last Week: 9
Differential: None
David Silva was the definition of a mixed bag this week, putting in two showings that were half good and half poor.
Against Liverpool, his long-range passing to release Sergio Aguero was sublime, but he often ignored his defensive duties from the left and did little pressing or running when moved to the No. 10 role. Against Leicester City, he was disappointing in the first half but scored the opening goal right on half-time, and he finally found his feet thereafter.
It makes the Spaniard altogether tough to gauge.
8. Nathaniel Clyne, Southampton
14 of 21
Last Week: 8
Differential: None
Nathaniel Clyne's a real treasure, and his performance against Crystal Palace on Tuesday proved exactly why.
Not only was he among the most impressive attacking performers on a night when Southampton had 58 per cent of possession and took 23 shots, per WhoScored.com, but he also tracked the unpredictable Yannick Bolasie with aplomb going the other way.
He is all action, has a high work rate and a touch of finesse.
7. Cesc Fabregas, Chelsea
15 of 21
Last Week: 6
Differential: -1
The Independent aptly summed up Cesc Fabregas' performance at Upton Park, citing his genuine fit for the old "a game of two halves" cliche:
"In the first-half he seemed two steps ahead of the West Ham midfield, and it was his quick outlet on the counter that brought the first goal. But as West Ham grew into the game he diminished and was eventually out muscled by Cheikhou Kouyate, Kevin Nolan and Mark Noble.
"
The Spaniard did enough to get his team over the line, but he's nowhere near as imperious as he was early in the season.
6. Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur
16 of 21
Last Week: 4
Differential: -2
Due to new-found confidence and ripe form, Harry Kane has developed a trait of holding onto the ball perhaps a little too long at times. It's only natural, given his age and the excitement surrounding him.
He failed to find the net against Swansea City midweek and was substituted off as a result. None of the bouncing balls in the box fell to him, and he struggled to fashion his own chances.
5. Nemanja Matic, Chelsea
17 of 21
Last Week: 3
Differential: -2
Nemanja Matic missed Chelsea's match away to West Ham, serving the second game of his two-match suspension.
4. Branislav Ivanovic
18 of 21
Last Week: 2
Differential: -2
Branislav Ivanovic did his best to hold down the right flank, but he was exposed to two-against-one situations and struggled to keep a lid on Enner Valencia's pace at times.
He did eventually come away with a clean sheet, but Ramires left him to toil on his own, and if there was an area where Chelsea were weak on Wednesday night, it was on the Serbian's side.
3. David de Gea, Manchester United
19 of 21
Last Week: 5
Differential: +2
David de Gea kept two clean sheets this week—one against Sunderland at Old Trafford, and one against Newcastle United away from home.
Manchester United drew ire from the crowd during the win over the Black Cats, as the team continually played the ball safely back to De Gea rather than launch attacks, so he was heavily involved on the ball but did very little across the two matches when it came to saving shots.
2. Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool
20 of 21
Last Week: 10
Differential: +8
Philippe Coutinho is bang in form and moves up sharply in the ranking as a reward for his fine performances of late.
His unbelievable performance and golazo against Manchester City was a game-changer, and he played well against Burnley on Wednesday too, providing his usual dangerous dribbles and flicks breaking into the final third.
By the end, the Reds—and Coutinho—were simply toying with their opponents.
1. Eden Hazard, Chelsea
21 of 21
Last Week: 1
Differential: None
Eden Hazard was mesmeric in Chelsea's victory over West Ham United; his typical dribbling skills were too much to handle for the home defence.
Apart from looking marvellous on the ball, he also scored the only goal of the game—a header, the third of his Premier League career so far, per Duncan Alexander of Opta.
He perhaps could have received a second yellow card for a challenge later on, and there have been arguments regarding whether he was offside for the goal. Hardly your controversy-free evening's work, but his was a match-winning contribution for sure.
