Premier League Player Rankings After March 14-15 Fixtures: Chelsea Men Fall
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.
Liverpool kept yet another clean sheet, and that boosts the defensive contingent they boast in these rankings, but the Chelsea stars all take a hit after an iffy showing against Southampton.
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
Christian Eriksen, Tottenham Hotspur
Stewart Downing, West Ham United
Honourable Mentions
Thibaut Courtois, Chelsea
Sadio Mane, Southampton
Ashley Young, Manchester United
Laurent Koscielny, Arsenal
Gabriel Agbonlahor, Aston Villa
20. Ki Sung-yueng, Swansea City
2 of 21
Last Week: Unranked
Differential: New!
Ki Sung-yueng played his third superb game in a row on Monday night, and despite his Swansea City side losing to Liverpool, the South Korean playmaker shone brightly in midfield.
His passing range and accuracy, in addition to his willingness to spark quick attacks, allowed the Swans to carve out several chances. The pressure they were able to generate in the first half started with Ki and midfield colleague Jack Cork.
19. Hugo Lloris, Tottenham Hotspur
3 of 21
Last Week: 15
Differential: -4
You look at Manchester United's first goal against Tottenham Hospur this weekend, fired home snugly by Marouane Fellaini, and you think Hugo Lloris should do better getting down to the shot.
It's rare we have a bad word to say about the Frenchman, but he had a difficult game as Spurs were ransacked by United at Old Trafford on Sunday. He moves down appropriately.
18. Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal
4 of 21
Last Week: 13
Differential: -5
Alexis Sanchez dropped six places last week, and this week he drops again.
The Chilean is not doing the business, and he was substituted during Arsenal's 3-0 victory over West Ham early after picking up a yellow card. He didn't directly contribute to any of the goals.
Given his unbelievable first half to the season and the fact he played in the World Cup, perhaps it's not a surprise he's temporarily blunted?
17. Olivier Giroud, Arsenal
5 of 21
Last Week: Unranked
Differential: New!
We've been a little harsh on Olivier Giroud, and perhaps we should have found space for him in the top 20 a little earlier on.
He has scored in each of his last four Premier League games and looks intent on netting as many as possible, never giving the opponent a moment's rest. With 11 from 13 starts, per WhoScored.com, he's on his way to an excellent ratio—Tim Sherwood would approve.
In addition to finding the net regularly, his link-up play and passing has been superb.
16. John Terry, Chelsea
6 of 21
Last Week: 16
Differential: None
John Terry didn't put in the eye-catching performance Gary Cahill was forced to after Branislav Ivanovic went walkies, but he did provide a dose of calm to the defensive line at a time of need.
In particular, he got a nick on a cross to the back to prevent a certain chance on goal, lessening Thibaut Courtois' admittedly heavy workload in the first half.
15. Simon Mignolet, Liverpool
7 of 21
Last Week: 19
Differential: +5
Simon Mignolet continued his mission to prove he's not in need of replacing this summer, putting in another excellent, assured performance as Liverpool bagged yet another clean sheet.
Swansea City were tough opponents and, in truth, unfortunate to lose, but Mignolet claimed every cross, held every shot and made no mistakes at the back. Water-tight.
14. Jordan Henderson, Liverpool
8 of 21
Last Week: 17
Differential: +3
Jordan Henderson remains unbeaten as starting Liverpool captain after scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win over Swansea City on Monday night.
It was one of the most fortuitous strikes you'll ever see—Jordi Amat's sliding clearance looped off Henderson's shin and chipped the goalkeeper from over 20 yards—but he won't mind. "They all count" very much applies here.
His driving run made the goal, and the tactical switch to put him in the position to do it should be praised.
13. David Silva, Manchester City
9 of 21
Last Week: 9
Differential: -4
David Silva was far from the worst player on the pitch as Manchester City lost to Burnley—Edin Dzeko and Yaya Toure, in part, need to take a long look at themselves there—but he wasn't able to produce anything to crack the code.
Burnley's entire defensive line is a retention from their championship season, and the Spaniard should have caused far more issues for Ben Mee and Co. Instead, he was withdrawn early. Ineffectual.
12. Emre Can, Liverpool
10 of 21
Last Week: 12
Differential: None
Emre Can struggled a bit against Swansea City. His inexperience showed as he dived into a few reckless tackles, forcing his colleagues to step in and mop up in his wake.
In particular, he looked suspect and spooked when sizing up against the monstrous Bafetimbi Gomis, whose touch continues to improve as he bullies his way past defenders.
11. Cesc Fabregas, Chelsea
11 of 21
Last Week: 7
Differential: -4
Cesc Fabregas lost possession against Southampton no fewer than 27 times, per Sky Sports. Twenty-seven!
He's fading, and you can't say it wasn't coming. In every season he's dramatically declined post-Christmas, yet no one can work out why.
Cesc is sliding in our rankings and stands at serious risk.
10. Francis Coquelin, Arsenal
12 of 21
Last Week: 14
Differential: +4
Francis Coquelin was rock-solid once again for Arsenal against West Ham United, providing that steely solidity in front of defence we've come to expect.
The Hammers barely had a sniff despite starting Stewart Downing and Diafra Sakho; it was Coquelin who proactively snuffed out attacks and recycled possession.
9. Nemanja Matic, Chelsea
13 of 21
Last Week: 5
Differential: -4
A grim game for Nemanja Matic ended in him being substituted off early in the second half by Jose Mourinho. It was a wise move, as exactly how the Serbian avoided a second yellow card just minutes before is still being questioned by Southampton fans.
His suspension ruined his flow, and he got injured during the celebrations of winning the Capital One Cup—despite the fact he didn't play in the final.
Trending the wrong way.
8. Santi Cazorla, Arsenal
14 of 21
Last Week: 10
Differential: +2
Santi Cazorla nicked just 18 minutes of play as Arsenal thrashed West Ham on Saturday. It's very likely he was being rested ahead of the Gunners' big clash with Monaco in the UEFA Champions League.
Still, he was able to pick up an assist to keep his stock high as he slid the ball across goal for Mathieu Flamini to fire home, icing the result and affirming the home-side's dominance.
7. Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur
15 of 21
Last Week: 6
Differential: -1
Harry Kane's quietest day to date.
The soon-to-be England international failed to spark anything up front for Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, though the fact his midfield and defence were completely over-run by Marouane Fellaini perhaps shifts some of the blame from his shoulders.
There was no hold-up or relief play to help his side up the pitch, though, as Chris Smalling had himself a game.
6. Branislav Ivanovic, Chelsea
16 of 21
Last Week: 4
Differential: -2
The statistics will say Branislav Ivanovic had a good game against Southampton, bagging an assist thanks to a lovely cross for Diego Costa's header.
But in reality, Saints attacked his flank all game, and his inability to deal with Ryan Bertrand's pace and Dusan Tadic's creativity left huge holes in defence. Gary Cahill was forced into several match-saving blocks and tackles.
5. Nathaniel Clyne, Southampton
17 of 21
Last Week: 8
Differential: +3
Nathaniel Clyne was expected to have a bigger role on Sunday. His match-up vs. Eden Hazard could have been something special.
But instead, the Saints attacked Branislav Ivanovic and therefore former Chelsea man Ryan Bertrand was the more involved full-back. Clyne did skin Cesar Azpilicueta once to put in a good low cross, but he was a little muted throughout.
4. Mesut Ozil, Arsenal
18 of 21
Last Week: 11
Differential: +7
Mesut Ozil was wonderful against West Ham, seeing passes others don't and executing moves team-mates can't even fathom.
He'll likely get bashed on social media for opting to pass rather than shoot when attempting to seal the game—he does do that a little too often, admittedly—but know that he put in an 8/10 showing in yet another Premier League game.
He's been stellar for over a month and takes a big leap here—aided, of course, by the players around him dropping clangers.
3. Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool
19 of 21
Last Week: 2
Differential: -1
A rare off-game for Philippe Coutinho in 2015. He failed to sparkle in Liverpool's nervy 1-0 win over Swansea City, with his usual adventurous dribbling and eye-of-the-needle passing absent.
He worked hard still and lent his hand to the cause as the Reds defended for long periods, but Brendan Rodgers' men looked anemic offensively for long periods, and Coutinho's bad showing was a key reason why.
2. David De Gea, Manchester United
20 of 21
Last Week: 3
Differential: +1
David de Gea did very little as Manchester United wiped Tottenham Hotspur out on Sunday. The Spaniard spent much of the contest looking on with no shots to save.
Harry Kane fashioned his first and only chance late on and De Gea actually managed to sit on it, and he avoided danger early by clearing a rogue back pass out for a corner on the stretch. That's about it.
Fortunately for De Gea, Philippe Coutinho, Branislav Ivanovic, Nemanja Matic and Harry Kane all had poor days, so he moves into second place.
1. Eden Hazard, Chelsea
21 of 21
Last Week: 1
Differential: None
Eden Hazard tried his hardest to make things happen for Chelsea against Southampton this weekend, but the twinkle-toed winger was denied by Fraser Forster time and again.
He was probably the best player in blue on the pitch, and in the absence of Cesc Fabregas (figuratively speaking), he dropped in to create and feed sly passes into the box.
A strong 7/10 performance despite the lack of goals or assists.
