Premier League Player Rankings After April 18-19 Fixtures: Kane Rises
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.
It's been a difficult week to gauge the form ranking because of the FA Cup semi-finals. Seven players were off Premier League duty as a result, and that somewhat skews the rankings. As a result, it was nearly impossible to reorder the players fairly, with some players absent moving up, and some moving down. Think of it as a holdover week.
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.
Dropout
1 of 21
Nathaniel Clyne, Southampton: Dropped last week, then brought back in for a 2-1 loss. He's not in form any longer.
20. Ashley Young, Manchester United
2 of 21
Last Week: 18
Differential: -2
Ashley Young's wicked form came to an abrupt stop this weekend after he struggled to make an impact against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
It wasn't for a lack of trying—by the time he was substituted off, he'd given every possible avenue a go—but the Blues' deep defensive setup made it difficult for him to work his magic.
19. Ki Sung-Yueng, Swansea City
3 of 21
Last Week: 15
Differential: -4
A rare poor showing from Ki Sung-Yueng. Bottle it, collect it and stash it—it doesn't happen very often at all.
He's emerged as Swansea City's most valuable midfielder, and without Bafetimbi Gomis (injury) and the South Korean genius' usual dictating of proceedings, the away side fell at the King Power Stadium in limp fashion.
Let's hope he shows up next week.
18. Matt Phillips, Queens Park Rangers
4 of 21
Last Week: 19
Differential: +1
Matt Phillips didn't play this week as Queens Park Rangers put their feet up. The FA Cup semi-final schedule removed their fixture.
17. Aaron Lennon, Everton
5 of 21
Last Week: Unranked
Differential: New!
We've come a long way from those grumpy unveiling photos of Aaron Lennon holding an Everton shirt. He's absolutely on fire now.
Tottenham Hotspur couldn't find room for the speedster with Andros Townsend being the preference, and Roberto Martinez looks very astute in his loaning of the winger; he's exactly what they needed.
His pace over the top is difficult to handle, and once Lennon is fit and confident, he's a nightmare to play against. Another strong showing against Burnley followed his goalscoring appearance against Swansea City.
16. Simon Mignolet, Liverpool
6 of 21
Last Week: 17
Differential: +1
Simon Mignolet played in the FA Cup semi-finals this weekend, ultimately ending up on the losing side as Liverpool exited the competition at the hands of Aston Villa.
15. Esteban Cambiasso, Leicester City
7 of 21
Last Week: 20
Differential: +5
Another driving, commanding performance from Esteban Cambiasso leads to another Leicester City win. The two are definitely correlated, there can be no doubt.
Many of Nigel Pearson's men have played well in recent weeks, and the Argentinian stalwart is their acting leader, geeing up his team-mates and forcing them into form. He's been a more attacking presence than many would have expected, and his engine—perceived to be spluttering after a long career—looks in fine fettle late in the season.
14. Ander Herrera, Manchester United
8 of 21
Last Week: 13
Differential: -1
Ander Herrera really struggled on Saturday, trying but failing to at least partially replicate the role of Michael Carrick in deep midfield for Manchester United.
He was caught in some rough positions and served up at least two hospital passes that led directly to Chelsea chances. With Eden Hazard playing exclusively on the counter-attack, that's not the sort of position you want to be in.
13. Branislav Ivanovic, Chelsea
9 of 21
Last Week: 12
Differential: -1
Branislav Ivanovic had a bit of a shocker on Saturday, and while his team edged out a victory over Manchester United, his poor performance threatened to derail the three-point haul at any time.
He faced up one vs. one with a returning Luke Shaw and was, quite frankly, blitzed. The English left-back beat him for power and pace several times, rounding him and firing in some fantastic low crosses to create chances.
12. Daley Blind, Manchester United
10 of 21
Last Week: 16
Differential: +4
Daley Blind was ruled out of Manchester United's trip to Chelsea the day before the game due to a knock. Luke Shaw took his place and played very well.
11. Christian Benteke, Aston Villa
11 of 21
Last Week: 14
Differential: +3
Christian Benteke played in the FA Cup semi-finals this weekend, scoring to help Aston Villa advance to the FA Cup final.
10. Glenn Murray, Crystal Palace
12 of 21
Last Week: 8
Differential: -2
Glenn Murray put in what was essentially his first poor performance of the Premier League season this weekend, squandering chance after chance in Crystal Palace's loss to West Bromwich Albion.
Tony Pulis' men were very solid and made things difficult against the in-form Eagles, but Murray snatched at his chances and failed to help his team claw their way back into the tie.
9. Santi Cazorla, Arsenal
13 of 21
Last Week: 10
Differential: +1
Santi Cazorla played in the FA Cup semi-finals this weekend, helping Arsenal to a 2-1 win (after extra time) over Reading.
8. Olivier Giroud, Arsenal
14 of 21
Last Week: 6
Differential: -2
Olivier Giroud played in the FA Cup semi-finals this weekend, helping Arsenal to a 2-1 win (after extra time) over Reading.
7. David Silva, Manchester City
15 of 21
Last Week: 7
Differential: None
David Silva helped Manchester City gain total control over their fixture with West Ham United, but he was forced off with an elbow to the face by a repentant Cheikhou Kouyate.
He's back in training and will now be in contention for the match against Aston Villa, per The Manchester Evening News, and the Senegalese midfielder has apologised for what he did.
6. Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool
16 of 21
Last Week: 5
Differential: -1
Philippe Coutinho played in the FA Cup semi-finals this weekend, scoring but ultimately ending up on the losing side as Liverpool exited the competition at the hands of Aston Villa.
5. Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur
17 of 21
Last Week: 9
Differential: +4
Much better, Harry Kane!
The England international had been on something of a slide in recent weeks, failing to impress against both Burnley and Aston Villa, but he returned to form here against a poor Newcastle United side and grabbed a goal in the closing stages.
That strike means he's now bagged 30 for the season (in all competitions)—the first player to do so in the Lilywhite colours since Gary Lineker—and what's more, his all-round game was once again fantastic at St. James' Park.
4. David De Gea, Manchester United
18 of 21
Last Week: 4
Differential: None
David De Gea had a pretty quiet evening at Stamford Bridge due to his side's dominance of the ball—per WhoScored.com, Manchester United enjoyed 67 percent possession on the day—but conceded the match-winning goal to Eden Hazard in the first half in a rare Chelsea attack.
It's the second time in as many weeks that De Gea has allowed a shot to go underneath him/between his legs, and that will likely become a coaching point for him to work on if it happens again.
3. Mesut Ozil, Arsenal
19 of 21
Last Week: 3
Differential: None
Mesut Ozil played in the FA Cup semi-finals this weekend, helping Arsenal to a 2-1 win (after extra time) over Reading.
2. Francis Coquelin, Arsenal
20 of 21
Last Week: 2
Differential: None
Francis Coquelin played in the FA Cup semi-finals this weekend, helping Arsenal to a 2-1 win (after extra time) over Reading.
1. Eden Hazard, Chelsea
21 of 21
Last Week: 1
Differential: None
Eden Hazard stretches his lead at the top of the rankings after yet another game-winning performance. There's just no toppling him at the moment.
He provided a moment of genius to settle the victory over Manchester United on Saturday, slotting home after Oscar's clever assist. He hit the bar later with an acrobatic effort from an acute angle.
