Premier League Player Rankings: Yaya Toure and Payet Up, Kompany in
Welcome to another season of Premier League player rankings, where we make it our mission to quantify the form of the division's best performers and rank them in order of how well they're playing right now.
The rankings are formed based on players' last six games, with slightly more emphasis placed on their most recent outing. Only Premier League performances are counted, and, typically, one-week wonders do not find their way in by default.
We look beyond the statistical measures and into the performance, reviewing tape and gauging impact. It's not just goals, assists and heroic clearances that impress; it's about how a player contributes to the tactical plan at hand and what impact he has over a 90-minute period.
Early in the season these rankings are very fluid, with seismic shifts in ranking very common. Last week's edition was simply a collation of the top 20 performances of the opening weekend, and this week's edition has weeded out the one-game wonders to provide a semblance of consistency to the order. Everyone ranked this week has played well on both weekends, rather than just on one or the other.
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
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Honourable Mentions:
Simon Francis, AFC Bournemouth
Joe Gomez, Liverpool
Nathaniel Clyne, Liverpool
Micah Richards, Aston Villa
Fernandinho, Manchester City
Wes Morgan, Leicester City
Dropping Out:
Winston Reid, West Ham
Adrian, West Ham
Reece Oxford, West Ham
Georginio Wijnaldum, Newcastle United
Geoff Cameron, Stoke City
Miguel Layun, Watford
Micah Richards, Aston Villa
Brad Guzan, Aston Villa
Cheikhou Kouyate, West Ham
Ciaran Clark, Aston Villa
20. Wes Hoolahan, Norwich City
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Last Week: New!
Change: New!
Happy Wes, happy Norwich. That's the rule, isn't it? When Hoolahan is ticking over and excelling in midfield for Alex Neil's side, they tend to play very, very well.
The 33-year-old already has three assists for the season, two coming at the weekend against Sunderland in a mercurial display. The key thing is that Hoolahan's been able to make a difference in the final third whether he's lined up as a No. 10 or out wide.
But for a refereeing blunder the Canaries could easily be on four points from two games, and Hoolahan has been key to good early form.
19. Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool
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Last Week: New!
Change: New!
Philippe Coutinho rivalled Christian Benteke for Man of the Match on Monday night against AFC Bournemouth, and he scored the golazo winner in the first game against Stoke City too.
Last season he took four months to fully warm up and switch into gear, but this time he's started like a house on fire from the word go, ducking between challenges and dicing up defences with clever passes.
He's still lacking that true end-product when it comes to shooting—the goal against Stoke aside, he wasted a number of chances against AFCB in his second game—but the hope is that will come.
18. Ross Barkley, Everton
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Last Week: New!
Change: New!
Ross Barkley's start to the season has been very good, netting two goals from two games. In truth, Everton and England fans will be thinking it's about time the youngster delivered on some of his burgeoning potential.
It's not all his fault—the hype machine can be rather vicious, you know—and Roberto Martinez has played him on the flank a fair bit, failing to accentuate the best parts of the midfielder's game.
But as a No. 10 Barkley has shone so far, and he put Southampton to the sword Saturday. His directness, great interpretation of space and sublime movement were all topped off by a thumper of a goal to seal the 3-0 win.
Martinez waxed lyrical about the young man to the Guardian post-match:
“The bravery that Ross has is that he will show for the ball from any angle, he’ll want it, he’ll try to be positive and make things happen for the team. When he gets in the box, when he controls the situation, that is the sign of an incredible footballer.”
17. Chris Smalling, Manchester United
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Chris Smalling continues to scoff at claims Manchester United desperately need a new centre-back, carrying his 2015 form into the new season and quietly rising to the fore once again.
In his first game he dealt with Harry Kane fairly well, helping the Red Devils to a clean sheet and a victory. Against Aston Villa on Friday he dealt with the inexplicably monstrous Rudy Gestede, holding his own in the aerial game against all odds.
If United do indeed sign another central defender, it looks likely he'll be partnering Smalling, not replacing him.
16. Eliaquim Mangala, Manchester City
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Last Week: New!
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Per the Daily Mail, Eliaquim Mangala may be sent to Valencia on loan as part of a deal for Nicolas Otamendi. Based on his first two showings of the season, fans would be loathe to part with the Frenchman at this early stage.
Finally, finally, Mangala is flashing the talent that convinced Manuel Pellegrini to drop £40 million on him last summer. Against West Bromwich Albion he was fantastic, then against Chelsea he looked solid as a rock too.
He's physical, brutish but looks sharp and considered too; £40 million should buy you the complete package, and this could be a turning point for the former FC Porto man...unless he's packed off to Spain as the proverbial outcast.
15. Vincent Kompany, Manchester City
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Last Week: New!
Change: New!
Is Vincent Kompany back? That's the question on every Manchester City fan's lips, and early evidence suggests he could well be on the up again.
He's managed two goals—one off the shoulder at the Hawthorns, then one truly excellent header against Chelsea—which often inflate the stock, but those aside he's excelled in defence and looks a confident, assured figure once more.
The test, of course, is time. Even over the past 18 months, when his former has been in the gutter, he's had the odd standout game, and consistency becomes key when determining whether or not the Belgian really has been restored to optimal condition.
14. Shinji Okazaki, Leicester City
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Leicester City's acquisition of Shinji Okazaki this summer was questioned by some at the time, but two games in he's been absolutely brilliant. Perhaps a little unsung, but brilliant.
The Japanese striker's first major strength is his fitness; he and Jamie Vardy have been pressing and harassing for 90 minutes so far, making defenders' life on the ball hell. He's also a very clever, intuitive link forward, and he seems to have bonded with Vardy on the pitch already.
He scored his first goal of the season on Saturday at Upton Park, and things are only expected to get better.
13. Andre Ayew, Swansea City
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Two goals in two games for Andre Ayew, who is proving to be quite the handful in the final third as predicted by Ligue 1 aficionados.
The former Marseille ace netted a lovely header against Newcastle United this weekend, looping an effort over Tim Krul from Jefferson Montero's cross. Last week he showed poise and calmness to slot home at Stamford Bridge under pressure, dragging the ball back to find space before lashing it home.
A confident, composed playmaker and goalscorer. Watch out, Premier League defences.
12. Aleksandar Kolarov, Manchester City
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Aleksandar Kolarov usually only manages to play about half of Manchester City's Premier League games, sharing the left-back slot with Gael Clichy and often dropping out of the XI when the big games roll around.
But so far, in lieu of an unfit/injured Clichy, Kolarov has been absolutely superb. He didn't put a foot wrong against West Bromwich Albion in City's opener, and he dominated the left flank in the 3-0 win vs. Chelsea.
If the Serbian keeps this up, he'll lock his colleague out of the side for good.
11. Jamie Vardy, Leicester City
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Last Week: 16
Change: +5
Jamie Vardy's strong start to the season, football-wise, continued on Saturday as Leicester City defeated West Ham 2-1 away with his help. He sent in a lovely ball for Shinji Okazaki to finish at the second time of asking and, as usual, pressed, harried and closed down all day to see out the result.
He's verging on Alexis Sanchez energy levels—a true Energizer Bunny type—and, as Shane Callaghan of Sports Mole aptly put it, likely had enough left in the tank to run back to Leicester after the game.
10. Matteo Darmian, Manchester United
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Last Week: 17
Change: +7
Barring one slight misdemeanour, in which he may or may not have impeded Micah Richards at a corner by grabbing him around the neck, Matteo Darmian had another pretty successful outing for Manchester United.
It's likely he'll have been just as perplexed by the prospect of a Friday night fixture as Premier League fans across the world were, but it didn't show. Calm and measured in defence and progressive moving forward, the Italian proved reliable and steady once again.
9. Jordan Amavi, Aston Villa
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Last Week: 9
Change: None
Not many of Aston Villa's players played well against Manchester United; the team struggled to get going and as soon as the Red Devils took the lead through Adnan Januzaj, the game was closed off.
But Jordan Amavi impressed once again, flashing real potential from left-back and searing forward to deadly effect. His overlap play and willingness to enter the box with the ball won his side several corners, producing the best chances on the night to grab a leveller.
Not as good a display as the one against Bournemouth, but it's quickly becoming clear that Amavi is one of Villa's best players.
8. Jonjo Shelvey, Swansea City
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Jonjo Shelvey has chimed in with two excellent performances in his first two games, leading to spurious praise from his manager and an eye on an England recall, per BBC Sport.
He needs to show consistency and maturity, and if he can conquer those mental obstacles, he has an insane amount of natural talent that will then naturally flow to the fore. It's very easy to forget he's just 23 years of age still.
This season so far Shelvey's been the epitome of all-round excellence, slicing up midfields with his slick passing, taking total control of the game and commanding the central zones.
7. Dimitri Payet, West Ham
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Last Week: 11
Change: +4
There weren't that many plus-points for Slaven Bilic to glean from West Ham's 2-1 home loss to Leicester City, but Dimitri Payet's continued excellence is one.
His excellent free-kick deliveries continued, causing havoc in the box whenever given the opportunity to swing one in. He produced a wonderful long-range pass for Diafra Sakho to run onto one-on-one before Kasper Schmeichel wiped him out.
6. Marc Albrighton, Leicester City
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Last Week: 7
Change: +1
A mixed bag for Marc Albrighton this week, who suffered some issues with end-product and consistency of cross delivery but did assist Riyad Mahrez's goal to put Leicester City 2-0 up at the time.
He's playing from the left, ensuring he has to cut inside to deliver balls into the box with his right foot. He's one of the best crossers in the Premier League, but having to come back on himself to shape up is harming his usually direct play.
Still, a goal and three assists in two games—that's hardly something to sniff at!
5. Yaya Toure, Manchester City
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Last Week: 6
Change: +1
In his pre-match Daily Mail column, Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher warned fans to temper their praise of Yaya Toure, writing:
"In the big matches [last season] he was poor. Now he has to show he can play like that for the majority of the season, starting with the big game against Chelsea."
Consider this mission accomplished, sports fans. His performance against the Blues wasn't spectacular, but he assumed his role in a physical, overbearing midfield with gusto and put in a strong showing. He and Fernandinho sliced through Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic, dominating the central zones on the day.
A 9/10 showing against West Bromwich Albion and a 7/10 showing against Chelsea solidifies you a top-10 spot in our rankings.
4. Angelo Ogbonna, West Ham
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Last Week: 4
Change: None
West Ham, as a team, were unable to replicate their Arsenal heroics against Leicester City, but Angelo Ogbonna remained a rock at the back for the claret-and-blue side.
He tussled and toiled in the air, winning 12 aerial duels, per WhoScored.com, and dominated all who came into his path. His full-backs either side were distinctly less impressive, leading to chances for the Foxes, but Ogbonna held his own throughout.
There's some work to be done regarding his passing out from the back, but defensively he's absolutely sound.
3. Jefferson Montero, Swansea City
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Last Week: 5
Change: +2
Remember last season, when Jefferson Montero tore Calum Chambers into little tiny pieces during Swansea City's 2-1 win over Arsenal at the Liberty Stadium? Well, that threatens to become a regular thing now that the Ecuadorian is fit and ready to go.
Injuries plagued his 2014-15, restricting his capabilities, but you can now add Daryl Janmaat to the right-back scrap heap (that already includes Chambers and Branislav Ivanovic). In both games this season Montero has ruled the flank, this time adding an assist and smacking the post rather than just running aggressively in dangerous areas.
2. David Silva, Manchester City
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Last Week: 2
Change: None
David Silva had a slightly strange game in Manchester City's 3-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday; he registered two assists but got through a fair amount of fouls and was perhaps lucky not to be carded.
It's not usually his role, but he seemed to halt play and stem the Blues' quicker attacks with slightly cynical trips and pushes. Whether by Manuel Pellegrini's design or not, it worked.
On the ball he was his usual self, twisting and turning, threading passes and pulling strings. His whipped delivery for Vincent Kompany's headed goal was great.
1. Riyad Mahrez, Leicester City
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Last Week: 1
Change: None
Riyad Mahrez achieves the rarest of trophies: Retaining the No. 1 slot in our Premier League player rankings after just two weeks of play. In such a topsy-turvy, tumultuous period, that really is an impressive achievement.
The Algerian built on his impressive two-goal showing last week by scoring against West Ham at Upton Park, helping Leicester City to their second consecutive win to begin the campaign.
Per WhoScored.com's Ben McAleer, he's the top goalscorer in the division with three goals. Lethal.
