Premier League Player Rankings: Sagna Enters, Ayew Rises, Darmian Falls
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.
With four games to judge and hundreds of minutes to peruse, the picture is starting to sharpen with regard to early-season form. The number of Manchester City players in this ranking (seven) accurately portrays their outrageous start to the season, while the early high-flyers from mid-to-lower-table clubs have started to fade.
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
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Honourable Mentions
James Morrison, West Bromwich Albion
Idrissa Gueye, Aston Villa
Raheem Sterling, Manchester City
Damien Delaney, Crystal Palace
Dropping Out
Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool
Joe Gomez, Liverpool
Wes Hoolahan, Norwich City
Shinji Okazaki, Leicester City
20. Jordan Amavi, Aston Villa
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Last Week: New!
Change: New!
We dropped Jordan Amavi from our top 20 last week after a howler away to Crystal Palace, gifting Bakary Sako a late winner at Selhurst Park. After the game, Tim Sherwood admitted he'd learn from the mistake, per Goal.com.
"Jordan hasn't made many mistakes since he's been here," Sherwood said. "That's one, and he will have to learn from it. We have a lot of good young players. We have added a lot of youth to the squad. Unfortunately you will get ups and downs with young players."
The next "up" came in the very next game, of course, with Amavi excelling against Sunderland, bombing up and down the flank and providing the slick assist for Scott Sinclair's second goal. We've had to put him back in immediately; he's had three excellent games to one poor one.
19. Bafetimbi Gomis, Swansea City
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Last Week: New!
Change: New!
Four starts, four goals for Bafetimbi Gomis. He might not be the flashiest striker, but boy, he has been effective in the opening exchanges of the Premier League season.
He clearly benefits from a wonderful midfield, but putting chances away is the hardest task in football, and the Frenchman has been reliable thus far. Whether it's sweeping home delicate Andre Ayew through balls or nodding home Jefferson Montero crosses, he has proved he can do it in each game so far.
After flashing only sporadic excellence last season, Gomis has been consistent. It's good to see.
18. Chris Smalling, Manchester United
4 of 21
Last Week: 14
Change: -4
Alas, it was Chris Smalling's first iffy game of the season on Sunday. He struggled against Swansea City—not least because he was trying to cover for Daley Blind half the time—and will probably feel he could have done better for both goals conceded.
We don't envy anyone coming up against the Swans in this form, and the variety of their attack is going to cause issues. Smalling, so dominant in the air over the first three matches, struggled with the physicality of Gomis and the cleverness of movement in the midfield just behind.
17. Marc Albrighton, Leicester City
5 of 21
Last Week: 9
Change: -8
Last week, we expressed concern over Marc Albrighton's place in the Leicester City XI, and we must express it again this week. He tumbles down the player rankings after a second unproductive game in a row.
Despite Riyad Mahrez suffering an injury early in the game, Claudio Ranieri still opted to withdraw Albrighton in the second half because of a lack of accuracy in his crossing and an inability to make headway on the left. Perhaps he needs to be restored to the right side to refind form?
16. Bacary Sagna, Manchester City
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Last Week: New!
Change: New!
Bacary Sagna becomes the seventh Manchester City player in the top 20 by entering this week, and while that may seem like overkill, there's really no way to avoid it. They're storming the league both individually and as a collective.
Pablo Zabaleta has yet to return from Copa America and injury-related issues, and Sagna has taken full advantage by locking down his spot in the side and producing some stellar showings. Defensively, he's great—superior to Zabaleta, in fact—and in attack, he's been surprisingly efficient. In particular, his cross for Raheem Sterling's goal this weekend oozed quality and confidence.
15. Fernandinho, Manchester City
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Last Week: New!
Change: New!
The Manchester Evening News opted to label Fernandinho Manchester City's "best player so far this season," which is a bit of a stretch, but it does highlight how well he's done to bounce back and find form.
The Brazilian endured a poor 2014-15 post-World Cup, and City's midfield suffered as a result, but he's looked sharp so far, fit and able to impact at both ends of the pitch. He scored the second goal to seal the result against a stubborn Watford outfit and dominated in the centre throughout.
He's put in four good performances so far this season and scored two already.
14. Callum Wilson, AFC Bournemouth
8 of 21
Last Week: 18
Change: +4
Eddie Howe was effusive in his praise for Callum Wilson once again this weekend, tipping him to emulate Danny Ings and Charlie Austin's first Premier League season hauls, per the Daily Mail.
"What you'll get from Callum is a lot of work," Howe said. "He's a very dedicated guy, an extremely hard-working professional, and you'll get pace and goals. He's a real handful. He did well again against two very experienced players and took his goal very well."
"Took his goal very well" is a slight understatement; Wilson executed a stunning overhead kick to give AFC Bournemouth the lead against Leicester, and he added in his typical pressing and running of the channels to boot.
13. Eliaquim Mangala, Manchester City
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Last Week: 13
Change: None
Eliaquim Mangala didn't have to do too much this weekend to stave off Watford, and although Vincent Kompany played noticeably better, it's impossible to say his partner played poorly. He just wasn't very busy.
Usually centre-backs are pretty happy to have those games once in a while, and a fourth consecutive clean sheet is certainly something to brag about, but no one would blame Mangala for wanting a tougher afternoon to prove himself over and over—after all, a €40 million Nicolas Otamendi is waiting in the wings, expecting to come into this side sooner rather than later.
It will be intriguing to see how long Manuel Pellegrini can wait before making the switch everyone, fairly or unfairly, expects to happen.
12. Andre Ayew, Swansea City
10 of 21
Last Week: 15
Change: +3
Andre Ayew was Man of the Match on Sunday as Swansea City beat Manchester United 2-1, excelling in every aspect, scoring the well-deserved equaliser in the second half and assisting the winner later on.
Already a contender for signing of the season—such is the sheer quality and productivity he offers—the Ghanaian is now on three goals from four games and has settled in superbly with the south Wales club. Whether he's playing centrally, from the right flank or just off Bafetimbi Gomis up front, he's a decisive outlet.
Despite a burgeoning reputation preceding him into the Premier League, many won't have realised quite how good he is at sniffing out chances in the box...and converting them, too.
11. Dimitri Payet, West Ham
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Last Week: 12
Change: +1
Dimitri Payet excelled on Saturday during West Ham's win over Liverpool, ripping the Reds apart on the counter-attack and landing in B/R's post-match winners column as a result.
He coaxed the red card out of Philippe Coutinho, firmly swinging the pendulum into his side's favour early in the second half, and he impressed with another set of consistent crosses and set-piece deliveries.
His greatest quality is his decision-making; he's so good pushing forward into space that the Reds had no choice but to begin chopping him down at every opportunity.
10. Jamie Vardy, Leicester City
12 of 21
Last Week: 11
Change: +1
Jamie Vardy endured an unforgiving role at the tip of Leicester City's formation this weekend, but he worked hard, produced the goods and can legitimately feel hard done by the referee because of his failure to award a second penalty for a trip.
He scored the first one, tucking it away to draw the Foxes level in a game they'd been second-best in, but he was left exasperated when Neil Swarbrick ignored the trailing leg that downed him minutes later.
Considering Marc Albrighton struggled and Riyad Mahrez went off at half-time, Vardy did well to carve out a good game for himself.
9. Matteo Darmian, Manchester United
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Last Week: 5
Change: -4
Matteo Darmian was likely relieved when Jefferson Montero was ruled out of Swansea City-Manchester United because of injury, but it did rob us of the chance to see the Italian truly tested by an in-form winger. That speed and directness really would have tested the new arrival's credentials.
Montero's replacement, Wayne Routledge, played an OK game and didn't trouble Darmian too much, but the defensive line as a collective caved in, and that sees the summer arrival drop in our top 20.
8. Jonjo Shelvey, Swansea City
14 of 21
Last Week: 10
Change: +2
Jonjo Shelvey has earned a richly deserved England call-up following his excellent opening four games for Swansea City. With the nation lacking in central midfield options after Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard's retirements, it's good to see fresh faces incorporated and given (another) chance.
He and Ashley Williams were both contenders for the second-best performance as the Swans defeated Manchester United this weekend, with Shelvey's tenacity and slick playmaking skills firmly on display.
He has used Ki Sung-yueng's early injury to cement his place in the side, and now Garry Monk has a true midfield selection dilemma on his hands.
7. Angelo Ogbonna, West Ham
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Last Week: 8
Change: +1
Angelo Ogbonna bounced back from a slightly iffy performance last week by keeping a clean sheet in a glorious West Ham victory at Anfield. The 3-0 scoreline didn't flatter the Irons one bit.
Slaven Bilic was able to revert to counter-attacking football away from home—just as he did at the Emirates Stadium on the opening day—and ask his defenders to sit deep and repel. That they did, and Ogbonna, while well-protected by his midfield, excelled alongside Winston Reid.
6. Riyad Mahrez, Leicester City
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Last Week: 2
Change: -4
Riyad Mahrez withdrew from Leicester City's draw with AFC Bournemouth at half-time this weekend, but Claudio Ranieri has stressed it was just a precaution, per the club's official site.
"We changed Riyad at half-time because he took a kick very early in the game and after that, in the battle, he could not play at full speed," Ranieri said. "I wanted us to keep pressing forward, so we replaced him as a precaution."
It's a shame, as it did hinder him and stop him from exploding. The Foxes will hope he's recovered fully for the game against Aston Villa.
5. Jefferson Montero, Swansea City
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Last Week: 4
Change: -1
Jefferson Montero succumbed to his first injury of the season—a story all too familiar to Swansea City fans now—and missed the club's win over Manchester United.
4. Aleksandar Kolarov, Manchester City
18 of 21
Last Week: 6
Change: +2
Another clean sheet sees Aleksandar Kolarov moving up in the rankings despite a quiet game against Watford. He didn't get forward anywhere near as often as he usually does—largely because he wasn't required—but he showed some nice touches and recycled possession well from a wide position.
Defensively, he looked good whenever he was offered the chance to impact, with any rare Watford attacks nullified on his flank.
After three weeks of blistering attacking play from the Serbian—something we know he's very good at—it was good to see some restraint and some calm defensive ability. To keep Gael Clichy out long term, he'll need to showcase a complete skill set, and this was a welcome chance to round off an excellent start to the season.
3. Vincent Kompany, Manchester City
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Last Week: 7
Change: +4
Vincent Kompany stepped up again and put in a commanding showing this weekend, and although the 90 minutes were pretty easy on him and his entire back line, he still looked alert and sharp to any danger that reared its head.
Football romanticists were desperate to see Troy Deeney open his Premier League account, against all odds, at the Etihad Stadium, but Kompany clamped him well, and Manchester City's midfield stopped the service.
For the first time in a long time, the Belgian will join up with his national colleagues in good domestic form.
2. Yaya Toure, Manchester City
20 of 21
Last Week: 3
Change: +1
Yaya Toure sort of sauntered through the first half of Manchester City's win over Watford, perhaps understanding he wasn't needed at 100 percent and biding his time before sparking into life.
In the second period, he began linking the play better and interacted more frequently with his midfielders, doing enough to match Fernandinho's level of control over the game and place his side in the driver's seat.
He moves up a notch, but only due to those below him—Riyad Mahrez, Jefferson Montero and Matteo Darmian—struggling for form or fitness this week.
1. David Silva, Manchester City
21 of 21
Last Week: 1
Change: None
David Silva struggled a little in the first half to get going, but he soon found his rhythm in the second period and had a direct hand in Manchester City breaking down Watford's wall.
In particular, his impact for City's second goal—the Fernandinho sealer—was stunning, taking three defenders out of the game with a slick reverse pass and allowing the Brazilian a free shot on goal inside the box. Not many in world football can pull that off.
As a result, the Spaniard retains his slot at the top of the charts.
