Premier League Player Rankings: Vardy Up, Toure Down, Martial In
Welcome to Bleacher Report's 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 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.
After seven games the rankings represent a sea of change, with four new additions this week following a slate of terrific Premier League games. Due to the exits of two top-10 players and the dramatic fall of another, there are some pretty sizable swings in this week's edition. For reference, here's a look at last week's list.
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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Dropping Out
- Angelo Ogbonna, West Ham: A hamstring injury halts a great start to the season.
- Callum Wilson, AFC Bournemouth: A minimum six-month injury, confirmed on Tuesday by the club, means we may have seen the last of the striker in 2015-16.
- Hector Bellerin, Arsenal: Bellerin struggled to contain Leicester City's high-octane attacking methods.
- Jack Butland, Stoke City: Not his best showing despite a 2-1 Stoke City win over Bournemouth.
Honourable Mentions
- Adrian, West Ham: Another excellent performance from an excellent goalkeeper in a 2-2 draw with Norwich.
- Daley Blind, Manchester United: Recovered from a blip in form in style to impact against Sunderland in a 3-0 win.
- Jordan Amavi, Aston Villa: Mastering the art of the cross one week at a time.
- Sadio Mane, Southampton: Fast-becoming impossible to stop.
20. Andre Ayew, Swansea City
2 of 21
Last Week: 16
Change: -4
There's only one way to say it: Andre Ayew didn't play very well against Southampton on Saturday in a 3-1 loss, which was the second week in a row he underwhelmed.
Garry Monk opted to play a 4-4-2 diamond that actually placed Ayew closer to Bafetimbi Gomis than ever before, but he couldn't get into the game. Neither of them really saw the ball in the first half.
When Ayew did receive it he looked too focused on beating a man or instigating a clever run, often losing possession and placing his side on the back foot.
19. Ross Barkley, Everton
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Last Week: 17
Change: -2
There were a plethora of feel-good Everton storylines to emerge after Monday night's 3-2 comeback victory over West Bromwich Albion—including Romelu Lukaku's dominance, the cult of Arouna Kone, and Brendan Galloway's rapid ascension—but Ross Barkley wasn't one of them.
In fact, if there's a slant on his performance it's a negative one, as his poor marking allowed West Brom to score their second goal from a corner (why he was marking a centre-back from a set piece is anyone's guess, though).
He surged forward with purpose and made the odd mistake—standard Barkley—but moves down in our ranking after a so-so showing.
18. Aleksandar Kolarov, Manchester City
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Last Week: 10
Change: -8
Aleksandar Kolarov drops like a stone after his second bad performance in a row. He's still got a splendid body of work in the first five games in his favour, but the gloss on those is fading fast.
Destroyed by a combination of Erik Lamela, Clinton Njie and a drifting Harry Kane in a 4-1 loss to Tottenham, Kolarov won't look back on this performance fondly.
Like last week, where Victor Moses targeted him, he represented a weak link in the Manchester City side.
17. Toby Alderweireld, Tottenham Hotspur
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Last Week: New!
Change: New!
Toby Alderweireld enters the ranking after putting in four strong showings in a row.
It's been a bit of a wait for the Belgian to reach our top 20, but we had to make sure he was truly clicking in this Tottenham Hotspur side.
A record of three clean sheets in his last four Premier League games and a goal against Manchester City make him one of the clear in-form centre-backs in the league right now.
His near-post defending and aerial prowess have been clear to see, and he's impacting on the build-up play, too.
16. Graziano Pelle, Southampton
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Last Week: New!
Change: New!
Graziano Pelle already has four goals in this Premier League season, tying him for third in the top-scorer's table, per WhoScored.com.
His performance against Swansea City last weekend in a 3-1 win didn't yield a goal but was a lesson in link-up play via a strong target man, and his assist for Dusan Tadic's goal was a lovely scooped pass. He dominated against Manchester United the week before, too, bagging two and striking the post. He's looking good.
Pelle started well in 2014-15, too, but trailed off dramatically, racking up an astonishing 1,245-minute goal drought over the course of the second half of the season, per ESPNFC. He needs to prove he's durable enough to continue this pace in his second season in the league.
15. Bacary Sagna, Manchester City
7 of 21
Last Week: 15
Change: None
Bacary Sagna was again the best performer on Manchester City's defensive line, but four goals conceded and very little in the way of an attacking threat make that something of a hollow achievement.
He was by no means poor—a statement you cannot attribute to either of the two central defenders in blue on the day—but couldn't stop the avalanche in the second half.
In the early stages of the 4-1 loss to Spurs, Sagna actually forced Christian Eriksen and Heung-Min Son to swap places, suggesting a degree of success in how he marked his man.
It's been a fantastic start to the season for Sagna, who has taken full advantage of Pablo Zabaleta's knee injury, but with the Argentinian back fit and on the bench on Saturday, there will be fears the de facto No. 1 will come back in and take his place. It'd be a shame, but it wouldn't surprise.
14. Fernandinho, Manchester City
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Last Week: 14
Change: None
Stuart Brennan of the Manchester Evening News summed up Fernandinho's performance against Tottenham Hotspur perfectly: "Stunning first half in tandem with his Brazilian pal [Fernando], winning just about everything in the middle, but he flagged after the break."
It was a game of two halves for the former Shakhtar Donetsk dynamo, who, indeed, dropped visibly in the second period as Spurs took control.
His calming influence in City's midfield was a key factor in their quick start, and now that he's faltering, they are as well.
13. John Stones, Everton
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Last Week: 13
Change: None
According to manager Roberto Martinez on Sky Sports' live Monday Night Football broadcast, John Stones (knee) was "close" to the Everton team and is "pushing" to be involved again next week.
In his absence, the Toffees beat West Bromwich Albion 3-2 at The Hawthorns.
12. Winston Reid, West Ham
10 of 21
Last Week: 18
Change: +6
Winston Reid's West Ham struggled in patches against Norwich City this weekend and conceded two goals, but on an individual level the centre-back played well.
The goals came about as a result of a Mark Noble error and a poorly closed-down rebound following a set piece—neither of which Reid could do much about—and in fact when his team-mates weren't letting him down, he impressed. His surging run late on forced the free-kick from which the Hammers equalised.
Despite that, Reid is fortunate to leap up the rankings due to some big changes above him.
11. Jonjo Shelvey, Swansea City
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Last Week: 11
Change: None
Jonjo Shelvey struggled to impact the game last week against Everton, and he struggled again this week when taking on Southampton at St. Mary's Stadium in a 3-1 loss.
Despite playing in a midfield diamond and technically enjoying a numerical advantage, he couldn't do the damage required.
Surging forward, Shelvey looked a little slower than usual, and he wasn't able to outfox Victor Wanyama in the final third. A few trademark shots flew over the bar and one tested Maarten Stekelenburg, but it was a quiet day overall for him.
10. Eric Dier, Tottenham Hotspur
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Last Week: New!
Change: New!
Eric Dier landed in our Premier League Team of the Week thanks to his fantastic goal-scoring performance against Manchester City, but that wasn't an anomaly. He's been impressing for several weeks now and has earned his spot in our top 20.
Tottenham Hotspur have looked excellent defensively this season, and while part of that can be attributed to the stable Toby Alderweireld-Jan Vertonghen centre-back partnership, Dier's influence with screening in the midfield is a big factor, too.
He's played in all seven league games so far, has crunched through his challenges and broken up play very well. He's also bagged two goals—a veritable bonus for Mauricio Pochettino.
9. Anthony Martial, Manchester United
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Last Week: New!
Change: New!
Anthony Martial's Premier League career so far reads:
- Debut off the bench against fierce rivals Liverpool, scoring a stunning individual goal to confirm the three-point haul.
- A brace away to Southampton to eke out another win, showing stone-cold killer instincts in the box.
- A strong linking display against Sunderland during a 3-0 victory, grabbing an assist.
So he's off to a pretty damn good start. Manchester United fans will hope it continues, as, if it does, they've found their answer in the striking position.
Martial enters the rankings in a high spot due to seismic change in the order this week.
8. Yaya Toure, Manchester City
14 of 21
Last Week: 6
Change: -2
Yaya Toure produced a lovely pass to free Kevin De Bruyne for Manchester City's opener against Tottenham Hotspur, reminding everyone how deft he can be when required.
But from there it all went wrong. Spurs came back and dominated the midfield, scoring the equaliser to set the platform for a comeback victory. Toure and Co., rather meekly, relinquished control and never looked like grabbing it back.
7. Matteo Darmian, Manchester United
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Last Week: 12
Change: +5
Matteo Darmian played his first Manchester United game at left-back last weekend and excelled. This shouldn't come as a surprise; he played there regularly for Torino and stood out there for Italy.
After Darmian's poor display against Southampton the week before, United fans were relieved to see him get back to his best, attacking with gusto despite being wrong-footed and helping secure a clean sheet.
He shoots up in the ranking by five, and although that may be considered a little generous, he's helped by the exits of Angelo Ogbonna and Callum Wilson, who were previously above him.
6. Jefferson Montero, Swansea City
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Last Week: 7
Change: +1
Garry Monk dropped a clanger last weekend, switching to a 4-4-2 diamond and, as a result, relegating Jefferson Montero to the bench. Swansea City started slowly without him and only really sparked into life when he came on at half-time.
In 45 minutes, he made the sort of impact that would have made Monk wish he'd kept the Ecuadorian in the starting XI.
He skinned Cedric five times and caused havoc down the left, swinging in a few dangerous crosses—one of which led to a penalty that Gylfi Sigurdsson converted.
5. Vincent Kompany, Manchester City
17 of 21
Last Week: 4
Change: -1
Vincent Kompany made the bench for Manchester City's loss to Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend as he continued his return from a calf injury. Given City conceded four goals, you can bet he'll start the next one.
4. David Silva, Manchester City
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Last Week: 3
Change: -1
David Silva (calf injury) is back in training ahead of the Champions League tie with Borussia Monchengladbach, per ESPN, and looks set to return to the Manchester City XI. Lord knows they need him.
3. Riyad Mahrez, Leicester City
19 of 21
Last Week: 1
Change: -2
For the first time this season, Riyad Mahrez had an off day. It was always going to happen; it's just a shame it occurred against Arsenal when Leicester City really needed a clinical day to match up.
He saw plenty of the ball but failed to make use of it in the 5-2 loss, three times either dribbling it out of play with a heavy touch or failing to control in a tight space. His shooting threat was nonexistent, and the Foxes looked unusually blunt from the right as a result.
2. Jamie Vardy, Leicester City
20 of 21
Last Week: 5
Change: +3
Jamie Vardy put in another fantastic display this weekend, elevating him to No. 2 in our rankings. He's not a household name, but he deserves the accolade. His form over the first seven games has been stunning.
He scored two in Leicester City's 5-2 loss to Arsenal and hit the woodwork twice. He's not flashy, but he runs the channels brilliantly, works on the defender's shoulder and never gives up a chase.
With six goals, he leads the Premier League scoring charts heading into Week 8.
1. Dimitri Payet, West Ham
21 of 21
Last Week: 2
Change: +1
Dimitri Payet becomes only our third different No. 1 in our Premier League player rankings—Riyad Mahrez (dethroned this week) and David Silva were the other two.
The French international shone once again as West Ham drew with Norwich City, delivering a fantastic low ball into the box for Diafra Sakho to equalise after 33 minutes.
His speed on the counter-attack and preciseness of delivery gave the Canaries' defence issues all afternoon.
Welcome to the big time, Dimitri.
