Premier League Player Rankings: Kane Up, Vardy Down, Aguero In, New No. 1
We know you missed it, but don't worry, it's back. The Premier League player rankings return to give you the lowdown on which individuals are seriously hitting their stride after one week off.
This week's ranking takes into account up to three games; everyone played at least two (this weekend just gone and last), while some also squeezed a third in midweek.
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 one-week wonders do not find their way in. That said, if, for example, Sergio Aguero returns from injury and excels in four straight games, he will be selected—if a player plays very well, they can cut the queue.
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.
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
Emre Can, Liverpool
Graziano Pelle, Southampton
Michail Antonio, West Ham United
Honourable Mentions
Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool
Adam Lallana, Liverpool
Andy Carroll, West Ham United
Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal
20. Roberto Firmino, Liverpool
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Last Week: 20th
Dangling by a thread.
Roberto Firmino has done just enough to hang onto his place in the top 20, with the fact three others exited the rankings this week doing him a big favour.
He's lost a little form of late and his passing has seemed more sloppy than incisive, though his goal against Bournemouth has helped keep him afloat.
19. Virgil Van Dijk, Southampton
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Last Week: 16th (-3)
Virgil van Dijk nears the trap door of the player rankings after failing to keep a clean sheet against Everton or Aston Villa. We appreciate it's not solely up to him, but his star is beginning to fade again.
He's the ultimate patchy player, dancing in and out of form with consummate ease.
At 24 years of age, it's perhaps not unexpected to see him produce elite displays then follow them up with errors, and Southampton fans will just be hoping they hold onto him long enough for him to iron out the latter in his game.
18. Robert Huth, Leicester City
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Last Week: 19th (+1)
There isn't much new to say about Robert Huth's performance this week—it was typically solid and commanding with no errors to speak of.
He had a far harder time of it the previous weekend as Leicester City took on human battering ram Andy Carroll, but they did enough to limit him to one goal.
17. Gylfi Sigurdsson, Swansea City
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Last Week: 11th (-6)
It had to happen some time, didn't it?
Gylfi Sigurdsson's form finally tailed off; he has been approximately 75 percent of everything good about Swansea City of late, and when he fails to score, the team fail to pick up points.
Against Newcastle United he looked directionless, and against Leicester City thoroughly uninvolved.
16. Shane Long, Southampton
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Last Week: Unranked (New!)
Death, taxes and Shane Long scoring against Aston Villa—they're all inevitable. His six goals against the claret-and-blue side is the most he's scored against any single Premier League team.
He gave Joleon Lescott the absolute runaround at Villa Park on the way to a one-goal, two-assist performance. He's bagged two and created four in total in his last four appearances.
Graziano Pelle dropped out this week, but the Southampton-striker equilibrium remains intact thanks to Long.
15. James Milner, Liverpool
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Last Week: Unranked (New!)
James Milner has registered eight assists in the Premier League since the turn of the year—the most of any player—and has flourished in a varied role under Jurgen Klopp.
He's able to play central or wide and boasts one of the finer crosses in the division, enabling him to stand up balls for others to finish off with ease.
Milner has four assists in his last three games and was man of the match for many against Everton in the midweek derby.
14. Sergio Aguero, Manchester City
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Last Week: Unranked (New!)
Sergio Aguero leaps into the ranking and starts in 14th place. If you're thinking that's too high, we disagree—if anything, it might be too low.
He's scored five in his last five, putting a poor performance against Norwich City behind him with a spree in front of goal. His hat-trick against Chelsea was everything you'd expect from the brilliant Argentinian.
All of a sudden, he's second in the scoring charts, just one behind Harry Kane.
13. Wes Morgan, Leicester City
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Last Week: 12th (-1)
Wes Morgan moves down one spot despite not really deserving to. It's just a quirk of the rankings as much of the bottom half reshapes.
The Jamaica international spent only half of his time in the back line against Swansea City, opting to push forward and force matters in the first period on several occasions.
He could be found up front and on the wing, and he actually won the free-kick that Leonardo Ulloa netted from early on.
12. Cesc Fabregas, Chelsea
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Last Week: 14th (+2)
A true mixed bag from Cesc Fabregas over the last two gameweeks: dreadful against Manchester City, yet incredible against Bournemouth.
His three assists at the Vitality Stadium oozed quality, with cutting through balls and deft flicks aplenty.
That production took him to third place in the all-time Premier League assist charts, with Frank Lampard—currently in second (with 102)—only seven ahead.
11. Danny Drinkwater, Leicester City
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Last Week: 13th (+2)
Danny Drinkwater's surge toward the top continues as he refuses to let up steam late in the season.
His performance against Swansea City was excellent on Sunday, battling in midfield, showing a touch of class in possession, and it was his ridiculously good free-kick that led to Leonardo Ulloa's ice-breaker of a first goal.
10. Dimitri Payet, West Ham United
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Last Week: 10th
A decent two shifts from Dimitri Payet sees him stay inside the top 10.
West Ham vs. Leicester City was a chance to see No. 26 (Riyad Mahrez) vs. No. 27 (Payet), pitting two of the finest footballers in the league against one another. The Frenchman played well en route to a hard-earned draw.
Midweek against Watford he picked up an assist in a 3-1 win, though admittedly the Hornets' attentions were firmly on their upcoming FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
9. Christian Eriksen, Tottenham Hotspur
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Last Week: 9th
Christian Eriksen was so good on Monday night against Stoke City; his performance was of the highest quality, and his two assists were downright delicious. The first one, a scything pass, oozed quality, while the second—a 30-yard dribble and remarkable flick into the box while surrounded by four markers—spoke of his incredible ingenuity.
Sadly, against West Bromwich Albion, he was extremely hit and miss, so he stands still in the ranking.
His free-kick essentially forced Craig Dawson's ridiculous own goal, but then his end-product faded and his set pieces began hitting the first man over and over. Frustrating.
8. Dele Alli, Tottenham Hotspur
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Last Week: 8th
This might be the last we see of Dele Alli for a little while; his actions in Tottenham Hotspur's 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion on Monday could see him sit out the rest of the season, per BBC Sport.
His apparent punch on Claudio Yacob will be looked at by the Football Association, and if it is deemed violent conduct—which it should be—he'll miss the last fixtures.
This past week the Englishman netted two goals (both against Stoke City in a great performance), but he balanced that out with a quieter showing against West Brom. He stands still in eighth as a result.
7. Jamie Vardy, Leicester City
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Last Week: 3rd (-4)
Jamie Vardy's had a tumultuous week.
His performance against West Ham conjured both a goal and a red card, and because of abusive language aimed at the referee in the aftermath, was given a two-game suspension.
He missed Leicester City's 4-0 win over Swansea City and will miss the chance to clinch the title at Old Trafford this weekend.
6. Mesut Ozil, Arsenal
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Last Week: 5th (-1)
The case of Mesut Ozil is an interesting one. His production (goals and assists) has dropped off severely post-Christmas and many are talking about it, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's creating less chances.
Indeed, he actually seems to be opening the same number of holes and gaps in opposing defences most of the time—against Crystal Palace, for example, he created eight chances, per WhoScored.com—but the finishing is lacking in sharpness.
For what it's worth, he did seem a peripheral figure in the Gunners' drab 0-0 draw with Sunderland.
5. Riyad Mahrez, Leicester City
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Last Week: 6th (+1)
This weekend Riyad Mahrez turned on the style, and it was about time too; he'd been flagging a little in form and faced the prospect of dropping out of the top 10 had he not.
But his performance against Swansea City was very strong—even if the visitors did roll over for them early on—and his opening goal was a lovely near-post strike that wrong-footed and deceived the goalkeeper.
4. Toby Alderweireld, Tottenham Hotspur
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Last Week: 4th
Toby Alderweireld stands pat in fourth after a great performance against Stoke City and an OK one against West Bromwich Albion.
In the end, Stoke reverted to pumping balls up front as they had no idea how to break down Spurs, and Alderweireld met everything. Clearances, clean headers away and long passes from the back came every time the Potters tried to fling it in.
West Brom was a harder task, though, as the height they offer posed a threat he couldn't quell. He did his best, but was ultimately overwhelmed by the giants of the Midlands.
3. Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur
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Last Week: 8th (+5)
Harry Kane's last two performances were excellent, but he only scored the goals he deserved in one of them.
Last Monday at the Britannia Stadium, we were treated to a stunning individual effort from him, pressing from the front, linking play superbly and scoring twice. The following Monday saw him look just as lively, but the width of the post denied him his 25th strike of the season.
He's top of the goalscoring charts but only by one, with Sergio Aguero eating up the ground behind him. Can he finish the campaign with the highest tally?
2. Mousa Dembele, Tottenham Hotspur
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Last Week: 1st (-1)
Mousa Dembele is toppled from the summit this week, moving down into second place.
He was excellent against West Bromwich Albion on Monday and, notably, was the only Tottenham Hotspur player to keep his cool in the late stages and play calm, collected football.
Against Stoke City the week before he didn't play poorly, but he wasn't required to be too much of an influence in an easy 4-0 win.
1. N'Golo Kante, Leicester City
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Last Week: 2nd (+1)
N'Golo Kante continued his fine season this week with a rampaging performance against Swansea City. He tackled, intercepted and surged forward with aplomb—just as we've come to expect from him.
The week before against West Ham he was slightly less dominant but did grab an assist, and the two showings combined are enough to lift him up to the No. 1 spot, just edging Mousa Dembele off the top of the pile.
On a personal note, I voted for Kante in the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year ballot. With Riyad Mahrez winning the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year trophy, I felt his French colleague—who has been just as good and even more consistent—also deserves a personal accolade.
