Premier League Player Rankings: Alexis Sanchez Rises, Philippe Coutinho Falls
When the top Premier League clubs drop points, things change pretty drastically in the following edition of the player rankings.
That's exactly what's happened this week; Liverpool's loss, in conjunction with draws for Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, has paved the way for a remarkable amount of movement in our top 40.
Ranking Criteria
- It's a season-long ranking based on performances over the entire campaign—no longer does it take into account a four-to-six-week period of form (like previous editions did). Therefore, whoever is No. 1 is effectively our choice for Player of the Season should the campaign finish this week.
- Only Premier League form is considered—no Champions League, no domestic cups and no international football.
- We pore over hours of film to accurately grade the players on a weekly basis. All teams are covered properly, and experts are sought out for advice as and when required.
- Performing well on a consistent basis is key. Players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Dele Alli, who have endured poor patches spanning months this season, have a lot of work to do in order to set the record straight.
- A player must have meaningfully participated (started or played in excess of 20 minutes) in more than 50 per cent of his team's games to be eligible for the ranking. You wouldn't christen anyone Player of the Season having played less than half the games.
40-36
1 of 20
40. Claudio Yacob, West Bromwich Albion (Previously unranked)
A solid, reliable display at the weekend saw Yacob continue his sneakily effective season. With Jake Livermore signing, the Argentinian is now under increased pressure to perform.
39. Lee Grant, Stoke City (Previously unranked)
The goalkeeper totalled seven saves against Manchester United to continue his excellent season. Jack Butland has been a big loss, but Grant has acquitted himself superbly since taking the reins.
38. Heung-Min Son, Tottenham Hotspur (Previously unranked)
Son may not always be Tottenham's star performer, but it's tough to argue with his production: seven goals and three assists in 1,016 Premier League minutes is astounding.
37. David Luiz, Chelsea (Previously unranked)
Luiz didn't put a foot wrong against Hull City. Came under some pressure in the second half from a variety of different threats, but remained calm and composed.
36. Ben Foster, West Brom (-2)
Foster went from flinging himself around frenetically versus Tottenham to doing nothing against Sunderland. A clean sheet is always welcome, though.
35-31
2 of 20
35. Michael Keane, Burnley (+5)
Keane did well against an extremely high-powered Arsenal attack, tracking runs and putting in blocks when required.
34. Tom Heaton, Burnley (+4)
Came under siege for portions of Burnley's tussle with Arsenal, but he made a number of good saves that almost set the stage for his club to nick a point.
33. Jack Wilshere, Bournemouth (Previously unranked)
It's becoming increasingly clear that Wilshere is a cut above every other Bournemouth player. This loan has been great for him.
32. Cesar Azpilicueta, Chelsea (+1)
Wasn't called into action too often against Hull City. That can be a blessing and a curse for a central defender, who keeps the clean sheet but doesn't get to show what he can do.
31. Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City (+5)
Threaded some wonderful passes in for his attackers (namely Leroy Sane and Sergio Aguero) against Tottenham on Saturday and netted City's second.
30-26
3 of 20
30. Marcos Alonso, Chelsea (Stay)
Charged forward frequently and used the ball well against Hull City, though he was perhaps a touch fortunate not to give away a penalty.
30. Nordin Amrabat, Watford (-1)
Amrabat is out injured, though he would have been at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations if not.
29. Wilfried Zaha, Crystal Palace (-2)
Zaha is coming home. The Ivory Coast were knocked out in the group stage of the AFCON on Tuesday night.
27. Raheem Sterling, Man City (-5)
Upped his game in the second half against Spurs after an iffy showing in the first, and he sparked an entire debate about when to go down in the box following his honest attempt to shoot after Kyle Walker's push in the back.
26. David Silva, Man City (+5)
Only Yaya Toure (68) completed more passes than Silva (67) on Saturday as Man City's attack poured through the Spaniard's mind and feet.
25-21
4 of 20
25. Oriol Romeu, Southampton (Stay)
Wasn't required to put in a big performance for once as Saints battered Leicester City with ease. Signed a new contract with the club on Tuesday.
24. Idrissa Gueye, Everton (Stay)
Gueye is on 2017 Africa Cup of Nations duty with Senegal. His side negotiated the group stage unbeaten.
23. Victor Moses, Chelsea (Stay)
A strong all-round showing, and Moses displayed an understanding of how to crack open a deep-set defence by hitting the byline to cross for the opening goal against Hull.
22. Laurent Koscielny, Arsenal (+7)
Andre Gray's counter runs caused Arsenal some issues on Sunday, but Koscielny was almost always there to quell the danger.
21. Jan Vertonghen, Tottenham Hotspur (Stay)
Vertonghen will miss at least six weeks of football due to an ankle injury, per the Evening Standard.
20-16
5 of 20
20. Jonny Evans, West Brom (Stay)
Absent for West Brom's 2-0 win over Sunderland and wasn't missed—but that's only because the Black Cats offered nothing in attack.
19. Adam Lallana, Liverpool (-2)
His form continues to dip while he's utilised in the front three. It feels as though we won't see the best of Lallana again until Sadio Mane returns from Gabon.
18. Roberto Firmino, Liverpool (+1)
Continues to climb the rankings. He's looked much better since being restored to the No. 9 role in this team; he's using the ball more efficiently and scoring more.
17. Joe Allen, Stoke City (-3)
For the second consecutive week, Allen's game looked a little off. A bit sloppy in the pass, and the usual interceptions didn't occur.
16. Victor Wanyama, Tottenham Hotspur (+2)
Was forced to fight hard in midfield to stem the tide of Man City's attacking play, but he emerged with five tackles to his name in a strong display.
15. Mousa Dembele, Tottenham Hotspur
6 of 20
Last Week: 15th
Movement: Stay
Mousa Dembele entered the rankings last week having finally played more than half the available Premier League games this season. He's been excellent this season when fit (and not suspended).
But against Manchester City, his usual dominance was absent; Spurs struggled for long periods, and much of that was down to Dembele's inability to weave his usual magic in midfield. He went on one awesome run, but that was about it.
Withdrawn late on for Harry Winks, it was the young Englishman who stabilised things and brought Tottenham the measure of control Dembele so often does.
14. Antonio Valencia, Manchester United
7 of 20
Last Week: 16th
Movement: +2
While Man Utd manager Jose Mourinho's assertion that "there is no better right-back in football" than Antonio Valencia is wrong, it did bring to light just how impressive a season the Ecuadorian has had.
Manchester United face big question marks at left-back this year, but the right flank looks safe and secure. Valencia didn't put in his best performance against Stoke City, but he continued his theme of being difficult to beat.
13. N'Golo Kante, Chelsea
8 of 20
Last Week: 8th
Movement: -5
N'Golo Kante drops five spots this week despite playing 90 minutes in Chelsea's 2-0 win over Hull City. What gives?
It's a combination of two things. First, several players ranked just below him last week played well, and second, while he didn't do too much wrong against the Tigers on Sunday, he wasn't given the chance to excel.
Kante fell foul of the perils of playing a passive midfield role in a side that is dominating with ease.
12. Virgil van Dijk, Southampton
9 of 20
Last Week: 13th
Movement: +1
Virgil van Dijk had little to do during Sunday's 3-0 victory over Leicester City. The Foxes failed to get the ball forward much, barely used Jamie Vardy in the channels and managed just two shots on target.
The worry, though, is that Van Dijk withdrew midway through the second half injured. His ankle took a hefty hit, and Southampton manager Claude Puel told Sky Sports on Tuesday he's unsure how bad it is.
Given Saints have just sold Jose Fonte to West Ham United, this constitutes the worst-possible timing for their new captain to go down.
11. Pedro, Chelsea
10 of 20
Last Week: 12th
Movement: +1
Pedro wasn't able to find too much space to operate in against Hull, with Marco Silva's deep-set defensive formation nullifying any speed Chelsea had to offer.
Undeterred, though, the Spaniard drifted across the pitch in an attempt to find room to work, and his dynamism between the lines kept the Tigers' defence busy. He never stopped trying to find a way through.
10. Sadio Mane, Liverpool
11 of 20
Last Week: 11th
Movement: +1
Sadio Mane's 2017 Africa Cup of Nations adventure will continue into the knockout stages. He's been key to Senegal's unbeaten group-stage campaign.
9. Kyle Walker, Tottenham Hotspur
12 of 20
Last Week: 7th
Movement: -2
It's undeniable Kyle Walker had a tough game against Manchester City on Saturday, but through typical grit and determination, he emerged from it having had a big hand in Tottenham bagging a point.
Sane's speed caused him a lot of problems, and he was perhaps guilty of diving into challenges a little, while he also spent the entire first 45 minutes stuck in his own half under immense pressure.
But two key moments that shaped the game came from Walker, balancing his contribution out a little. First, he delivered a brilliant cross for Dele Alli to pull a goal back, and then his little push on Sterling put the player off just enough to stub a poor effort straight into Hugo Lloris' hands.
8. Joel Matip, Liverpool
13 of 20
Last Week: 9th
Movement: +1
Having finally received clearance to play by FIFA, Joel Matip featured in Liverpool's matchday squad this weekend for the first time since the draw with West Ham on December 11.
He entered the fray against Swansea City late on as an emergency striker, but it's almost guaranteed the next time you see him, it'll be in his rightful position leading the Reds' defensive line.
Matip's return has come at just the right time; if he had missed one more game, his participation would have dropped below 50 per cent, and he would have exited the rankings.
7. Toby Alderweireld, Tottenham Hotspur
14 of 20
Last Week: 6th
Movement: -1
Toby Alderweireld endured a tricky afternoon against Manchester City, being worked defensively far more than in recent weeks and withdrawing in the second half injured.
A tightness in his hamstring forced him to exit after 65 minutes, but the good news is it was a precautionary measure, per the Mirror, and he could be fit within the week.
Up until that point, it hadn't been going so well. City worked the gaps between Tottenham's defenders well and ran through them with ease, leaving Alderweireld with a lot of recovery runs to make—that might just be what caused his hamstring to seize up.
6. Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal
15 of 20
Last Week: 10th
Movement: +4
Sixth is a season-high ranking for Alexis Sanchez, who is now consistently performing well. In the past, he had been smoothing over bad performances with a goal, but he's red-hot right now.
Against Burnley, he was at the heart of everything—twisting and turning in tight spaces to create, playing inventive passes to release team-mates and testing Tom Heaton with strikes on goal. He eventually got his reward in the 98th minute, converting an uber-cool panenka penalty to secure Arsenal's victory.
5. Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool
16 of 20
Last Week: 4th
Movement: -1
It's clear Philippe Coutinho is still getting back up to speed following a lengthy injury lay-off.
The cogs in his brain are working as quickly and as efficiently as usual, but his feet haven't quite caught up. The odd sensational reverse pass into a runner's path is sometimes cancelled out by a bad decision, or a hesitation, or an overly ambitious effort on goal.
He was still probably Liverpool's second-best player against Swansea, but that isn't saying much.
4. Danny Rose, Tottenham Hotspur
17 of 20
Last Week: 4th
Movement: Stay
Danny Rose's afternoon at the Etihad Stadium was similar to colleague Walker's: He spent much of his time defending as the Manchester City onslaught continued, and he also produced a breathtaking defensive moment that kept the hosts at bay.
Exactly how the Englishman managed to get around Sterling and get his foot to the ball inside the penalty box, halting a clear chance on goal, few will know. The action stands as a marker for just how much Rose's defending has come on.
3. Eden Hazard, Chelsea
18 of 20
Last Week: 2nd
Movement: -1
Eden Hazard found Chelsea's 2-0 victory over Hull City tough sledding.
With space at a premium, particularly on his flank, the Belgian darted about furiously in an attempt to instigate one-twos and help break the Tigers down, but nothing came off.
In the end, the Blues' breakthrough came via brute-force running and finishing from Moses, Diego Costa and Gary Cahill, leaving the club's technicians underused.
2. Ander Herrera, Manchester United
19 of 20
Last Week: 3rd
Movement: +1
You can always count on two things to happen on a Manchester United matchday: Ander Herrera to put in a masterful, tidy midfield performance...and Ander Herrera to go crazy when an important goal is scored.
The Spaniard completed a whopping 103 passes as the Red Devils dominated the midfield zones against Stoke City, with the next-highest tally a measly 67 (from Paul Pogba). His pass accuracy of 93 percent was also the best on his team.
1. Diego Costa, Chelsea
20 of 20
Last Week: 1st
Movement: Stay
Costa reminded everyone who is boss on Sunday with an excellent performance against Hull. His blend of raw aggression and powerful centre-forward play came in handy against a stubborn defensive setup.
He nearly scored after about 10 seconds, slaloming forward before firing just wide. He had one ruled out by the assistant's flag, and he then finally slammed home just before half-time after good work from Moses.
Although the Blues did not struggle last week without him, they might well have done this week had they been without his brutish style.
All statistics via WhoScored.com.
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