Premier League Player Rankings: Sadio Mane Rises, Spurs Stars Fall En Masse
Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday very much shaped the way this edition of the Premier League player rankings fell: Reds moving upward, Lilywhites moving downward.
Chelsea's failure to beat Burnley added an additional slant to matters; while N'Golo Kante again impressed, Diego Costa didn't. Is there a chance he finally drops off top spot, being usurped by a colleague?
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 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. Yaya Toure, Manchester City (new!)
Eligible for the rankings now that he's played enough games, it's time to honour one of the greatest comebacks in recent memory. Toure has been imperious in midfield since making amends with manager Pep Guardiola.
39. Juan Mata, Manchester United (new!)
Helped create the goal he eventually stuck away against Watford with some super-slick football between the lines. He and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are on the same wavelength, and defences can't stop them.
38. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Manchester United (new!)
Pushes back into the rankings after recovering from his strange two-month slumber at the end of 2016. Linked superbly with Paul Pogba against Watford and assisted Anthony Martial's goal.
37. Georginio Wijnaldum, Liverpool (new!)
Wijnaldum's been yo-yoing in and out of this top 40 for weeks, so let's hope he can find some grip this time. His all-round performance against Spurs on Saturday was outstanding.
36. Michael Keane, Burnley (+1)
Played one hell of a game to stymie Diego Costa; few can claim to have done that in their careers, but Keane, at 24 years of age, can pop it on his CV.
35-31
2 of 20
35. Wilfried Zaha, Crystal Palace (-8)
A second straight poor performance sees Zaha tumble down the rankings. Manager Sam Allardyce needs him to return to the form he showed in the win against Bournemouth and fast.
34. Marcos Alonso, Chelsea (-1)
Didn't have to work particularly hard to keep Burnley's wingers at bay, and he slotted into a back four quite nicely during the second half.
33. Oriol Romeu, Southampton (+1)
A return to form for Romeu came just at the right time. He chomped through Sunderland's underwhelming midfield bands and brought a physical edge the hosts couldn't handle.
32. Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Manchester United (+3)
Mkhitaryan put in another excellent showing this weekend as United beat Watford. His creativity, quickness and speed was a threat throughout.
31. Nordin Amrabat, Watford (-2)
Still injured due to an issue that kept him out of the Africa Cup of Nations. Drops two spots in the natural chop of the player rankings tide.
30-26
3 of 2030. Idrissa Gueye, Everton (-4)
A reasonably nondescript return to duty from Gueye, who found himself alongside Morgan Schneiderlin and Tom Davies in midfield. That could well be the way it stays for a while.
29. Fernandinho, Manchester City (+3)
Is there a position this man can't play? This week, he filled in at left-back and, predictably, did a stellar job both offensively and defensively.
28. David Luiz, Chelsea (stay)
Made one error regarding a blocked pass against Burnley, but otherwise played well—particularly considering his knee is strapped up and clearly bugging him.
27. Adam Lallana, Liverpool (+3)
Yes, yes, yes! Much better from Lallana. His performance against Tottenham was energetic and filled with self-belief. He turned into space, created chances and pressed well.
26. Gylfi Sigurdsson, Swansea City (+5)
Sigurdsson's fantastic pass to set up Martin Olsson's goal on Sunday made it three goals and three assists in six games. His stock is on the rise.
25-21
4 of 20
25. Victor Moses, Chelsea (stay)
Produced a superb run and flicked pass in the buildup to Pedro's goal against Burnley, but he then faded and couldn't impact the game further. Defensively solid, though.
23. Jan Vertonghen, Tottenham Hotspur (-1)
Vertonghen is injured and will miss the rest of February at least.
24. Cesar Azpilicueta, Chelsea (+1)
Another good performance from the Spaniard, who pushed forward with the ball in possession and battled with Burnley's attackers well. Took an elbow to the face without much drama at all.
22. Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City (stay)
De Bruyne wasn't required to star as Man City beat Bournemouth on Monday, so he kept things neat, tidy and accurate, keeping the midfield in motion. He did fluff one good chance, though.
21. Jonny Evans, West Bromwich Albion (stay)
Made an instant impact on his return from injury, forcing a late equaliser at London Stadium to grab West Brom a point.
20-16
5 of 20
20. Victor Wanyama, Tottenham Hotspur (-5)
Wanyama's performance against Liverpool was a big disappointment. It's rare that he is dominated all ends up, but it happened on Saturday, and his passing was poor too—a reversion to the old Wanyama we thought was gone.
19. Joel Matip, Liverpool (+1)
Matip has taken a little while to get back to match sharpness and finally found his rhythm against Spurs. He wasn't as hesitant or weak as last week, and his passing was positive, too.
18. Roberto Firmino, Liverpool (+1)
Did everything but score, as is often the case with Firmino. Liverpool played and pressured well as a unit, and that unit was led by the Brazilian.
17. Joe Allen, Stoke City (+1)
Like Matip, Allen chose this week to stop his slide down the rankings and change the record. He scored the only goal in Stoke's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.
16. Virgil van Dijk, Southampton (stay)
Adam Crafton of the Daily Mail brings worrying news: There are fears that Virgil van Dijk may not play again this season due to his ankle injury.
15. Raheem Sterling, Manchester City
6 of 20
Last Week: 17th
Movement: +2
Raheem Sterling clearly enjoys playing against Bournemouth. On Monday he netted his fifth goal in his last four meetings with them.
He went close to a sixth, seeing a well-controlled shot turned on to the post by Artur Boruc, after dipping inside off the flank to collect a Leroy Sane pass.
Sterling had returning full-back Charlie Daniels on toast for the entire first half and created the second goal; he was one of City's finest performers on the night.
14. Kyle Walker, Tottenham Hotspur
7 of 20
Last Week: 9th
Movement: -5
Sometimes, in football, it becomes apparent early in a game that things just aren't going to go your way, and that's precisely what happened to Kyle Walker at Liverpool.
Given the chance to embark on an early foray forward with the ball at his feet, the Englishman dribbled it straight out of play and kicked out in disgust at what he'd done.
It didn't get much better from there; he wasn't Spurs' biggest problem by any stretch, but he didn't play well.
13. Pedro, Chelsea
8 of 20
Last Week: 14th
Movement: +1
Pedro's goal against Burnley won't make the Premier League's best-of-the-season reel—it might not even make Chelsea's one—but, in an unorthodox way, it was a thing of beauty.
The defending could have been better, first from Robbie Brady and then from Michael Keane, and the pass from Victor Moses into Pedro's path took a little nick, which spoilt things a little.
But the touch the Spaniard took to knock it past Keane and into space was indicative of supreme confidence, and his finish was ruthless.
12. Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool
9 of 20
Last Week: 11th
Movement: -1
This was Philippe Coutinho's best performance for a while, but he still hasn't refound his pre-Christmas level.
The No. 10 didn't knock anyone's socks off, but he performed reasonably well as part of a conscious team effort. He did his off-the-ball work and kept it neat in midfield, but he didn't have much luck in and around the Tottenham box.
Even when it's still not quite happening, though, he's a threat from set pieces: His whipped corner at the end of the first half for Lucas Leiva should have been buried.
11. Antonio Valencia, Manchester United
10 of 20
Last Week: 12th
Movement: +1
Man Utd manager Jose Mourinho's January assertion that Antonio Valencia is the world's best right-back still isn't true, but boy is he working his way up these rankings fast.
Another good showing from him coincided, unsurprisingly, with a strong performance from Manchester United. When Valencia plays well, clean-sheet victories are often achieved.
Premier League full-backs have already begun to wilt in the face of Watford's new signing M'Baye Niang, but whenever he matched up against Valencia, the Frenchman found no joy.
10. Mousa Dembele, Tottenham Hotspur
11 of 20
Last Week: 7th
Movement: -3
It's not often that Mousa Dembele is outmuscled and outplayed, so when it happens, you sit up and take notice. He and Wanyama are arguably the most physical pair of holding midfielders in the league, and you sometimes take it for granted that they'll have their way.
Well, Liverpool's Jordan Henderson and Wijnaldum ensured they had a miserable afternoon. Dembele's ball-retention was good, but he never entered any threatening positions, often being shown down blind alleys instead, and conceded the central battle to the hosts, which paved the way for a convincing loss.
9. David Silva, Manchester City
12 of 20
Last Week: 13th
Movement: +4
As Manchester City continue to find their groove, you're likely to see several areas of the team praised.
And while it's true Willy Caballero has improved matters between the sticks, John Stones is confident once again and Gabriel Jesus has been a delight, David Silva is the man making things happen in the middle on a consistent basis and has been the club's best player of late.
Against Bournemouth on Monday, he did what he always does: He used the ball well, stressed the hosts' midfield and created chances. His touch and technique were sublime, and he even put in a few firm challenges where necessary.
8. Toby Alderweireld, Tottenham Hotspur
13 of 20
Last Week: 6th
Movement: -2
To say Liverpool's direct, frenetic approach ruffled Tottenham's feathers on Saturday would be an understatement, as they more or less ran them over for 45 minutes.
The entire Lilywhites back line suffered, and although Toby Alderweireld was the best of the lot, that's only to say he wasn't dispossessed in the buildup to a goal or mercilessly abused on the flanks.
The Belgian got so frustrated he produced a cynical foul that brought his first yellow card of the Premier League season (he's made 17 starts).
7. Sadio Mane, Liverpool
14 of 20
Last Week: 10th
Movement: +3
It took Sadio Mane just a game-and-a-bit to hit top speed in Liverpool colours once again, and his performance against Tottenham on Saturday was outstanding.
He scored both goals in the 2-0 win, with his first effort a wonderful strike following an equally wonderful through ball from Wijnaldum. He also started the counter move for the second, robbing the clumsy Eric Dier in possession and then finishing it off in style.
6. Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal
15 of 20
Last Week: 8th
Movement: +2
Alexis Sanchez had an interesting, divisive game on Saturday as Arsenal beat Hull City 2-0.
From one perspective, he scored both goals in a much-needed victory and stopped the rot setting in on the club at just the right time. From another less-obvious perspective, he used his hand to score one, converted a poor penalty for the second and also collected a booking for simulation.
The narrative can go either way on this one, so we've reduced it down to just the facts: Alexis made the difference on the scoresheet on Saturday—he was a game-winner—and moves up two spots as a result.
5. Danny Rose, Tottenham Hotspur
16 of 20
Last Week: 5th
Movement: None
We at last have some clarification on the Danny Rose injury: According to The Independent's Jack Pitt-Brooke, he's set to miss the rest of February but could return in early March.
4. Ander Herrera, Manchester United
17 of 20
Last Week: 4th
Movement: None
When Manchester United dominate in midfield, people generally attribute it to Paul Pogba, but while the Frenchman can impose his will on a game, he's not usually the catalyst for success.
That man is Ander Herrera, who maintained his excellent form with another strong showing against Watford. His seven tackles were the most of anyone on the pitch, and that typical snappy element of his game set the tone for a strong Red Devils performance.
3. Eden Hazard, Chelsea
18 of 20
Last Week: 2nd
Movement: -1
For 30 minutes at Turf Moor, Eden Hazard was brilliant. Drifting in off the left flank and taking up awkward positions between the lines, he pirouetted into space and ran off the back of midfielders.
But then he faded badly. He ended the game with an impressive nine dribbles, but his ability to genuinely trouble the Clarets' defence disappeared, and he offered little with regard to goal threat.
He shouldn't be solely blamed—the Blues dipped as a collective following their fast start—but this was a game someone like Hazard could have seized and decided with one fell swoop. He did the complete opposite.
2. N'Golo Kante, Chelsea
19 of 20
Last Week: 3rd
Movement: +1
It's that time of year again where everyone realises just how incredibly good N'Golo Kante is.
Chelsea may have wilted a little at Turf Moor, but where Hazard disappeared and Nemanja Matic lost his composure, Kante stepped up to the wheel and kept the ship righted.
Bleacher Report's Alex Dunn believes the Frenchman would be a worthy winner of the various player-of-the-year awards, and while this ranking still has him second to one other, the gap is being closed fast.
1. Diego Costa, Chelsea
20 of 20
Last Week: 1st
Movement: None
Diego Costa, you have been put on notice.
You remain top of the Premier League player rankings because you were just that damn good in the early stretches. Your goal-a-game mantra gave you a sizeable lead ahead of everyone else.
But you've been living on that for weeks; you haven't scored a goal in over 225 minutes of Premier League football. Hazard and Kante are right on your heels, and if you pull another stunt like the one you did on Sunday—where you were easily marshalled by Burnley's Michael Keane—you'll be kicked off your throne.
You have been warned.
All statistics via WhoScored.com
