EPL 100: Ranking of Premier League's Best Players After Matchday 32
The return of the Premier League means the return of the EPL 100, and what an explosive set of fixtures to come back to.
Serious moves were made with regard to top-four finishes and relegation avoidance, leaving some clubs sitting pretty and others looking rather the worse for wear.
We have updated our lists to take into account the latest gameweek. They are divided into seven position groups and based solely on performances in the Premier League in 2017-18.
To be eligible, a player must have taken part in at least half the games his team has played.
Goalkeepers
1 of 7
Sound the new No. 1 klaxon: There's a change in the goalkeeper section.
Ederson hasn't necessarily done much wrong of late, with only the most accurate of Yannick Bolasie strikes beating him at the weekend, but David De Gea has been busier and therefore has had more of a chance to impress. That allows the Spaniard to nudge ahead, with two smart stops against Swansea City sealing the deal.
Kasper Schmeichel's penalty save and clean sheet give him a big boost, moving him into fifth, while Hugo Lloris' uncertain showing at Stamford Bridge sees him drop.
Biggest rise: Kasper Schmeichel (+4)
Biggest fall: Hugo Lloris (-3)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | David De Gea (+1) | Manchester United |
| 2 | Ederson (-1) | Manchester City |
| 3 | Nick Pope (Stay) | Burnley |
| 4 | Lukasz Fabianski (Stay) | Swansea City |
| 5 | Kasper Schmeichel (+4) | Leicester City |
| 6 | Jordan Pickford (Stay) | Everton |
| 7 | Thibaut Courtois (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 8 | Hugo Lloris (-3) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 9 | Mat Ryan (-1) | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 10 | Jonas Lossl (Stay) | Huddersfield Town |
Right-Backs/Right Wing-Backs
2 of 7
Five players move places in the right-back section this week.
Matthew Lowton, Kiko Femenia and Hector Bellerin all played to varying degrees of success to ensure they move up, with the Burnley man producing another sublime pass to create a goal for Chris Wood.
Despite Victor Moses' assist against Tottenham Hotspur, he moves down; the other parts of his performance simply weren't up to scratch.
Biggest rise: Kiko Femenia (+2)
Biggest fall: Joe Gomez (-2)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Kyle Walker (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 2 | Antonio Valencia (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 3 | Matthew Lowton (+1) | Burnley |
| 4 | Victor Moses (-1) | Chelsea |
| 5 | Kiko Femenia (+2) | Watford |
| 6 | Kieran Trippier (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 7 | Joe Gomez (-2) | Liverpool |
| 8 | DeAndre Yedlin (Stay) | Newcastle United |
| 9 | Hector Bellerin (+1) | Arsenal |
| 10 | Danny Simpson (New!) | Leicester City |
Left-Backs/Left Wing-Backs
3 of 7
Andrew Robertson put in a man-of-the-match performance for Liverpool on Saturday, helping them to victory when it looked like they would slip up at Crystal Palace.
Ashley Young is on the rise following a good, solid performance against Swansea, while Marcos Alonso acquitted himself pretty well from an attacking perspective against Tottenham.
Ryan Bertrand was part of a putrid Southampton performance at West Ham United and moves down, and his opposition for the day—Arthur Masuaku, fresh from a six-game suspension—showed what a dominant performance from the flank looks like.
Biggest rise: Multiple (+1)
Biggest fall: Fabian Delph (-2)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Andrew Robertson (Stay) | Liverpool |
| 2 | Ben Davies (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 3 | Ashley Young (+1) | Manchester United |
| 4 | Marcos Alonso (+1) | Chelsea |
| 5 | Fabian Delph (-2) | Manchester City |
| 6 | Stephen Ward (Stay) | Burnley |
| 7 | Sead Kolasinac (Stay) | Arsenal |
| 8 | Ben Chilwell (+1) | Leicester City |
| 9 | Ryan Bertrand (-1) | Southampton |
| 10 | Arthur Masuaku (New!) | West Ham United |
Centre-Backs
4 of 7
It wasn't a strong week for centre-backs, and that's why you may see some movements that perplex you at first glance. Allow us to explain, though.
Kurt Zouma, Phil Jones and James Tomkins didn't play but move up a place or two, because those just above them last week played poorly. We're talking Antonio Rudiger (error-strewn) and Virgil van Dijk (handed Christian Benteke a golden chance) here.
Andreas Christensen's slide down the rankings continues after another jittery showing, while Nicolas Otamendi leaps into second.
Biggest rise: Multiple (+2)
Biggest fall: Multiple (-2)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Jan Vertonghen (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 2 | Nicolas Otamendi (+1) | Manchester City |
| 3 | Cesar Azpilicueta (-1) | Chelsea |
| 4 | James Tarkowski (Stay) | Burnley |
| 5 | Ben Mee (Stay) | Burnley |
| 6 | Jamaal Lascelles (Stay) | Newcastle United |
| 7 | Davinson Sanchez (+1) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 8 | Nacho Monreal (+1) | Arsenal |
| 9 | Andreas Christensen (-2) | Chelsea |
| 10 | Harry Maguire (+1) | Leicester City |
| 11 | Christopher Schindler (-1) | Huddersfield Town |
| 12 | Kurt Zouma (Stay) | Stoke City |
| 13 | Lewis Dunk (Stay) | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 14 | Phil Jones (+2) | Manchester United |
| 15 | James Tomkins (+2) | Crystal Palace |
| 16 | Virgil van Dijk (-2) | Liverpool |
| 17 | Antonio Rudiger (-1) | Chelsea |
| 18 | Alfie Mawson (-1) | Swansea City |
| 19 | Nathan Ake (New!) | Bournemouth |
| 20 | Shkodran Mustafi (New!) | Arsenal |
Defensive Midfielders/Central Midfielders
5 of 7
Arsenal may have struggled to function at times against Stoke City, but Aaron Ramsey put in a brilliant individual performance full of his trademark energy and clever runs. He moves up to seventh, closely followed by Eric Dier.
We have two new entries in the lower reaches—both from Newcastle United—as Jonjo Shelvey and Mohamed Diame have formed a brilliant partnership to lead the Magpies to vital points. They're going to stay up, and these two are a major reason why.
Biggest rise: Multiple (+2)
Biggest fall: Abdoulaye Doucoure (-3)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | David Silva (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 2 | Fernandinho (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 3 | N'Golo Kante (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 4 | Nemanja Matic (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 5 | Paul Pogba (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 6 | Mousa Dembele (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 7 | Aaron Ramsey (+1) | Arsenal |
| 8 | Eric Dier (+1) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 9 | Jack Cork (+2) | Burnley |
| 10 | Abdoulaye Doucoure (-3) | Watford |
| 11 | Emre Can (-1) | Liverpool |
| 12 | Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (+2) | Liverpool |
| 13 | Wilfred Ndidi (Stay) | Leicester City |
| 14 | Mario Lemina (-2) | Southampton |
| 15 | Lewis Cook (Stay) | Bournemouth |
| 16 | Jonjo Shelvey (New!) | Newcastle United |
| 17 | Mohamed Diame (New!) | Newcastle United |
| 18 | Aaron Mooy (-2) | Huddersfield Town |
| 19 | Jonathan Hogg (-1) | Huddersfield Town |
| 20 | Cesc Fabregas (-1) | Chelsea |
Attacking Midfielders/Wingers
6 of 7
Christian Eriksen's statement performance against Chelsea on Sunday lifts him into the top five. Contrast what he managed on the pitch to the man he's leapfrogged, Eden Hazard, and perhaps it's time to rethink the Dane's status in world football. Is he an elite playmaker?
Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling switch again—that's an intriguing private battle between two colleagues—while Mesut Ozil, Heung-Min Son and Dele Alli all move up after impressing. The former MK Dons man caught the world's attention with his brace.
Biggest rise: Dele Alli (+4)
Biggest fall: Riyad Mahrez (-3)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Kevin De Bruyne (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 2 | Mohamed Salah (Stay) | Liverpool |
| 3 | Leroy Sane (+1) | Manchester City |
| 4 | Raheem Sterling (-1) | Manchester City |
| 5 | Christian Eriksen (+1) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 6 | Eden Hazard (-1) | Chelsea |
| 7 | Heung-Min Son (+1) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 8 | Mesut Ozil (+2) | Arsenal |
| 9 | Sadio Mane (Stay) | Liverpool |
| 10 | Riyad Mahrez (-3) | Leicester City |
| 11 | Jesse Lingard (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 12 | Alexis Sanchez (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 13 | Dele Alli (+4) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 14 | Juan Mata (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 15 | Jose Izquierdo (Stay) | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 16 | JB Gudmundsson (Stay) | Burnley |
| 17 | Anthony Martial (-2) | Manchester United |
| 18 | Bernardo Silva (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 19 | Willian (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 20 | Marcus Rashford (Stay) | Manchester United |
Strikers
7 of 7
Marko Arnautovic's spectacular showing against Southampton launches him back into the top 10; he replaces Glenn Murray, who missed a penalty against Leicester City. That shifts Chris Wood, who scored again, up one.
Otherwise it's as you were, with injuries to Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane playing a major part in this section's stagnation.
Romelu Lukaku has been superb of late, but there's still a way for him to go to overtake Aguero. Gabriel Jesus may getting up to speed, but he also has a lot of catching-up to do.
Biggest rise: Chris Wood (+1)
Biggest fall: None
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Harry Kane (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 2 | Roberto Firmino (Stay) | Liverpool |
| 3 | Sergio Aguero (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 4 | Romelu Lukaku (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 5 | Jamie Vardy (Stay) | Leicester City |
| 6 | Wilfried Zaha (Stay) | Crystal Palace |
| 7 | Gabriel Jesus (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 8 | Alvaro Morata (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 9 | Chris Wood (+1) | Burnley |
| 10 | Marko Arnautovic (New!) | West Ham United |
All statistics via WhoScored.com
