EPL 100: Ranking of Premier League's Best Players After Matchday 15
As if Friday wasn't the best day of the week already, we've got a treat in store to make this one even better: an EPL 100 that covers two gameweeks (last weekend and this week's midweek round), making for a pulsating edition.
Two good showings can bring about big leaps for certain players, while two bad showings can send some plummeting. You'll notice patterns as you read through, with particular clubs' representatives (West Ham United and Manchester City, for example) prospering and some not so much.
Only performances in the 2018-19 Premier League season affect this ranking. Reputations, cup performances and European showings matter not.
To be eligible, players need to have started at least 50 per cent of the games—so, in this case, eight (or more) out of 15. That rules the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, Riyad Mahrez, Andre Gomes, Ross Barkley and Pedro out for this edition.
Players who have appeared in multiple positions (Bernardo Silva, Richarlison) are categorized by the spot they've played most. If those values are level, they fall into the category for the role they played most recently.
The idea is for our rankings to give you an idea on a week-to-week basis of who the best in each position has been this season. So, if a Team of the Season was crowned this early, the No. 1s in each category would be our choices.
Goalkeepers
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Some of the Premier League's goalkeepers have hit form. We have a high-performing glut, stretching from Martin Dubravka in first to Ederson Moraes in sixth.
Bernd Leno joins us in seventh after having finally started enough games to become eligible, although he does so after one of his poorest weeks for Arsenal yet. Handling issues and a soft goal conceded against Tottenham Hotspur don't negate his strong season to date, though.
Jordan Pickford's bizarre error in the Merseyside derby drops him four spots. David De Gea's mistake against Arsenal sees him fall out of the top 10 completely. Joe Hart re-enters after two brilliant performances on the bounce.
Biggest rise: Alisson Becker (+4)
Biggest fall: Jordan Pickford (-4)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Martin Dubravka (Stay) | Newcastle |
| 2 | Hugo Lloris (Stay) | Tottenham |
| 3 | Lukasz Fabianski (Stay) | West Ham |
| 4 | Alisson Becker (+4) | Liverpool |
| 5 | Ben Foster (Stay) | Watford |
| 6 | Ederson Moraes (+3) | Manchester City |
| 7 | Bernd Leno (New!) | Arsenal |
| 8 | Jordan Pickford (-4) | Everton |
| 9 | Joe Hart (New!) | Burnley |
| 10 | Mat Ryan (Stay) | Brighton |
Right-Backs/Right Wing-Backs
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Trent Alexander-Arnold has launched himself back into form and is closing in on the top two. His deliveries from the right have become one of Liverpool's primary weapons in attack.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka drops two places after a poor performance against Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday night. DeAndre Yedlin had a really tough week, getting overrun by West Ham and Everton, and also drops a couple of spots.
Ricardo Pereira is improving defensively with every game, and adding that to his attacking play makes him one fierce right-sider.
Biggest rise: Ricardo Pereira (+3)
Biggest fall: Aaron Wan-Bissaka, DeAndre Yedlin (-2)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Kyle Walker (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 2 | Matt Doherty (Stay) | Wolves |
| 3 | Trent Alexander-Arnold (+1) | Liverpool |
| 4 | Pablo Zabaleta (+1) | West Ham |
| 5 | Aaron Wan-Bissaka (-2) | Crystal Palace |
| 6 | Ricardo Pereira (+3) | Leicester City |
| 7 | Hector Bellerin (-1) | Arsenal |
| 8 | Cesar Azpilicueta (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 9 | DeAndre Yedlin (-2) | Newcastle |
| 10 | Seamus Coleman (Stay) | Everton |
Left-Backs/Left-Wing-Backs
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We have a change at the top: For the first time in eight editions, Marcos Alonso is not the No. 1 left-back.
He put in two below-par performances in a row, struggling to impact offensively and costing his side defensively. That allows Andrew Robertson to take his place despite only playing one of the two games last week.
Lucas Digne's steady rise continues; he's been so impressive he's been nominated for the Premier League Player of the Month award for November.
Jose Holebas is trending the opposite way; after getting rinsed inside and out by Riyad Mahrez on Tuesday, he's down to eighth.
Biggest rise: Luke Shaw (+2)
Biggest fall: Jose Holebas (-2)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Andy Robertson (+1) | Liverpool |
| 2 | Marcos Alonso (-1) | Chelsea |
| 3 | Ben Chilwell (Stay) | Leicester City |
| 4 | Lucas Digne (+1) | Everton |
| 5 | Jonny (-1) | Wolves |
| 6 | Luke Shaw (+2) | Manchester United |
| 7 | Benjamin Mendy (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 8 | Jose Holebas (-2) | Watford |
| 9 | Paul Dummett (Stay) | Newcastle |
| 10 | Ben Davies (Stay) | Tottenham |
Centre-Backs
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News that Joe Gomez has fractured his foot is a big blow to Liverpool. He's been an outstanding performer this season, making great strides alongside the imperious Virgil van Dijk.
Last week Shane Duffy rose eight spots as a reward for his great form. This week he drops six after a silly headbutt on Patrick van Aanholt that resulted in a straight red card. His partner, Lewis Dunk, impressed in his stead and receives a big boost, moving straight into the Irishman's old spot.
Issa Diop put in two commanding performances, leading to a four-spot rise, and West Ham colleague Fabian Balbuena joins us in 20th after playing very well against Newcastle United.
Biggest rise: Lewis Dunk (+10)
Biggest fall: Shane Duffy, Craig Cathcart (-6)
Defensive Midfielders/Central Midfielders
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Manchester City continue to occupy the top three spots in this section, but the order in which they do so has shifted again. Bernardo Silva was far from his best this past week—in fact, he was a little error-prone and sloppy at times—so Fernandinho nips in ahead of him.
There's been some disgruntlement regarding how Fernandinho goes about his work in midfield for the Citizens, as his method of pinning opponents in their own half often consists of fouling cynically to prevent counter-attacks. Referees seem to be largely OK with it, though, so there's no reason to mark him down for it.
Declan Rice was key to two good wins for West Ham, controlling from the centre, while James Milner put in his best Premier League performance for a while, ending a mini-slump in form.
Biggest rise: Declan Rice (+4)
Biggest fall: Multiple (-2)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | David Silva (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 2 | Fernandinho (+1) | Manchester City |
| 3 | Bernardo Silva (-1) | Manchester City |
| 4 | Lucas Torreira (Stay) | Arsenal |
| 5 | Idrissa Gueye (Stay) | Everton |
| 6 | Etienne Capoue (Stay) | Watford |
| 7 | Jorginho (+1) | Chelsea |
| 8 | Declan Rice (+4) | West Ham |
| 9 | Georginio Wijnaldum (-2) | Liverpool |
| 10 | Aaron Mooy (-1) | Huddersfield Town |
| 11 | Philip Billing (-1) | Huddersfield Town |
| 12 | Abdoulaye Doucoure (+1) | Watford |
| 13 | Ruben Neves (-2) | Wolves |
| 14 | James Milner (+3) | Liverpool |
| 15 | Joao Moutinho (Stay) | Wolves |
| 16 | N'Golo Kante (-2) | Chelsea |
| 17 | Moussa Sissoko (+1) | Tottenham |
| 18 | Jonathan Hogg (-2) | Huddersfield Town |
| 19 | Mateo Kovacic (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 20 | Jonjo Shelvey (Stay) | Newcastle |
Attacking Midfielders/Wingers
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There's a lot going on in this section this week: big moves, position changes for players, notable new entries and more.
We'll start with the headline: Leroy Sane has finally started enough games to enter the rankings, and he begins at No. 4. His output (six goals and five assists in eight starts) has been almost incomprehensibly good, and Manchester City have truly found their groove since his permanent return to the XI.
James Maddison and Felipe Anderson both excelled this week and are rewarded with a top-10 spot, while Christian Eriksen's return to fitness and form lands him a place in 13th.
If you're wondering where Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has gone, check the next slide.
Biggest rise: Leroy Sane (New!)
Biggest fall: Alexi Iwobi (Out)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Raheem Sterling (Stay) | Manchester City |
| 2 | Eden Hazard (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 3 | Ryan Fraser (+1) | Bournemouth |
| 4 | Leroy Sane (New!) | Manchester City |
| 5 | Gylfi Sigurdsson (-2) | Everton |
| 6 | Mohamed Salah (-1) | Liverpool |
| 7 | Anthony Martial (+2) | Manchester United |
| 8 | David Brooks (-1) | Bournemouth |
| 9 | James Maddison (+4) | Leicester City |
| 10 | Felipe Anderson (+5) | West Ham |
| 11 | Sadio Mane (-3) | Liverpool |
| 12 | Lucas Moura (+2) | Tottenham |
| 13 | Christian Eriksen (New!) | Tottenham |
| 14 | Roberto Pereyra (-4) | Watford |
| 15 | Willian (-4) | Chelsea |
| 16 | Marc Albrighton (New!) | Leicester City |
| 17 | Nathan Redmond (+1) | Southampton |
| 18 | Robert Snodgrass (New!) | West Ham |
| 19 | Solly March (New!) | Brighton |
| 20 | Alex Pritchard (New!) | Huddersfield Town |
Strikers
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They've been tussling with one another all season, and this week there's another swap at the top: Callum Wilson leaps ahead of Sergio Aguero after bagging two goals and one assist in his last two appearances.
It's perhaps slightly harsh on Aguero, who is injured and can't defend his crown, but the Bournemouth striker's body of work for the campaign is now better, so he deserves the spot.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's recent run at the tip of Arsenal's formation sees him move to what many would consider to be his rightful section. He jumps in at third.
Richarlison might consider himself to be rather unlucky in moving down three after scoring, but that's more a reflection of Aubameyang moving in. There's also the Brazilian's performance in the Merseyside derby, which was quiet, rather than the goalscoring one against Newcastle United.
Biggest rise: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (+3)
Biggest fall: Wilfried Zaha (Out)
All statistics via WhoScored.com.
