The nine Premier League players having quietly excellent seasons so far

in , , , , , , ,

So that’s the first set of this season’s Premier League fixtures boxed off. The first international break of the campaign is on the horizon and we’ll now have to wait until 15 September for more league action.

So far, it’s been as intriguing as ever and already standout individuals begin to emerge. In terms of goals, it’s Sadio Mané and Aleksandar Mitrovic, who lead the way at the top of the charts with four goals to their names.

But there have also those who, despite having been vitally important for their sides so far this season, have somewhat gone under the radar. So we’ve decided to give them the attention and publicity they deserve. Here are the nine Premier League players who have been quietly excellent so far this season.

1. Ryan Fraser (Bournemouth)

Ryan Fraser has played an integral part in Bournemouth’s impressive start to the season, which has seen them register seven points so far. The 24-year-old winger has played the full 90 minutes in all four of the Cherries’ league games and looks to have established himself as one of the first names on Eddie Howe’s teamsheet.

In years gone by Fraser has been in and out of the side, competing with the likes of Jordon Ibe, Junior Stanislas and Marc Pugh for one of the wide positions. He has one goal and one assist to his name so far this season and has showcased his versatility by performing in different roles in a number of systems. Honourable mentions should be reserved for Steve Cook and Callum Wilson, both of whom have also started the season in particularly good form for Bournemouth.

Key stat: Fraser has been directly involved in six goals in his last nine league appearances at the Vitality Stadium.

2. Pedro (Chelsea)

With the likes of Eden Hazard and Willian said to have attracted interest from the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona this summer, many thought it would be Pedro who would be out of the frame for Chelsea this season.

But his excellent start, which has seen him net three goals in Chelsea’s first four matches, have made it very difficult for Maurizio Sarri to overlook him. The former Barcelona man, regarded by some as one of the ideal ‘system players’, was benched for the Blues in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Bournemouth but came on at 0-0 to break the deadlock in the second half. With Alvaro Morata still struggling, it may be that Chelsea look to Pedro to provide a lot of their goals this season.

Key stat: Pedro scored three goals in Chelsea’s first four Premier League games, more than he’d managed in his previous 23 league matches.

3. Ben Chilwell (Leicester City)

Ben Chilwell is a player many have been expecting to kick on and establish himself as Leicester’s first-choice left-back for a number of years now. At 21, he’s already made 58 appearances for The Foxes and also has nine England U21 caps to his name

Liverpool are widely reported to have tried to lure Chilwell from Leicester before the beginning of the 2016/17 season and Jürgen Klopp name-checked him as ‘a big talent’ before the Reds’ trip to the King Power Stadium last weekend. The left-back caught the eye in his side’s opening day fixture against Manchester United with some impressive runs forward and good combination play. He has completed all four of Leicester’s league fixtures and looks ready to become one of Claude Puel’s most reliable performers this season.

Chilwell’s good mate James Maddison, it must also be said, has himself impressed in the early stages of the season for The Foxes.

Key stat: Ben Chilwell has completed more take-ons (9) than any other full-back/defender in the Premier League after four games

4. Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool)

The summer arrivals of Naby Keita and Fabinho at Liverpool left many wondering how Jürgen Klopp was going to keep all of his midfield players happy this season. Wijnaldum was one such midfielder expected to play a less prominent role, but instead, he’s established himself as one of the most vital cogs in the Reds’ side this season.

At Newcastle, the Dutchman was very much seen as an attacking midfield or wide player, but Klopp’s use of him has proved that he has many more strings to his bow. The 27-year old has started three of the Reds’ four league games this campaign in the No.6 role and was excellent against Crystal Palace and Brighton in August. Liverpool will have to rotate their side as they begin their domestic cup and Champions League campaigns later this month, but Wijnaldum has proved himself to be a player that Klopp knows will perform well in a variety of midfield positions.

Aside from the star names such as Sadio Mané, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, the likes of James Milner, Joe Gomez and Andrew Robertson have also had solid starts to the new campaign.

Key stat: Wijnaldum misplaced just one pass as Liverpool’s holding midfielder in their 1-0 win over Brighton last month.

5. Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)

After attracting criticism during England’s World Cup campaign, Raheem Sterling has started the new season in impressive style after netting twice in City’s first four matches. The spotlight has perhaps been on the excellent performances of Sergio Aguero and Benjamin Mendy, but Sterling continues to impress under Pep Guardiola.

Riyad Mahrez’s summer arrival has further increased competition for places in the attacking positions at City, but it is Leroy Sane who has struggled for minutes so far this season, with Sterling again proving himself to be a huge goal threat and a constant menace in the forward areas.

Key stat: Sterling became the 11th youngest player to reach half a century of goals in the Premier League with his opening day strike against Arsenal.

6. Alex McCarthy (Southampton)

Alex McCarthy’s form for Southampton towards the end of last season led to suggestions he could be in with an outside chance of making England’s World Cup squad, but Gareth Southgate opted to include Jack Butland and Nick Pope as competition for Jordan Pickford.

But the former Reading, QPR and Crystal Palace ‘keeper has continued to impress and earned himself a recall to the most recent squad after Pope sustained a shoulder injury. As a youngster, McCarthy’s performances for Reading had many believing he was a goalkeeper destined for the very top. That hasn’t quite happened, but the 28-year-old still has time on his side and the downfall of Fraser Forster has seen him establish himself as the main man between the sticks at St. Mary’s. He kept the Saints in the game in their 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace last weekend and if his good form continues then he could be a crucial player for Mark Hughes this season.

Key stat: Of goalkeepers to have conceded no more than five goals in the Premier League, Alex McCarthy has made the most saves (20).

7. Kieran Trippier (Tottenham)

Kieran Trippier won’t be forgetting the summer of 2018 in a hurry after a memorable World Cup run with England which saw him score a fantastic free-kick in the semi-finals. But the right-back has managed to seamlessly switch his focus back to Premier League football and has been one of Spurs’ most impressive performers so far this season.

He netted a similar free-kick to his one in the World Cup in Spurs’ victory over Fulham last month and set up a crucial goal for Harry Kane at Old Trafford the week after. The likes of Kane, Eriksen and Alli continue to take the limelight for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, but Trippier is making a real name for himself as one of the league’s most dangerous players from dead-ball situations and was one of very few players to stand out in Spurs’ defeat to Watford on Sunday.

Key stat: Trippier’s strike against Fulham was just his second Premier League goal to date.

8. Christian Kabasele (Watford)

Centre-back Christian Kabasele is one of many Watford players we could have included in this piece after their perfect start to the season. The likes of Daryl Janmaat, Craig Cathcart, Jose Holebas, Etienne Capoue, Will Hughes and Troy Deeney have all been heroes for the Hornets so far, but Kabasele makes the cut here after some top-class performances in Watford’s backline this season, the second-best in the league so far behind Liverpool.

The Belgium defender has been a victim of the club’s terrible luck with injuries since his arrival from Genk in 2016 but is now standing out as the leading defender in Javi Gracia’s defence. He has dealt with everything thrown at him this season and is always a danger in the opposing area from set-pieces, too. The 27-year old has formed an excellent partnership with Craig Cathcart and looks as if he is only going to improve under the guidance of Gracia at Watford.

Key stat: No Premier League player has made more interceptions than Kabasele (12) in the opening four games of the season.

9. Joao Moutinho (Wolves)

Joao Moutinho is a midfielder who continues to ooze class and has quickly become one of Nuno Espirito Santo’s most important players this season. Ruben Neves has stolen the limelight for his top-class midfield performances and defender Conor Coady also deserves an honourable mention, but Moutinho is the man making Wolves tick right now.

Moutinho was one of a number of eye-catching signings to arrive at Molineux in the summer, having featured for Sporting Lisbon, FC Porto and Monaco, all while acquiring 113 Portugal caps. He has taken extremely well to this new challenge, starting all four of Wolves’ league matches this season and forming a formidable midfield partnership with fellow countryman Neves. Moutinho will have played a vital part in whatever Wolves achieve this season and it is a delight to be able to watch him in the Premier League.

Key stat: Defensively, no Wolves player has made more tackles than Moutinho (13), offensively he has created the most chances for the side (7).

The post The nine Premier League players having quietly excellent seasons so far appeared first on Squawka News.



From Squawka NewsSquawka News https://ift.tt/2LUoRkM
Labels: , , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)