The 2017-18 season has so far been very entertaining, with goals flowing all around and for the first time in many years, some teams look strong enough to challenge for the Champions League. Without drawing any conclusions as to who would win the league or who would be the top scorer, let's look at the top ten players on the basis of their performance in this year's Premier League season so far.
10.Phil Jones
At number 10 comes the mouth agaping, head first sliding, injury prone defender Phil Jones. The central figure in the best defence in the league, Phil Jones is everything a central defender must be. Strong and not shying away from repelling the opposition attack with any part of his body.
9.David Silva
Joey Barton said this about the little Spaniard, "For me, he is the best in the Premier League by an absolute mile." While that is up for debate, we certainly can not prove it wrong either. He has created more assists and goalscoring chances than any player in the league so far at 6 and 23 respectively. With a stat like that he has certainly earned his spot on this list.
8. Harry Kane
Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that he doesn't have any words to describe Harry Kane!
Having scored more goals than Cristiano Ronaldo (15 in 20 vs 25 in 23) in the calendar year 2017 and having a better shots-to-goals ratio than Messi and Ronaldo, the only words that I can think of are, "world-class"!
The only thing that can stop him from scoring is a month in the calendar!
7. Cesar Azpilicueta
Cesar Azpilicueta or as Blues fans like to call him "Dave" has as many assists as Paul Pogba and Christian Eriksen combined! known to do the right thing at the right time Azpilicueta has become the main man at Chelsea having played every minute of Premier league in 2016-17 as well as 2015-16. His consistency in doing everything at an equally high level has earned him a spot on this list.
6. Mohammed Salah
Salah was named the best player of the week by UEFA ahead of Ronaldo and Messi despite both players scoring a brace for their respective clubs. If that doesn't tell you about the quality of Salah then I don't know what will. he has directly contributed to 5 of Liverpool's goal. WIth a defence like that, they really need the Egyptian Messi.
5. Cristian Eriksen
The Premier League is blessed with playmakers of the highest quality. Mkhitaryan, Silva, Ozil, Hazard, Coutinho all balance the ferocity of Premier League with beautiful touches and intricate playmaking. Eriksen is one such player who goes about his business and never really demands attention. So far he has directly contributed to 4 goals but those stats do not speak anything of the freedom that he provides Kane and Alli. Every build up to a Spurs goal passes from the feet of Eriksen and that is what makes him one of the very best.
4. Kevin De Bruyne
De Bruyne set foot in the Premier League for the second time in 2015 and quickly embarrassed the media who had written him off as a "The £60M Reject".
16 goals and 14 assists in his first season at Man City earned him wide acclaim. Now operating in a deeper role, De Bruyne has been hailed as, "one of the best players I've ever seen in my life" by Pep Guardiola. Now playing as an unconventional No 10, De Bruyne has been revelling in the role and the Man City board is about to double his wages and give him the captain armband. Now that is what you call importance!
3. Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku is not just a flat track bully, he is something more than that. Strong, big, fast, defenders just fear the sight of him. Being the striker of one of the biggest clubs in the world comes with a lot of pressure but Lukaku has not just managed it, he has become the focal point of the team and that is no mean feat! 6 goals in as many games, Lukaku has continued his Everton form into the new team and is expected to be among the top scorers in the league this year as well.
2. Alvaro Morata
There was immense pressure on Morata after leaving Real Madrid. Language, weather, new team-mates and a very large void to be filled after Costa's theatrics. He has not just settled in, he has made it his home. 6 goals and 2 assists in 6 games prove just how well of a job he has done after coming to a league which is thought to be the toughest in the world. The fact that he doesn't even have to bully the defenders to score goals speaks volumes of the skills that he possesses.
1.Sergio Aguero
People were very eager to write Aguero off after Gabriel Jesus' arrival but he has not just risen to the challenge, he has smashed it. 6 goals and 3 assists in 6 games show just how good of a striker he really is. Thiery Henry, arguably one of the greatest strikers to ever grace the Premier League had this to say about Aguero, "The only one who is world class, or has been world class, is Aguero because of the longevity of what he has done in this league, year in and year out". He added,
"You have to give him a bit of credit. I think sometimes we bypass Aguero like he didn’t happen.”
And he's every bit right. We forget how good Aguero is, as he doesn't have a fancy hairstyle or a fancy celebration to go with his goals. He's far too private to be truly appreciated for being the best striker in the Premier League!