Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

Premier League Player Rankings: Kane Up, Alderweireld Down, New No. 1

Sam Tighe

So the Premier League title race has been decided—two weeks early, much to the chagrin of Sky Sports' running order. But the division's player form rankings are still in full flow, as plenty of other clubs (and therefore players) have a lot to play for.

The rankings are based on players' last six games, with slightly more emphasis placed on their most recent outing.

Only Premier League performances are counted, and one-week wonders do not find their way in. That said, if, for example, Sergio Aguero returns from injury and excels in four straight games, he will be selected—if a player plays very well, they can cut the queue.

We look beyond the statistical measures and into the performance, reviewing tape and gauging impact.

It's not just goals, assists and heroic clearances that impress. It's about how a player contributes to the tactical plan at hand and what impact he has over a 90-minute period.

Take a look and see if you agree with our selections, and if you feel like we've missed anyone, let us know in the comments section below.

Dropping out

Julian Finney/Getty Images

Dropping Out

Dele Alli, Tottenham Hotspur: Punched Claudio Yacob and will miss the rest of the season.

Danny Drinkwater, Leicester City: Was playing well against Manchester United but was red-carded and is now suspended.

Roberto Firmino, Liverpool: Saved by Jurgen Klopp for the big upcoming European night.

20. Mark Noble, West Ham United

Ian Walton/Getty Images

Last Week: Unranked (New!)

Mark Noble enters the top 20 for the first time this season. He's been a strong performer all year, but now, as we draw towards the close, he's really started to excel.

He has bagged four goals in his last two games—a feat any striker would be proud to have accomplished—and scored a beautiful, measured volley against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday to cap the 3-0 win.

A couple of weeks back against Arsenal he played a sizable part in a brilliant 3-3 draw, stamping his authority on the midfield in the second half.

19. Virgil Van Dijk, Southampton

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Last Week: 19th

As usual, Virgil van Dijk played well at the weekend. Southampton beat Manchester City 4-2 and, while the defensive line did leak two goals, the Dutchman played an imperious, dominant game.

When you look at the Citizens' back line of Eliaquim Mangala (£40 million) and Nicolas Otamendi (approximately £30 million), you wonder just how much Van Dijk would be worth in comparison.

Based on his performances over the course of the season in comparison to theirs, the figure becomes rather mind-boggling.

18. Robert Huth, Leicester City

Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images

Last Week: 18th

Robert Huth stands pat in 18th position after an OK performance at Old Trafford.

Leicester City weren't as convincing in clearing balls into the box as usual, and while that's hardly all on Huth, he wasn't the rock-solid presence we've perhaps been spoiled by over the last few months.

Sadly, this may well be the last we see of the German this season, as he's been charged with violent conduct by the Football Association after an incident with Marouane Fellaini, per BBC Sport.

17. James Milner, Liverpool

David Ramos/Getty Images

Last Week: 15th (-2)

James Milner was rested this weekend in preparation for Liverpool's UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg against Villarreal. The youngsters toiled in his place.

16. Andy Carroll, West Ham United

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Last Week: Unranked (New!)

Andy Carroll's form over the past month has actually been pretty jaw-dropping; he's managed at least a goal or an assist in each of the last four Premier League games he's played, and he scored a magnificent hat-trick against Arsenal in April that Arsene Wenger will still remember vividly.

Now he's found fitness and strength, he's the battering ram we know and love, bullying defenders, scoring great headers and even drifting wide to set up team-mates with chances.

15. Sadio Mane, Southampton

Clive Rose/Getty Images

Last Week: Unranked (New!)

Perhaps the most predictable new entry of all time in the player rankings arrives in the form of Sadio Mane.

His hat-trick this weekend against Manchester City was the headline story—even ahead of Leicester's failure to beat Manchester United—showcasing what he's capable of when he hits his groove.

Ronald Koeman praised him effusively after the game, but the Southampton manager admitted he's also inconsistent and must find this level more often, per the Daily Echo

In the Senegalese's defence, Mane has scored five in three and in three consecutive, but the boss is spot on; we don't see this Mane enough.

14. Sergio Aguero, Manchester City

OLI SCARFF/Getty Images

Last Week: 14th

Sergio Aguero was rested this weekend in preparation for Manchester City's UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg in Madrid. Boy, did they miss him.

13. Gylfi Sigurdsson, Swansea City

Stu Forster/Getty Images

Last Week: 17th (+4)

Let this be a lesson to Francesco Guidolin: Play Gylfi Sigurdsson as your No. 10 and he thrives; randomly drop him deeper and he probably won't.

Returned to his role between the lines this weekend, the Icelandic creator excelled against an admittedly poor, rotated Liverpool side.

His corner for Andre Ayew's opener was a whipped bullet of a delivery, and he got stuck in defensively. The all-round performance you might say.

12. Shane Long, Southampton

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Last Week: 16th (+4)

For a long time Southampton have been over-reliant on Graziano Pelle, but now, with the emergence of Shane Long as a go-to No. 9, the club can perhaps start to ween themselves off the handsome Italian.

Long's actually been playing superbly for months, but niggling injury issues have disrupted his rhythm. The home loss to Chelsea at the start of March saw Saints start well and dominate via him, but they fell apart after he went off injured.

Against Manchester City, Long's penetrative runs were a problem all day, and he netted after converting Dusan Tadic's hooked cross past Joe Hart.

11. Cesc Fabregas, Chelsea

Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

Last Week: 12th (+1)

An uncharacteristically gritty, tough performance from Cesc Fabregas sees him move up one spot. It's amazing what a derby can do to you, isn't it?

His passing was pretty decent, and he helped turn the tide of the game in the second half, but it was his tackling that impressed the most. He totalled five, per WhoScored.com, and consistently ruffled the feathers of the opponent.

We didn't know you had it in you, Cesc.

10. Jamie Vardy, Leicester City

LEON NEAL/Getty Images

Last Week: 7th (-3)

On Monday, for possibly the first time this season, we were definitively able to say that Jamie Vardy was actually having a party—he hosted his Leicester team-mates to watch Tottenham Hotspur draw with Chelsea and hand them the title.

He was suspended for the game at Old Trafford but is available this weekend.

9. Christian Eriksen, Tottenham Hotspur

Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

Last Week: 9th

Like his fellow midfielders on Monday, Christian Eriksen experienced two things: a lack of space to play in, and a subsequent boiling-over of temperament.

He did manage to produce one wonderful pass, seizing on an error and slipping Son Heung-Min in on goal to finish for 2-0, but otherwise he could not exert his usual level of influence.

At times, he was out on right due to the midfield reshuffle caused by Dele Alli's suspension, and next week he could find himself playing deeper as Mousa Dembele is likely to be suspended.

8. Toby Alderweireld, Tottenham Hotspur

Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

Last Week: 4th (-4)

Possibly for the first time this season, we can say Toby Alderweireld had a bad game. 

He showed some promise in stepping out of defence and intercepting, and he was one of few Tottenham players not to get booked on the night. But he also get tangled up far too often, lost Gary Cahill at a corner for Chelsea's first goal and was eventually taken off with a knee injury.

The Belgian moves down four as a result.

7. Mesut Ozil, Arsenal

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Last Week: 6th (-1)

On occasion, Mesut Ozil can drift to the periphery of games. This happened in the 1-0 win over Norwich City (though, to be fair, very few in a red shirt played any better) as Arsenal just sort of coasted through.

There was one absolute highlight-reel moment, when he half-volleyed an unbelievable pass through several lines of players to find Alexis Sanchez on the counter, but the Chilean could not reward it with a goal.

6. Wes Morgan, Leicester City

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Last Week: 13th (+7)

The biggest mover this week is in fact a leaper, as Wes Morgan surges seven spots and takes up a place just outside the top five.

His equalising goal at Old Trafford on Sunday turned out, in hindsight, to be just enough to bring Leicester City the Premier League title, as the point earned—tallied with Tottenham failing to beat Chelsea on Monday—made them mathematically impossible to catch.

His defensive performance was decent, but it's the captain's intervention at the other end that dominated the headlines this weekend.

5. Dimitri Payet, West Ham United

Ian Walton/Getty Images

Last Week: 10th (+5)

The Tottenham Hotspur implosion has paved the way for Dimitri Payet to move up five spots this week.

After West Ham United had recovered from the early pressure West Bromwich Albion exerted, Payet grew more and more into the game and became his usual threat on the counter.

His runs, passing and decision-making were all excellent, and he had a big hand in two of the three goals his team scored.

4. Riyad Mahrez, Leicester City

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Last Week: 5th (+1)

Riyad Mahrez played a decent game against Manchester United on Sunday, threatening on the counter-attack in space, dribbling well and forcing Marcos Rojo into a tackle that should have resulted in a penalty.

He wasn't always involved—Leicester saw little of the ball so his touches were few and far between—but when he got hold of it he used it well, pushing his side up the pitch as a carrier and winning them space.

3. Mousa Dembele, Tottenham Hotspur

Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

Last Week: 2nd (-1)

We have a feeling this is the last we will see of Mousa Dembele in the player rankings this season; his scratching of Diego Costa in the face on Monday night could well be rewarded with a retrospective ban.

For much of the 90 minutes, he seemed more interested in entering shoving matches than playing football, and his usual dominant presence was missed as Chelsea gained the upper hand for spells of the game.

He even got dispossessed in a dangerous area once—something that rarely happens to one of the league's finest dribblers.

2. N'Golo Kante, Leicester City

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Last Week: 1st (-1)

N'Golo Kante actually looked human on Sunday—a rarity, so savour it while it lasts—as Manchester United more than leveled the midfield battle against him and Danny Drinkwater.

He still provided a typically solid defensive shift, totalling five tackles, per WhoScored.com, but lacked his usual verve moving forward and found opportunities to surge hard to come by.

Immense credit goes to the Red Devils' middle men, who did a great preventative job.

1. Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Last Week: 3rd (+2)

Tottenham Hotspur collapsed at the seams on Monday night as they drew with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but the one player to emerge from the chaos in a good light was Harry Kane.

Not only did he play superbly, dragging the Blues' centre-backs all over, bullying them with his hold-up play and netting the opening goal with an incredibly cool move, but he also kept his head in the pushing and shoving at the end, acting as peacemaker between the two sides.

What a man.

Facebook.com/SamTigheBR

   

Read 0 Comments

Download the app for comments Get the B/R app to join the conversation

Install the App
×
Bleacher Report
(120K+)