There are a lot of players operating in the league who don’t get the praise they deserve from the wider football community. Every football supporter knows their own club inside out and will know some of their players are underrated by fans of other clubs. I’ll be looking at five players who I consider to be underrated and who deserve more recognition.
At the start of his Liverpool career, Jordan Henderson was a laughing stock within football after Liverpool spent £75m on him, Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing. He has since shown he was wrongly grouped with Carroll and Downing as he has become an integral part of the Liverpool side who are now serious Champions League contenders. He has started all of Liverpool’s 20 league games, yet he still struggles to get into the England squad.
The former Sunderland midfielder has suffered from the stigma around his transfer, but it’s time we moved on and appreciated his performances on the pitch. He has scored once and assisted five this season which is impressive. He has also created 39 chances (as per squawka) one every 46 minutes. With the dearth of English players starting regular Premier League matches, Henderson has to go to Brazil, especially as Tom Cleverley is likely to be on the plane and the Liverpool player is far superior.
Roberto Martinez has changed the Everton style of play this season and one beneficiary has been Seamus Coleman who is now seen as one of the best full backs in the league. He has been given the license to play as a wing back which has led to him becoming one of Everton’s most dangerous attacking forces. Before this season, Leighton Baines was the full back that opposition teams feared, but Coleman has been far better this campaign. The Irishman has scored an incredible five goals from full back while contributing with one assist. He has also played every minute of Everton’s league season which shows his incredible fitness. If his form continues, Champions League clubs will become interested as there is a lack of quality full backs at the highest level.
Lots of the Englishmen at Southampton have been praised this season, but one man that isn’t often praised is Frenchman Morgan Schneiderlin. His partnership with Victor Wanyama was one of the reasons that Southampton started the way they did. His passing is brilliant as he rarely gives the ball away, and he can also contribute goals after grabbing five last season. This campaign hasn’t been as fruitful for Schneiderlin as he has scored only one to date. He has been a key presence in Southampton’s quick breakaways as he gets the ball from defence to attack quickly. His passing accuracy is 87.05% which is up there with the best in the division. The Frenchman is also very effective at pressing and dispossessing opponents with a tackling success rate of 73.02%. He is also eligible for England after living in the country for five years, he is yet to be capped for France.
One player that went under the radar during Newcastle’s shopping spree in France was Yoan Gouffran, who is now a crucial part of the side. He has made the left wing position his own keeping Hatem Ben Arfa and Jonas Gutierrez on the sidelines which is no mean feat. The former Bordeaux player has scored six goals and assisted two this season, which is very impressive. He also works incredibly hard defensively which has made him a real hit with the Toon Army. The indications from France were that Gouffran was a lazy striker, but he has proved that wrong and proved himself as a hard working winger. His chance conversion rate (32%) is actually better than Loic Remy’s (26%) which is incredible given the praise his team-mate has received this season.
The Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic is one of the best shot-stoppers in the league, if not the best, yet he is still awaiting a move to a bigger club. There have been links with Manchester City, but Joe Hart looks to have secured his place again after a spell on the bench. Begovic has kept six clean sheets which is highly impressive in a side like Stoke. He has made 61 saves so far this season. Furthermore he has made 34 high cross catches which show he has a strong command of his area. The Bosnian goalkeeper will be keen to move on to a club in European competition soon as he has all the attributes to secure himself as one of the best goalkeepers on the world. He can’t do that at Stoke.
All stats are compiled with the help of whoscored and squawka.com
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