Liverpool’s Lallana, Chelsea Duo, And More – 5 Best Premier League Players This Season

Halfway through the Premier League, the fans have been taken through a roller coaster ride. There has been no shortage of excitement, there has been no lack of exhilaration. Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United, the big clubs all occupy the top 6 positions and the race for the title is just getting started. Burnley, in their return to the league,

Burnley, in their return to the league, have held their own so far while Bournemouth too have been a side to watch out for. It has been a story as usual for Sunderland who are stuck at the other end of the table along with Hull City, Swansea City and Crystal Palace as they look to save their season.

This season, we have witnessed some excellent individual performances by the best of the players. Robert Snodgrass’ hot streak for Hull, a battling Jermain Defoe at Sunderland, Alexis Sanchez all fired up, there have been some brilliant individual displays throughout. Here we look at five of the top performers in the league so far:

Diego Costa

The Spaniard has been a man reborn under new the management of Antonio Conte this season. The on-field antics have taken a backseat and he has been in the limelight only for his brilliant performances for Chelsea, unlike the past years.

Costa is the current top scorer in the league with 14 goals from 19 games and has been the key man in Chelsea’s solid season so far. He has delivered the goods on a consistent basis and has stepped up when needed the most, scoring crucial winners against the likes of West Bromwich Albion, Crystal Palace during their 13-game unbeaten run. The newly added dimension of support play to his game has been a delight to watch and has taken him a notch higher.

If Chelsea are to continue to keep a stronghold on their top spot, Costa will have a huge role to play.

Zlatan Ibrahimović

The legendary Swedish striker arrived at Old Trafford for free amid much fanfare but also amid quite a few question marks regarding his age and whether he would be able to stand up to the rigours of the English football.

And Ibra has silenced all those questioners emphatically with some breathtaking displays for Manchester United. He is the second highest goal-scorer in the competition having scored 13 times. Zlatan did go through a period where he struggled for goals, which coincided with United’s worst spell in years during the months of September and October. However, Zlatan has been one of the main reasons for the Red Devils’ strong comeback recently that sees them hot on the heels of the top 5 teams.

He has been an extremely influential personality at the Old Trafford since his arrival and will continue to be so as Mourinho and United go about chasing the Champions League spots.

Alexis Sanchez

Alexis had to start the season in an unfamiliar role of a centre-forward this term and there were plenty of doubters over Arsene Wenger’s decision to use the Chilean through the middle.

However, the 28-year old has taken to the role of a central striker like a duck takes to water and has been the Gunners’ best player so far. Having scored 13 times already in the league, he is a joint second top scorer in the league with 13 goals. He has also chipped in with 7 assists so far and has been Wenger’s go-to man throughout the first half of the season.

With Arsenal going through a somewhat of a disappointing run of results at the end of the year, his role becomes much more important as the Gunners go about chasing the title that has eluded them for so long.

Cesar Azpilicueta

Playing in a totally new role on the right-side of the three-man defence, Cesar Azpilicueta has been nothing short of a revelation this term for Chelsea.

The Spaniard has impressed everyone with his solid displays at the back, while he has regularly chipped in with assists for his teammates. His defensive nous, along with his pace and positioning has been an asset for the Blues in their new 3-4-3 system and as a result, he has become irreplaceable in the line-up.

Azpilicueta’s presence has also aided David Luiz in growing into a better player and as a result, the Chelsea defence is looking extremely airtight. His comfort in an unfamiliar position and his excellent displays have meant Azpilicueta has become one of the best defenders in the league this season.

Adam Lallana

The former Southampton star is enjoying his best season in the Liverpool colours this term. After a slow start to life at Anfield, Lallana has blossomed into one of the best-attacking midfielders in the country this year under manager Jurgen Klopp.

Liverpool sits in the second position in the league and Lallana has had a huge hand to play in their current status. The 28-year old is Liverpool’s second leading scorer having scored 7 times and has also set up 7 more strikes for his teammates. He has started to influence games for the Reds and has been extremely vital with his darting runs from the midfield.

In the absence of Coutinho, Lallana has taken over the mantle of the creator on the pitch and has been destroying defences with his incisive movement and his silky touch. His link-up play with the rest of the forward line has been scintillating. He will have an important part to play in Liverpool’s title challenge this term.