League Focus: Mid Season Premier League Player Awards
The Premier League season is taking shape and though there is a long way before anything is decided, 20 matches is a decent landmark to take a look at the best and the worst of the season so far. Arsenal have proved themselves as genuine title contenders for the first time in years, while West Ham need an Andy Carroll-shaped miracle if they are to avoid the drop. Individually, too, there have been performances that deserve attention, for the right as well as the wrong reasons.
Most Improved and Biggest Decline
There would have to be something of a catastrophe - or maybe just another biting incident - at Liverpool for Luis Suárez to fail to win the golden boot and player of the year awards, having broken countless records in reaching 20 goals from just 15 appearances. There is no denying that he has stepped his performances up to that of an elite world class player, when last season, perhaps there was reason to say he wasn't quite at that extreme. He has moved up in the WhoScored Premier League rankings from second highest rated to first, but his rating has jumped by 0.79 (from 7.89 to 8.68); the second biggest improvement in the top flight.
It has been Arsenal's midfield maestro Aaron Ramsey whose rating has taken the biggest hike, with the Welshman's increasing by an incredible 0.88. A recent injury has threatened to derail the season in which he has announced himself on the European scene, unstoppable as the Gunners' all-action midfielder; only Kyle Walker (1671) and Yaya Touré (1633) have had more touches of the ball than Ramsey (1610) who has played a game fewer, while he ranks eighth in the goalscoring charts (8), joint-top for assists from open play (6) and sixth for tackles (66). He has only truly returned to full fitness this year after his leg break in 2010, but quite how strong he now is astounding.
At the other end of the spectrum, Ramsey's teammate Santi Cazorla seems to have struggled in the shadow of Mesut Özil, with the Spaniard seeing his WhoScored rating drop from 7.83 last season to 7.16 this; that decrease of 0.66 is the second largest in the Premier League. After being one of only 4 players to attain double figures for both goals and assists last season, Cazorla has just 1 and 2, respectively, this season. He is still heavily involved when he does play; only Özil and Silva are completing more passes in the final third of the pitch per game than him (23.6), but what is significant is the marked decrease in key passes he is making (2.5 down to 1.9). He is also laying on a clear cut goalscoring opportunities once every 7 games this season compared to every 2.5 games in 2012/13. With Özil about, Cazorla is sinking into the periphery at the Emirates.
Across London, Sandro has seen his rating decrease more than any other player in the Premier League, with his 0.72 fall a significant worry for the Brazilian. His injury hit Tottenham hard halfway through last season as they again surrendered fourth spot to Arsenal, but this term, when he has been missing, Spurs have not suffered as a direct result. In fact, they have won 42.9% (3 out of 7) of the Premier League games the central midfielder has started this season and 61.5% (8 out of 13) without him. He is averaging a tackle every 40.4 minutes this campaign, having made one every 24.7 minutes last year, while the frequency at which he is making interceptions has also fallen. It is fair to say he has been significantly less effective this season.
Best and Worst Signings
The aforementioned King of the Assists, Mesut Özil has proven one of the signings of the season - the second best, to be precise, in terms of WhoScored rating - and continues to impress despite the expectations that came with his hefty price tag. The German wanders the attacking half, purveying surroundings, constantly looking for space and openings to exploit. Often, he will go significant periods without touching the ball, even when his team is in possession, but he is merely providing his teammates with gaps to take advantage of, and then when he does become involved, his input is vital. Only Wayne Rooney (9) has more assists than him (7) while he has maintained a pass success rate of 87.1%, vastly impressive for such an attack-minded player.
Dejan Lovren (7.41) is the third highest rated new signing behind Özil, but the most successful summer arrival has been Manchester City's Fernandinho (7.58). He has taken to life in the Premier League with aplomb, registering the seventh-highest rating in the whole top flight. He and partner Yaya Touré have formed arguably the league's most powerful, comprehensive and effective central midfield duo, with fantastic ball-winning ability complimenting deadly attacking. Fernandinho has made 55 tackles and 45 interceptions while also adding 3 goals and 2 assists; no player to have won possession anywhere near as many times has as great a goal contribution as him. Furthermore, despite his relatively slight frame, he has won 85.3% of the aerial duels he has contested. Touré is often considered the epitome of an all-round midfielder, but maybe his partner Fernandinho should be the one given more of the limelight.
On the other side of the coin, everybody loves to rib a signing that fails to have an impact, and there have been a few of them this year once again. Tony Pulis recently questioned the ability of his forward Dwight Gayle, pondering whether or not he is up to the rigours of the Premier League, and there may well be reason behind his accusations. Gayle has been rather ineffective this season, obtaining a WhoScored rating of just 6.18 (and only 6.14 when starting). His 3 goals have come from 20 shots, while he has created only 4 chances and completed just 2 successful dribbles in 17 appearances for the Eagles.
At Hull, Danny Graham has registered a rating of just 6.23, having scored just the once since signing. He is also failing in other parts of his game, winning just 40.4% of the aerial duels he has contested, completing an average of just 11 passes per game and making just 1 tackle and 1 interception in 18 Premier League appearances. Aston Villa's Aleksandar Tonev just misses out on the worst signing award, with a rating of 6.24. The Bulgarian seems to be willing to shoot every time he gets the ball and having failed to score with any of his 21 attempts this season, there is good reason for him to change tack. He is averaging a shot every 11.5 touches, the seventh most often in the top flight, and by some distance most frequently of any non-striker. He has struggled to adapt to the Premier League and is showing little sign of proving himself to be capable of doing so.
Best Newcomer
2013/14 has been a breakthrough season for a number of highly impressive youngsters, most notably Ross Barkley at Everton (7.19). He has won himself a place in the England squad, and is likely to be on the plane to Brazil in the summer, with his driving runs from deep causing all kinds of problems for opposition defences. His turn of pace and powerful figure makes him extremely difficult to dispossess, and he has a deadly shot at the end of it, through which he already has 3 goals this season. His television interviews might not be up to much, but at only 20 years of age, there's plenty of time to work on that too. Though perhaps slightly premature, murmurings of a £30m price tag show just how good he has been this season.
The next highest rated player to break through this season is Manchester United's Adnan Januzaj (6.95), who has become a favourite under David Moyes, but understandably needs plenty of time to mature. Already booked for diving 3 times (more than any other team has been in total) and having found a forward with only 12.5% of his crosses, there is work to be done, but the foundations are there for him to become a fantastic player. 3 goals, 2 assists and 2.1 shots per game show a soaring confidence that is a necessary component to go with the ability that is unquestionably present in him, if he is to fulfil his potential.
Who has stood out for the right and wrong reasons this season? Let us know in the comments below
