Ranking the 10 best midfielders in the Premier League
With the 2016-17 Premier League season well underway, theScore is ranking the best players on offer at various positions on the pitch so far.
- 10 best goalkeepers in the Premier League
- 10 best centre-backs in the Premier League
- 10 best full-backs in the Premier League
- 10 best wingers in the Premier League (Nov. 20)
- 10 best forwards in the Premier League (Nov. 21)
In the latest installment, we look to the centre of the pitch, where the creative hubs and midfield maestros of respective Premier League sides roam.
10. Christian Eriksen - Tottenham
Blessed with a penchant for the perfectly weighted pass, the only thing missing from Eriksen's game is goals. Don't let the lack of tallies fool you: Eriksen is very much the straw that stirs Tottenham's drink.
The Danish international's 10 assists in the calendar year is second only to Dimitri Payet's 13, though Eriksen's genius doesn't always translate to the score sheet.
Able to play centrally or on the right, Eriksen was at his best in Tottenham's 4-0 victory over Stoke City where two assists were paired with stunning link-up play with Harry Kane, Dele Alli, and Heung-Min Son.
9. Adam Lallana - Liverpool
From a late bloomer with Southampton to a veritable star and deserved England international on Merseyside, Lallana's emergence has been as stunning as any in the Premier League.
With Georginio Wijnaldum, Lallana has flanked Jordan Henderson in a three-man midfield in support of a front three and the results have been stunning.
Lallana's three goals and five assists have been a bonus for Jurgen Klopp's first-place side, but the Hertfordshire-born midfielder's greatest contribution has been his tireless work. Few players produce more with what they have than the 29-time capped Three Lions stud.
8. Mousa Dembele - Tottenham
Likely deserving of a higher spot on this list amid an area of considerable wealth in England's top flight, Tottenham ball stopper Dembele does something at a world-class level that no other player in the Premier League does.
As prone to stop an attack with a bone-crunching tackle as he is capable of playing a pivotal ball, Dembele has connected on 93 percent of his passes this season.
Paired with summer signing Victor Wanyama in Mauricio Pochettino's midfield, Dembele's displays have displaced last season's darling Eric Dier, and as long as the Belgian international stays happy, Tottenham's title ambitions are a viable endeavor.
7. Dimitri Payet - West Ham
Were it not for Payet's penchant for timely goals and incisive passes, West Ham could be facing a second relegation in seven seasons.
Instead, the 29-year-old playmaker continues to keep Slaven Bilic's ship afloat, leading Europe's top-five leagues with 40 chances created this campaign, nine better than the Premier League's next best, Kevin De Bruyne.
His Man of the Match outings against Sunderland and Middlesbrough were enough to salvage vital points for the stuttering Irons, who continue to depend heavily on Payet and Michail Antonio to replicate last year's seventh-place finish.
6. Paul Pogba - Manchester United
Pogba hasn't exactly lit the world afire since his move to Old Trafford from Juventus, but that's not entirely the French international's fault. Initially slotted in alongside Marouane Fellaini in the Red Devils midfield, Pogba appeared a player low on confidence and short on ideas.
That changed when Ander Herrera was paired with him, and the 23-year-old Le Havre product has been more influential since, though Mourinho's 4-2-3-1 continues to be a concern for fans of the four-time Scudetto winner.
If his performance against Swansea on the other side of the international break is any indication, Pogba could be in for a fine run of form.
5. N'Golo Kante - Chelsea
After a dazzling display with shock title-winner Leicester City, Kante's pedigree with a Chelsea side that stumbled out the gates was put in question. Arsenal dismantled the Blues 3-0, and Kante was spun like a top that's had three pints by Mesut Ozil.
After conceding a treble to the Gunners, Antonio Conte switched to a 3-4-3 formation, and the Londoners haven't looked back.
Much of that can be attributed to Kante, who has formed a rock-solid central midfield pairing with a rejuvenated Nemanja Matic, and that duo has played a massive role in protecting a back three that has been sturdy in its own right. Chelsea hasn't conceded since that trip to the Emirates and Kante is one of two midfielders (Fernandinho) to play every minute in the league this season.
4. Philippe Coutinho - Liverpool
Second only to Ozil (281) in final third passes in Europe's top five leagues with 239, Liverpool's Coutinho is enjoying a career-defining campaign with Jurgen Klopp's table-topping Reds.
Coutinho's five league goals are second best to Sadio Mane's six, and the Brazilian whiz's five assists are joint-top with Lallana as the Inter Milan emerges as a match-winner with both club and country.
Part of Coutinho's stunning campaign is his work off the ball, and his combination play with countryman Roberto Firmino and Mane have made Liverpool's front three unplayable at times. Just ask Watford, Crystal Palace, and Hull City.
3. David Silva - Manchester City
The Premier League's reticent and unassuming star, Silva continues to be one of the top flight's best midfielders while garnering half the praise his peers receive.
An argument can be made that Silva is Manchester City's best ever player, and with apologies to 70's standout Colin Bell, it's a honour that appears more deserved with each appearance.
With the additions of Nolito and Leroy Sane and the revival of Raheem Sterling, Silva has been asked to occasionally assume a deeper role alongside Fernandinho, and while that has curbed his assists totals, it hasn't curtailed his influence.
2. Kevin De Bruyne - Manchester City
On Jan. 18, 2014, then-Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho deemed De Bruyne to be surplus to requirements, selling the Belgian international to Wolfsburg for £18 million.
A year-and-a-half later, De Bruyne returned to the Premier League. The Lower Saxons were £37 million richer, and Manchester City became exponentially better with the addition of the Genk product. Directly involved in 36 goals (18 goals, 18 assists) in 54 matches for City across all comps, De Bruyne is at his best when playing as a "free eight."
And Guardiola is happy to oblige, getting revenge on his former Catalan lot when De Bruyne was the star in a 3-1 Champions League victory over Barcelona in the group stage's most stunning result.
1. Mesut Ozil - Arsenal
After leading the Premier League last season with 18 assists - the highest output since fellow Arsenal star Thierry Henry notched 20 in 2002-03 - pundits and supporters alike wondered if Ozil could add goals to his game.
Wonder no more.
The German World Cup-winner has coupled four Champions League goals with a trio of tallies in the league in a more advanced position, as he, Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott, and Alex Iwobi have combined for a fluid front four that have given the Gunners their best title chance in years.
Besides being involved in nine goals in Arsenal's last six matches, Ozil leads Europe's top leagues with 281 passes in the final third and has dispelled chatter that he lacks the tenacity and work ethic of many of his peers.