TT’s Player of the Year ladder: Mane man; Wolves star bursts into top 10

Raul Jimenez Wolves celeb TEAMtalk

Our new feature ranks the players leading the charge to be named Player of the Year, as a new leader takes charge at the summit and the top 10 receives two new entries.

 

Every month we’ll be ranking the Premier League’s 10 best players in a bid to calculate who is on course to be crowned Player of the Year.

We’ll explain our thoughts, show you the climbers and fallers and name the players threatening to break into the top 10….

Recall our top 10 in October here.

 

1/ Sadio Mane

So how was November for you, Sadio? Well, it started with an injury-time winner against Aston Villa after he’d provided a brilliant cross for Andy Robertson to equalise with three minutes left. It continued with the killer third goal in the decisive 3-1 win over Man City and continued with the opener in the 2-1 win at Crystal Palace. That’s 12 for the season and, for all the contributions from elsewhere, Mane has been Liverpool’s chief difference maker.

(Last month: 3rd)

 

2/ Kevin De Bruyne

 

The Premier League’s assist king with nine – three more than anyone else – and ended November with a goal-of-the-month contender at Newcastle which should have sealed the points until City’s defence conceded. You feel he’s doing his bit but some of his teammates are not.

(Last month: 2nd)

 

3/ Raheem Sterling

A whopping 19 goals for club and country this season although November wasn’t a great one for him. Sterling scored just twice in seven games and neither goal was enough to earn City victory. Drops a couple of spots for now (it’s tough at the top!) despite his fantastic output so far.

(Last month: 1st)

 

4/ Jamie Vardy

Lean, mean and doing it for the team. Despite turning 33 this coming January, Vardy shows not one hint of slowing down. He’s as lethal as ever and tops the Premier League scoring charts with 13, averaging a goal every 97 minutes as Leicester, rather than Manchester City, continue to put their hands up as Liverpool’s nearest challengers. Three assists too.

(Last month: 4th)

 

5/ Virgil Van Dijk

Okay, the clean sheets have dried up a little but when Liverpool do concede in the league, the Dutchman, with his combination of speed, presence and anticipation, makes sure that no further goals go in. And he’s a threat at the other end two as shown by his match-winning double in the 2-1 victory over Brighton.

(Last month: 7th)

 

6/ Trent Alexander-Arnold

Does his bit defensively but it’s going forward where TAA comes to life. Since the start of last season, the Scouser has provided an eye-popping 17 assists in the Premier League, more than anyone over the same period. And he knows his worth for Fantasy League managers! (see tweet).

(Last month: 9th)

 

7/ Raul Jimenez

The Wolves striker is absolutely en fuego. Jimenez has found the net in seven of his last 10 games in all comps and already has 15 for the season across Europe and the Premier League. Worth his weight in gold and a big factor in helping Wolves climb into the top six.

(New entry)

 

8/ Tammy Abraham

Hitting double digits in the Premier League before the end of November is an excellent achievement. Abraham has been given his chance and taken it with both hands, feet and head. And perhaps it was significant that when he missed a game through injury, Chelsea couldn’t muster a goal and fell to defeat against West Ham.

(Last month: 10th)

 

9/ Wilfried Ndidi

If it seems hard to fathom how a Brendan Rodgers team has the best defensive record in the Premier League, Ndidi helps explain the riddle. Jonny Evans and Caglar Soyuncu have been excellent but have been made to look even better by Ndidi doing the dirty work in front of them. The midfielder also showed his attacking prowess in the comeback win over Everton.

(Last month: 8th)

 

 

10/ Heung-Min Son

 

A vital, fast-turning cog in the Spurs attack and his tally of six Premier League assists, including two against Bournemouth at the weekend, is only bettered by De Bruyne. Has also netted nine goals in 18 appearances this season and Jose Mourinho will quickly have realised that he has an absolute gem on his hands.

(New entry)

 

Bubbling Under….

Andy Robertson, Fabinho, James Maddison, Jorginho, Jack Grealish, Ricardo Pereira, John McGinn, Dele Alli

 

READ MORE

Liverpool tipped to complete incredible 2020 deal for Kylian Mbappe

Jack Grealish link to Man Utd prompts fascinating reply from Solskjaer