1. Gareth Barry
Steven Gerrard has had a great season, but the best holding midfielder on Merseyside hasn’t been the specialist penalty taker who teams really, really (like REALLY) need to learn how to press. Gareth Barry has often been the least mentioned of Roberto Martinez transfer/loan deals but he has been more influential than any in terms of letting the rest of the team play. Do you really think that Ross Barkley would look this good without Barry behind to mop up his mess? The good news for Everton fans is that unlike Lukaku, Barry will surely still be in Everton ranks come next August. City don’t need him and it would be strange if he were to go elsewhere. Martinez has rotated the trident behind Lukaku liberally of late, but he has kept the Barry/McCarthy axis constant behind it. The two of them have been magnificent in a team which have kept the ball, used the ball… and now sit on the cusp of an improbable and fully deserved 4th place finish.
Steven Gerrard has had a great season, but the best holding midfielder on Merseyside hasn’t been the specialist penalty taker who teams really, really (like REALLY) need to learn how to press. Gareth Barry has often been the least mentioned of Roberto Martinez transfer/loan deals but he has been more influential than any in terms of letting the rest of the team play. Do you really think that Ross Barkley would look this good without Barry behind to mop up his mess? The good news for Everton fans is that unlike Lukaku, Barry will surely still be in Everton ranks come next August. City don’t need him and it would be strange if he were to go elsewhere. Martinez has rotated the trident behind Lukaku liberally of late, but he has kept the Barry/McCarthy axis constant behind it. The two of them have been magnificent in a team which have kept the ball, used the ball… and now sit on the cusp of an improbable and fully deserved 4th place finish.
2. Jason Puncheon
Puncheon impressed in fits and starts last season with Southampton and it is intriguing to wonder what sort of a season he’d be having had he stayed within their ranks. As it was, he has become the most influential attacker in a Crystal Palace side that has seemingly pulled off one of the great relegation escapes. Pulis and his well-drilled defence have already taken plenty of plaudits, but they would still be in the relegation zone were they not putting the ball in the net at the other end. Puncheon has scored three in his last two games and has helped Palace win three games on the spin. Earlier on in the season it seemed likely that the only thing Puncheon would be remembered for this campaign was the worst penalty miss of all time. Now when you say his name nobody is laughing anymore. Ok maybe they are, but come on Jason, it really was the worst miss… of all time.
Puncheon impressed in fits and starts last season with Southampton and it is intriguing to wonder what sort of a season he’d be having had he stayed within their ranks. As it was, he has become the most influential attacker in a Crystal Palace side that has seemingly pulled off one of the great relegation escapes. Pulis and his well-drilled defence have already taken plenty of plaudits, but they would still be in the relegation zone were they not putting the ball in the net at the other end. Puncheon has scored three in his last two games and has helped Palace win three games on the spin. Earlier on in the season it seemed likely that the only thing Puncheon would be remembered for this campaign was the worst penalty miss of all time. Now when you say his name nobody is laughing anymore. Ok maybe they are, but come on Jason, it really was the worst miss… of all time.
3. Martin Skrtel
It now seems incredible that Skrtel was effectively asked to leave Liverpool in the summer. Told he was the 4th choice centre back in a team looking to develop, Skrtel opted to stay and fight for his place and when he got in the team, he has never looked back. What is even more incredible is that in no way shape or form can Skrtel actually defend. He is a refreshing throw back to an era where defenders dived in, wrestled strikers to the ground and popped up at set pieces to hammer headers into the opposition net. There is nothing cultured about Skrtel, but he wears his heart on his sleeve and has plundered 7 goals in 32 league games from central defence. What is more ridiculous, is that he has kept 8 clean sheets and not conceded a single penalty. One word. Witchcraft.
It now seems incredible that Skrtel was effectively asked to leave Liverpool in the summer. Told he was the 4th choice centre back in a team looking to develop, Skrtel opted to stay and fight for his place and when he got in the team, he has never looked back. What is even more incredible is that in no way shape or form can Skrtel actually defend. He is a refreshing throw back to an era where defenders dived in, wrestled strikers to the ground and popped up at set pieces to hammer headers into the opposition net. There is nothing cultured about Skrtel, but he wears his heart on his sleeve and has plundered 7 goals in 32 league games from central defence. What is more ridiculous, is that he has kept 8 clean sheets and not conceded a single penalty. One word. Witchcraft.
4. Marko Arnautovic
If there is one player (and there is, literally, one player) who has shown the difference between Stoke under Mark Hughes compared to Tony Pulis, it has been Marko Arnautovic. Signed from Werder Bremen for a £2m fee that looks like a practical joke gone wrong, the Austrian has been magnificent since returning from a mid-season injury. His vision and speed of thought have taken Stoke up a level and he is creating chances at will. Arnautovic is just 24 and has already been capped over 30 times by his country. He has largely been forgotten about this season owing almost entirely to a general disinterest in Stoke City football club. His performances are now making ignorance tough. He may not quite be this season’s Michu, but he’s made a lot better fist of it than… well… Michu.
If there is one player (and there is, literally, one player) who has shown the difference between Stoke under Mark Hughes compared to Tony Pulis, it has been Marko Arnautovic. Signed from Werder Bremen for a £2m fee that looks like a practical joke gone wrong, the Austrian has been magnificent since returning from a mid-season injury. His vision and speed of thought have taken Stoke up a level and he is creating chances at will. Arnautovic is just 24 and has already been capped over 30 times by his country. He has largely been forgotten about this season owing almost entirely to a general disinterest in Stoke City football club. His performances are now making ignorance tough. He may not quite be this season’s Michu, but he’s made a lot better fist of it than… well… Michu.
5. Christian Eriksen
If you throw enough mud at a wall, some of it will eventually stick. If you asked Spurs fans who their most exciting signing was in the summer you would probably have got the answer of either Soldado or Lamela. The pair cost almost £60m between them and have contributed less than Eriksen between them. The Dane has been in outstanding form since Tactics Tim restored him to the starting line-up; and he is far and away the man most likely to be sold in two years times for an inflated but ultimately irreplaceable fee. Erikson has started just 18 games this season but has scored 7 and made 7 in those games. His free kicks are delicious, his corners wicked and he moves the ball around the park as if he is wearing boots woven from silk. Given the time he has been on the pitch, only Aaron Ramsey and Ya Ya Toure can actually claim to have had, statistically, a better season than him. He creates almost every Spurs chance and has won more points for his team than any other player. I don’t want to bang on about this because I’ve been saying it for two years, but Eriksen is one of the most talented young midfielders on the planet… and if Spurs have an ounce of sense left in them they need to build their entire team around this man for the next decade. He really is that fucking good.
If you throw enough mud at a wall, some of it will eventually stick. If you asked Spurs fans who their most exciting signing was in the summer you would probably have got the answer of either Soldado or Lamela. The pair cost almost £60m between them and have contributed less than Eriksen between them. The Dane has been in outstanding form since Tactics Tim restored him to the starting line-up; and he is far and away the man most likely to be sold in two years times for an inflated but ultimately irreplaceable fee. Erikson has started just 18 games this season but has scored 7 and made 7 in those games. His free kicks are delicious, his corners wicked and he moves the ball around the park as if he is wearing boots woven from silk. Given the time he has been on the pitch, only Aaron Ramsey and Ya Ya Toure can actually claim to have had, statistically, a better season than him. He creates almost every Spurs chance and has won more points for his team than any other player. I don’t want to bang on about this because I’ve been saying it for two years, but Eriksen is one of the most talented young midfielders on the planet… and if Spurs have an ounce of sense left in them they need to build their entire team around this man for the next decade. He really is that fucking good.
And handsome.
But that’s not relevant…
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