5 unsung heroes in the EPL in 2014/15

There are always certain players who are clearly not as flamboyant as some of the other players in the same team. The work done by these players remind me of one of my personal favourite quotes: “Everyone loves the artists and the designers, but if it weren’t for the cleaners and clerks, society would cease to exist”.They may not hog the limelight or they may even shun it. They may not get the accolades they deserve and their contributions may be overlooked. But irrespective of all these factors they continue to contribute to their side to the best of their abilities.I can quote the famous line from the ‘Dark Knight’ and it will fit these players perfectly with one minor tweak. “He's the hero the team deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him, because he can take it, because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector, a Dark Knight”.So here is a list featuring five unsung heroes from the Premier League this season, with one player each from the Top 5 sides.Note: All statistics used have been obtained from Squawka or ESPN

#1 Cesar Azpilicueta - Chelsea

The Chelsea team boasts many superstars, but if there is one player you should never take lightly it is Cesar Azpilicueta. History tells us about the harsh reality many people faced when they undermined the Spaniard. (One pundit had to learn the hard way by having to eat a rat on live television after losing a bet, as he said that he would do the same if Azpilicueta became a Spanish International.)

If someone is good enough to bench Ashley Cole and Filipe Luis in two successive seasons then he must be doing something right, because Jose Mourinho is someone who picks his team on merit. Cole and Luis are far more experienced left backs but gave way to a right-footed player playing in their natural position.

The former Marseille man’s consistency as left-back for Chelsea has been as important as the goals of Diego Costa or the assists of Cesc Fabregas. The 25-year-old’s contributions haven’t gone completely unnoticed as Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher named Azpilicueta as the Premier League’s best defender.

Azpilicueta almost never makes a mistake. He is rarely in the wrong position, he is rarely caught out and he is always alert. He may not offer the same attacking threat as Branislav Ivanovic does down the right side, but defensively the Spaniard is solid as a rock.

A quick comparison of Azpilicueta’s defensive statistics to that of players like David Alaba, Jordi Alba and Marcelo gives us a broad idea of how incredibly good Azpilicueta has been this season.

Per game stats	Azpilicueta	Alaba	Alba	Marcelo
Inteceptions	2.11	1.68	1.77	1.29
Blocks	0.39	0.05	0.12	0.10
Clearances	3.86	1.05	2.77	2.45
Tackles Won	2.50	0.84	1.69	1.71
Fouls committed	0.68	0.58	0.77	0.61

#2 David Ospina - Arsenal

For years, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger stood by Wojciech Szczesny. But the Pole, who is entering his prime now, has been erratic in goal and gave Wenger a problem he did not want. Eventually, Wenger went out and got Colombian David Ospina to try and give Szczesny some much-needed competition in the hope of seeing the Pole a level of consistency. The bold move by Wenger eventually worked out for Arsenal, but probably not in the way Wenger would have intended.

Szczesny started 17 league games for Arsenal and conceded 25 goals, recorded 7 wins, 6 draws and 4 defeats. His last league start came against Southampton on New Year’s Day where he was largely at fault for both goals Arsenal conceded. After the game against Southampton, Wenger put his foot down, dropped the Pole to the bench and gave Ospina the chance to impress.

The turnaround was amazing as Arsenal have gone on to win 12 out of the 14 games Ospina has started in goal and recorded just one loss and one defeat. This also sees him have the highest win ratio for any player with 10 or more appearances in the Premier League.

Statistically, one can call Ospina the best goalkeeper in the league as he has conceded the fewest goals per game, has the most clean sheets per game and the best percentage of shots saved.

This is how Ospina compares to some of Premier League’s top keepers.

Per game stats	Ospina	De Gea	Courtois	Lloris	Hart
Clean sheets	0.50	0.29	0.40	0.19	0.36
Goals conceded	0.57	1	0.87	1.41	0.97
Saves	1.93	2.09	1.93	2.56	1.94
Saves (per goal)	3.38	2.09	2.32	1.86	2.13
Punches	0.71	0.17	0.33	0.69	0.82
Catches	2.93	2.03	3.23	2.25	2.70

#3 James Milner - Manchester City

James Milner is Mr. Versatile for Manchester City. The 29-year-old has operated as a central midfielder, a winger on both flanks and even as a right back because his team needed him to. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that he is one of the very few English players to have thrived at the club ever since the advent of the club’s new owners.

The Englishman clearly doesn’t possess the abilities of David Silva or Samir Nasri on the ball, he doesn’t have the goal scoring abilities of Yaya Toure from midfield nor does he have the pace of Jesus Navas to make dashing runs down the wings. Then what makes Milner tick in addition to his versatility?

It is his work rate. The former Aston Villa man has the ability to run non-stop throughout the game and is very tenacious and he makes up for whatever he lacks in other departments with his work rate. This doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have anything else in his arsenal because Milner is also a very good crosser and has the ability to pick out players with accurate long balls, which is a common trait among English midfielders.

The Englishman stepped up for Manchester City during a period where their form was hitting rock bottom and when they were struggling due to the absence of Yaya Toure. His best moment of the season is easily his brilliant last-minute free-kick against Hull City which helped his side salvage a point at home.

Even though Milner is often used as an impact substitute rather than a starter, he has 3 goals and 6 assists to his name and it is a good return. Milner’s contract with Manchester City expires in the summer and it is rumoured that he could be on his way to another club where he could be a regular starter and where his contributions are appreciated.

#4 Chris Smalling - Manchester United

When Louis van Gaal took over as Manchester United manager, he inherited a squad filled with players who were heavily criticized for Manchester United’s worst Premier League season ever. One of those players was Chris Smalling. His Manchester United future was not safe and he needed a good season to prove his doubters wrong.

But the Englishman had a catastrophic first half of the season during which he pressed the self-destruct button against Manchester City and got sent off, making it incredibly difficult for his team to win the game. The Englishman’s chance for redemption came in the second half of the season at the expense of Jonny Evans who was banned for a spitting incident. Smalling took his opportunity well and put in some brilliant performances for his side during a period where Manchester United had a tough run of fixtures.

The Red Devils had to play Tottneham, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Chelsea (in that order) between mid-March and mid-April, and Smalling featured in all fixtures except the game against Villa and helped his side to three very important victories. Even though United lost their game against Chelsea, Smalling’s performance at Stamford Bridge was the highlight for United.

The best thing that happened to Smalling this season is that he has now finally found his place in the heart of the defence instead of playing as a right back and subjecting himself to unnecessary criticism. United were in desperate need of a centre back to emerge following the departure of Nemanja Vidic and Smalling has now assumed that role on a regular basis. If Van Gal can oversee Smalling’s improvement for a couple of seasons more, then United can safely trust Smalling for a long period.

His contributions to Manchester United’s vastly improved second half of the season didn’t go unrewarded as he was offered a new contract and that should give him more confidence moving forward.

#5 Jordan Henderson - Liverpool

In 2011, Liverpool snapped up young Jordan Henderson from Sunderland for a hefty fee, but he was labeled a flop after his first season during which he was often deployed out of position. So naturally, when Brendan Rodgers took over at Liverpool, Henderson was given the easy way out by allowing him to leave and join Fulham as he didn’t figure in Rodgers’ plans, but the Sunderland-born midfielder stayed back to fight for his place.

During his first season under Brendan Rodgers, he didn’t feature heavily but he showed massive signs of improvement and in his second season under Rodgers’ and his third season at Liverpool, he became an integral member of the team and a player who couldn’t be dropped. It was Henderson’s work rate that helped him win the admiration of many Liverpool fans who were initially skeptical about the Englishman.

The massive improvement from Henderson was rewarded with Liverpool’s vice-captaincy and he has done his best to live up to the name of those who wore the armband before him. Henderson has been Liverpool’s most consistent player this season even when others around him struggled and the club was performing well below expectations. The 24-year-old’s work rate has continued to improve over the years and his versatility has also helped Rodgers deal with injury problems.

But the most improved aspect of his game this season is his end product which has gone up significantly as he has scored six goals and provided eight assists in the league alone. His curling effort from outside the box to beat Joe Hart in goal was one of the best goals of the season.

Henderson’s goals and assists tally during his Liverpool career give a rough idea of how much he has improved and there is no doubt that he has earned the right to wear Liverpool’s captain’s armband after the departure of Steven Gerrard.

Jordan Henderson's stats in all competitions

Season	Goals	Assists
2011/12	2	3
2012/13	6	6
2013/14	5	7
2014/15	7	13