Welcome to the Sportskeeda Power Ranking of attackers in the EPL. The ranking is done after every gameweek on a cumulative basis to find out the final top 10 come May. The main criteria for ranking the players is their contribution to goals, either by scoring them or creating them, as this is a ranking for attackers.
When players have a similar number of goals and assists, the importance of the goal/assist, the consistency in performances and the minutes per goal/assist is considered to rank them.
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So, a player scoring/assisting in three consecutive games will have a higher ranking than a player picking the same number of goals/assists in one game and drawing blanks in the rest. Similarly, a player scoring winning goals, having better minutes per goal/assist will occupy a higher position.
Firstly, the previous gameweek’s poll on the best attacker for gameweek 17 saw Zlatan Ibrahimovic win the poll with over 50% of the votes. His brace against West Bromwich Albion was enough to win the voters over.
Now, coming to gameweek 18, the post-Christmas Boxing Day fixtures took place with the top six teams registering victories as the busy festive period kicks off. Alexis Sanchez has maintained his grip on the top spot for the last four gameweeks and it has to be seen whether he has been toppled.
Also Read: EPL 2016/17: 5 Talking Points from Matchweek 18
Let’s first take a look at the watch-list for the week.
Watchlist
Dele Alli
Gameweek 17 ranking – N/A
The Tottenham youngster has seen an upturn in form in recent gameweeks and has played a crucial role in back-to-back comeback wins for Tottenham against Burnley and Southampton. The Englishman bagged a couple of goals against Saints, a well-placed header and a well-finished goal.
Raheem Sterling
Gameweek 17 ranking – N/A
Another English youngster makes the watch-list with a terrific performance for Manchester City against Hull City. Sterling won the penalty that broke the deadlock in the second-half before rounding off the win when his pass across goal was bundled in by Hull defender Curtis Davies.
Chris Brunt
Gameweek 17 ranking – 8th
Another performance missing in end-product for Brunt and another loss for West Brom as well. This further results in Brunt missing out on a top ten spot in the power rankings.
Now, let’s take a look at the top 10 attackers in the PL after gameweek 18.
#10 Mesut Ozil
Gameweek 17 ranking – Watch-list
Match performance – one assist and a much-needed one
Mesut Ozil has gone missing in Arsenal’s last two losses against Everton and Manchester City. In the match against West Brom, the match was heading out to a goalless draw before Ozil lofted a good ball into the box for Olivier Giroud to head home and clinch the win for Arsenal.
In a week that saw the remaining teams in the top six win, it was important for Arsenal to do the same. Ozil stepped up when needed and also shook off the bad form of the previous two gameweeks with it.
#9 David Silva
Gameweek 17 ranking – 10th
Match performance – one assist and one spot gained
Manchester City won their third league game in a row against Hull City and David Silva has been at the heart of it in each of them. Apart from playing well, Silva has also contributed to the goals and this is the reason he finds himself in the power rankings.
Silva was involved in the second goal that City scored when he received Kevin de Bruyne’s perfectly timed pass on the right wing and set up Kelechi Iheanacho to complete the beautiful move. The 30-year old remains key to City’s fortunes as they try to maintain pace with league leaders Chelsea.
#8 Cesc Fabregas
Gameweek 17 ranking – 9th
Match performance – one assist and making opportunities count
Fabregas has been battling for a first-team spot all season and is finally getting opportunities in recent gameweeks. The best part is that the Spaniard is making them count, like he did this gameweek against Bournemouth.
Fabregas was involved in a neat move where Eden Hazard passed the ball to him and the 29-year old passed it for Pedro to score a fine goal and propel Chelsea to a club-record 12th consecutive win. The performance lifts Fabregas by one place and he will be hoping to get more opportunities in the upcoming matches.
#7 Diego Costa
Gameweek 17 ranking – 5th
Match performance – suspended for the game
The PL’s leading goalscorer picked up his fifth yellow card of the season in the previous gameweek, thereby facing a one-game suspension. Costa served the suspension this gameweek and missed Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Bournemouth.
The striker is expected to return for the next gameweek and his absence results in a drop of two spots in the ranking.
#6 Divock Origi
Gameweek 17 ranking – 7th
Match performance – one assist for Stoke’s own goal and 2nd consecutive game without scoring
Divock Origi’s four-match scoring streak came to an end last week against Everton and he failed to find the net yet again against Stoke. However, he led the line superbly, interchanging positions with Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane and causing Stoke a lot of problems. He showed superb vision to find Mane’s run from the halfway line with his back to goal for Liverpool’s equalizer.
His run down the left-hand side followed by the ball into the box was sublime and would have been tapped in by Mane even if Giannelli Imbula had not scored an own goal. He was substituted keeping in mind the busy festive period and to provide playing time for Daniel Sturridge.
#5 Sadio Mane
Gameweek 17 ranking – 2nd
Match performance – no goals/assists and yet involved in them
Sadio Mane’s performances have constantly been of top quality for Liverpool this season and he had another good game against Stoke despite failing to register a goal or an assist. His run down the right-hand side and pass into the box led to Liverpool’s equalizer after falling behind.
In the second-half he made another good run to reach the end of Origi’s delivery only to find Stoke’s Imbula arrive before him and poke the ball into his own net. A constant menace for Stoke throughout the game but drops from 2nd spot due to the lack of any direct contribution.
#4 Adam Lallana
Gameweek 17 ranking – 6th
Match performance – one goal and signs of a complete midfielder
Lallana’s quality has never been in question ever since he emerged at Southampton. However, his end product was lacking to go along with his flicks and turns. Under Jurgen Klopp, he has finally matured into the complete midfielder with energy, skill and end-product. After failing to get on the scoresheet in the last gameweek Lallana made amends this time.
After falling behind, Lallana made a now trademark run into the box to receive Mane’s pass and then was alert to pick Glen Johnson’s poor clearance before finishing from a tight angle to bring Liverpool back into the game. The goal lifted Liverpool and they took the game away from Stoke afterwards.
Lallana has been the best English midfielder this season and has been involved in seven goals and six assists so far this season. The involvement in thirteen goals is the highest for any midfielder in the league this season.
#3 Christian Eriksen
Gameweek 17 ranking – 3rd
Match performance – one superb corner, one deflected assist and finishing the year on a high
Tottenham’s resident wizard has been in fine form in recent gameweeks and he put on another top performance at Southampton. Eriksen delivered a superb cross from a corner in the second-half for Harry Kane to score a peach of a header.
His aerial through ball to Son Heung-min was slightly deflected by Southampton’s Oriol Romeu which helped the South Korean to score Spurs’ third goal. Eriksen finding form has coincided with improvement in Spurs’ results and Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping the Dane continues in a similar vein in 2017.
#2 Alexis Sanchez
Gameweeks at top – 4
Gameweek 17 ranking – 1st
Match performance – one post hit and losing top spot
Alexis Sanchez has sat at the top of the power rankings since the latter’s inception in gameweek 14. After four consecutive weeks at the top, he has been toppled and drops down to second place. Arsenal won a hard-fought match against West Brom and Sanchez was one of the key players constantly trying to break the deadlock.
He could have had a goal and also stayed at the top of the rankings if only the ball went in instead of hitting the post from close range in the second-half. A rare blip after a string of consistent displays for Alexis Sanchez and he will be hoping to get back among the goals in the next game.
#1 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Gameweek 17 ranking – 4th
Match performance – one goal, two assists and roars to the top of the rankings
It was just two gameweeks ago that Ibrahimovic made his entry into the power rankings and it was only two gameweeks that he stayed out of the top spot. Ibrahimovic’s splendid form resulted in a goal and two assists against Sunderland. The Swede made his first league assist in 21 games, dating back to his time at PSG when Daley Blind buried the ball into the bottom corner.
One became two when he picked out the run of Henrikh Mkhitaryan who scored an outrageous backheel volley. He could have had a hat-trick of assists but for Sunderland keeper Jordan Pickford, who denied Paul Pogba after Zlatan made the ball find its way to him inside the box.
On the other hand, Manchester United’s no.9 continued his fine goalscoring form and the budding partnership with Pogba, as the latter sent him through on goal. Here Zlatan’s class came to the fore as he waited for the keeper to start going down before finishing with ease.
Also Read: Fantasy Premier League 2016-17: 5 Players to pick for Gameweek 19
Ibrahimovic has scored sixteen goals for United across all competitions so far and his consistent match-winning performances become the new no.1 in our power rankings.
