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With the 2018-19 season nearing the end, the race for the Premier League title is closer than ever! Manchester City are a point ahead of Liverpool after Matchday 30 due to the fact that Liverpool dropped points against Everton at Goodison Park on Matchday 29 and City did not fail to capitalise on it, winning back-to-back games against Bournemouth and Watford. A bit below on the table, we're witnessing a four-way battle for two Champions League spots, currently occupied by Tottenham and Arsenal. Tottenham were 10 points ahead of 4th placed Arsenal 16 days ago, and now they have a lead of only one point.
After succumbing to Arsenal's impressive style of play, Ole experienced his first defeat in the Premier League at the hands of Unai Emery as the United gaffer has been dragged down to 5th. Chelsea terribly failed to capitalise on this brilliant chance to move ahead on the table as they dropped points against a robust Wolves side at Stamford Bridge, after winning back-to-back Premier League games against Tottenham and Fulham.
The fight is probably going down to the last wire as none of the teams intend to give up, with some players getting their form back just at the right time of the season, whilst some losing it. Let's take a look at the current best players in the league after Matchday 30.
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#10 Granit Xhaka (Arsenal)
Granit Xhaka is probably the most hated player at Arsenal alongside Mustafi, as the Swiss international has been terribly inconsistent for the past few seasons and he gets the stick all the time. His lacklustre performances have often cost the team, however, we are currently seeing a much more confident, capable and matured Granit Xhaka, thanks to Unai Emery.
Though he still displays glimpses of inconsistency, Xhaka has been a key member for Arsenal in this season's campaign, often putting in the extra shift to play for the badge; a feeling he lacked for the last few seasons. The inclusion of Torreira and Guendouzi has got him on his toes, and as links to Adrien Rabiot coming to Arsenal grows, Xhaka's first team spot is in serious danger, and his response has been of finest quality.
The 25-year-old has been performing at a god-level in the past few games. He is gaining form at the perfect time and this is massive for Arsenal. Last night, Xhaka's strike opened the scoring for Arsenal, and he was my man of the match for that game, though it fell in the hands of Aaron Ramsey, his midfield partner for the game.
Also see : EPL Transfer News, Fantasy Premier League , Fantasy Premier League Tips
#9 Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Crystal Palace)
The England youth international is one of the most coveted young full-backs in world football. Aaron Wan-Bissaka has played a critical part in Crystal Palace's fight to escape relegation this season, as the Eagles sit on 14th in the table, just 5 points ahead of 17th placed Cardiff City, who are currently in the relegation zone.
Aaron has made the most tackles in the Premier League this season, and his incredible performances for the Eagles have caught the attention of the best clubs across Europe. Manchester City, Arsenal, Bayern Munich are all in the race for his signature, but according to reports, the 21-year-old has no plans of leaving Selhurst Park anytime soon.
Wan-Bissaka has started 27 games for Crystal Palace this season, missing three of them due to a knee injury, and Roy Hodgson seems to be a big fan of his left back. Aaron has bagged 2 assists for Crystal Palace this season. He tracks back on time and there is probably no one as good as him in the Premier League when it comes to timing tackles.
#8 Alisson Becker (Liverpool FC)
Unsurprisingly, Alisson Becker made it into the list yet again. Becker has lived up to the hype Liverpool fans showered upon him during his earlier games in the season. The Brazilian made some terrible blunders in the earlier stages of the season, but he has proved his worth time and time again.
Allison Becker has bagged the most number of clean sheets in the Premier League this season (17) only behind Ederson (14). His partnership with Van Dijk and Matip has been robust and their defence solidarity is outperforming their forwards; whilst it was exactly the opposite last season.
The likes of Mohammad Salah, Firmino and Sadio Mane have not been able to grab vital points for their teams due to their inconsistency, but there is no lack of clean sheets for Liverpool. They average less than 0.7 goals conceded thanks to Van Dijk and Matip's defensive partnership and Allison's presence between the sticks.
#7 Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal FC)
Words are not enough to describe the amount of love the Gunners have for Alexandre Lacazette. The Frenchman has been a fan favourite since day one, and he is only getting better and better with time.
Although Lacazette always enjoys playing with his partner-in-crime Aubameyang, the presence of the Gabonese striker forces the Frenchman to play a deeper role. Aubameyang is a central striker who gets behind the defence with ease, something not every striker is capable of doing. Lacazette, on the other hand, tracks back deep, draws fouls and forces the defenders to commit mistakes inside or near the penalty box thanks to his incredible ball control and tailor-made dribbling skills.
The deeper role of playing as a false nine more often than as a striker has helped Lacazette develop his game as he has bagged 20 goals+assists in the league already, 2 more than his combined goals+assists last season.
Unai Emery has often benched him for Aubameyang, but that hasn't demotivated him at all. He shares a special bonding with Aubameyang and they are arguably the best-attacking duo across England when they play together.
#6 Fernandinho (Manchester City FC)
Though Fernandinho missed out on a couple of games for Manchester City due to an injury, it will be unfair to not include him in the best players' list. Fernandinho is a player Pep will have incredible difficulty to replace, and as you read on, you will understand why.
Fernandinho, for me, is the smartest player in the English Premier League. He is only behind Busquets when it comes to awareness, composure and vision in the middle of the pitch. Pep Guardiola's system needs a defensive midfielder who can rotate the ball with immense accuracy and precision; he must be press-resistant and aware every second of the game, and you won't find a Fernandinho-esque player in the market currently.
Fernandinho's greatest ability is passing the ball. Easy, right? Wrong. You might find this as an easy job but it is absolutely not. As a CDM, you have to look in all directions to find passes and play passes, as you are always surrounded by at least two players from the opposition team.
Fernandinho has flourished tremendously under Pep, but his age has put the Bald Genius under serious pressure. According to reports, Manchester City tried their best to lure Frenkie De Jong to Etihad, but they failed as Barcelona had the last laugh at all the clubs, including PSG and Bayern. Manchester City will have a tough time replacing their 33-year-old Brazilian maestro.
#5 Paul Pogba (Manchester United)
Ole Gunnar Solksjaer has been an absolute hit at Manchester United. The caretaker manager has worked magic with United's squad, and from being a doubt for the top 6, Ole has transformed his team into contenders for the top 4.
His tactics, team talks, understanding and wisdom has benefited each and every Manchester United player, and the most impressive out of the lot has been Paul Pogba, who is experiencing an elite run of late. The World Cup winner has scored 7 goals and bagged 5 assists in 13 games under Ole and looks set to take his team into UCL football despite all the early issues.
Though Ole's unbeaten streak in the Premier League came to an end at the hands of Unai Emery, his team has shown what they are capable of, and Paul Pogba has played a huge role in his side's success. Pogba, alongside Matic and Herrera, have set that midfield on fire as they look to seal a UCL berth by the end of the season.
With 8 games left, Paul Pogba has immense responsibilities on his shoulder to help his side finish in the top 4, and I am completely ready to witness more magic from the Frenchman.
#4 Sergio Aguero (Manchester City FC)
There is not a single striker in all of Europe right now who could compete to be on a similar level to Sergio Aguero. Premier League is blessed to see this little man play and he has flourished rapidly under his boss Pep Guardiola.
Sergio Aguero is leading the race for the Golden Boot this season, after missing out in the past years due to several injuries. His last Golden Boot win came in the year 2014-15 when Manchester City won the league as Sergio scored 34 goals in the Premier League that term.
This season, he seems set to get one more to his name as he leads the scoring charts with 18 goals to his name, with Aubameyang, Kane and Salah on second with 17 goals. Kane has a weird habit of bagging goals in the final games of a season, but currently, he is not considered as a potential threat due to Tottenham's abysmal performances in the league.
#3 Lukasz Fabianski (West Ham United)
Fabianski is probably the only goalkeeper outside the top 6 to have outperformed every single one in the top 6 this season. At the age of 33, he has been running riots for West Ham this term and unsurprisingly, he has made the most number of saves in the Premier League this season.
Fabianski's reflexes have been a treat to watch. He is always positioned at the right place at the right time to protect West Ham's goal, and he has arguably been one of their best players this season, if not the best.
Though he is brilliant with his reflexes and dives, Fabianski does the talking sometimes with his feet as well. He is a player who has impressed me tremendously this season, and Fabianski has developed his game by a thick margin under Manuel Pellegrini this season.
Though the likes of Alisson and Ederson have more clean sheets to their name, Fabianski has been able to outperform them with his blistering reflexes and unbelievable saves.
#2 Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool FC)
The former Southampton player has outclassed every defender this season, not only in the Premier League but all across the globe. Van Dijk is the best in business and has improved tremendously under Jurgen Klopp, making him arguably the best defender in the world currently.
Liverpool have conceded the least goals (17) in the Premier League this season thanks to Van Dijk's extraordinary performances for the red shirt. They are only a point behind Manchester City on the table, with a goal difference of 51.
Liverpool's back four find it pretty easy to keep clean sheets, to be honest. Van Dijk's incredible aerial ability, his pace and perfectly timed tackles along with Matip are few of the reasons why Klopp has had such a good run this season.
Liverpool paid a whopping £75 million for Van Dijk's services and he seems to be worth every penny Liverpool have spent on him till date. Liverpool lacked a quality defender last season, and they have brought in the epitome of world class defending to Anfield this season.
#1 Raheem Sterling (Manchester City FC)
Just when the season is about to hit the final stages, Raheem Sterling has found his goal scoring traits. He has arguably been the most consistent player for Manchester City this season, as he torments opposition defenders with his sheer pace, incredible dribbling skills, and a fantastic goalscoring knack.
No defender wants to face a player like Sterling, who on his worst day could still leave you on the ground, solely relying on his blistering pace. After leaving Liverpool in 2015, he has been able to unleash his true self and Raheem has improved significantly under Pep Guardiola.
The 23-year-old has scored 15 times in 27 appearances for Manchester City in the league, bagging 9 assists as well. Last night, he scored a world-class hattrick to see off Watford in a 3-1 win. His form in recent weeks has won him the top spot, and it seems he is going to be on the peak for a long time from now on.
Honorary mention: Bernd Leno (Arsenal FC)
Despite being in such great form this season, I thought he has not got enough appearances under his belt to feature in the top 10 so I had to settle without him in the best players' list, but that doesn't make him worse. Bernd Leno has been my favourite player of the season.
Signed for £18 million from Bayer Leverkusen, Bernd Leno was one of Emery's five signings in his first summer transfer market with his new club, Arsenal. And what a brilliant signing he has turned out to be!
The reason why I have added Leno is that he has been massive for Arsenal in recent weeks. Bernd Leno single-handedly won Arsenal a point against Spurs at Wembley as he came up with a double save to put Eriksen and Sissoko's brilliant efforts on goal to bed. Last night, he once again came up big for the Gunners as the German had Lukaku and Rashford in his control for most of the minutes as United's forwards had a tough time going past him.
Long rangers, quick breaks, chips and some freekick techniques by the Manchester United forwards were all put to bed by the German keeper as he won his team a vital clean sheet against an in-form and revitalised United side, ceasing Ole's unbeaten run in the Premier League. Bernd Leno deserves all the praise and he might make his way through to the top by the end of the season, you never know.
(Opinions expressed are of author's own, and Sportskeeda does not take any responsibility for the same.)
