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The world recently got to witness a spectacle of a match when Chelsea were humiliated by Manchester City. This is what the Premier League is all about: scintillating matches, lots of drama and even more goals.
The tables have shifted again and after staying at the top of for some time, Liverpool are now in 2nd position. Manchester City move to the top although The Reds have a game in hand.
We now move to the business end of the English top flight league. Most teams have played 26 matches while a couple have played 27. Wolverhampton Wanderers, who were promoted to the Premier League after 6 years, have performed well and currently lie in 7th position in the table with 11 wins, 5 draws, and 9 losses.
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As things stand, it seems like there will be a difficult fight between City and Liverpool to win the title. However, Tottenham can also not be ruled out so early as there is plenty of action still to come.
The midfielders form an important part of every Premier League team. In this article, we take a look at the Top 5 midfielders of the Premier League thus far. These are the players who have been the best in the business in the middle of the park and provided value for money.
However, before we begin - these are the honourable mentions: Roberto Pereyra of Watford, Lucas Moura of Spurs, André Schürrle of Fulham, and David Silva of City, Ilkay Gündogan of City, Jorginho of Chelsea, Fernandinho of City, Idrissa Gueye of Everton, and James Maddison of Leicester City.
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#5 David Brooks
Roped in by Bournemouth for £11.5 million ahead of the start of the season, David Brooks has made an instant impact on the side. The 21-year-old has scored 6 goals and assisted 4 in his 22 Premier League appearances.
The Manchester City youth academy product has played for Sheffield United in the past.
The Cherries' midfielder has linked up with his fellow players astutely. Brooks played a key role in the 4-0 drubbing of Chelsea recently. However, he suffered an ankle injury in the same match.
He hobbled in pain after celebrating his goal against The Blues. The youngster is likely to be out of action for another 3 weeks and he would be hoping to return to action before Bournemouth lock horns with Manchester City on 2nd March, 2019.
#4 Felipe Anderson (West Ham United)
Attacking midfielder Felipe Anderson has been a live wire in the current Premier League season. The 25-year-old Brazilian has established himself as one of the main men for West Ham United.
Anderson has played all 26 matches thus far - scored 9 goals and also provided 3 assists. It can be safely said that the Hammers have finally found a replacement for Dimitri Payet in the talented youngster.
Roped in ahead of the start of the 2018-19 season for a club record reported transfer fee of £36 million, the technically gifted player has justified each penny of his high price tag.
With a knack of making runs, terrific pace, dribbling skills, work rate, and ability to both create and score himself - Anderson is one of the most well-rounded midfielders in the Premier League currently.
The Santa Maria-born player averages 44.58 passes per game and has also whipped in a total of 98 crosses. Anderson helps out at the back as well and is always ready to chase back and aid the defence. He has made 64 tackles and 30 interceptions. His hard work and vital contribution helped West Ham grab a point against Liverpool on 5th February.
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#3 Ryan Fraser
The charismatic midfielder Ryan Fraser has come alive this season. He has 5 goals and 9 assists to his name already in 26 matches.
The 24-year-old averages 30.85 passes per game and has also whipped in a whopping 165 crosses (making him third on the list of most number of crosses). He has been with The Cherries since 2013 and slowly matured as a player.
Fraser is a pocket dynamite. His petit frame of 5 ft 4 in gives him great balance.
The Aberdeen-born player is now a vital cog in the team. He has a knack for creating chances and finding players in pockets of space. Callum Wilson and Fraser together form a lethal duo and the understanding between them has helped Bournemouth's cause.
Meanwhile, The Cherries are currently placed at 11th position in the Premier League table - with 10 wins, 3 draws, and 13 losses from 26 games.
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#2 Christian Eriksen
Christian Eriksen has scored 5 goals and assisted 9 in the 23 matches he has played for the Spurs thus far. He recently inspired his team to a sublime 3-1 win over Leicester City to keep the pressure high on table toppers, Liverpool and Manchester City.
The Danish midfielder has been a consistent performer. He not only possesses individual quality but is a creative genius and plays for the team. Eriksen is among the best Danish footballers of all time. He also has 25 goals in 85 appearances for his country.
The ex-Ajax star instils belief in the Spurs side and ensures that they keep working hard towards the title - irrespective of other results. Eriksen will be hoping that his fellow team-mate Harry Kane, who was injured against United, returns to action soon as he has a terrific partnership with him.
The Mauricio Pochettino-led side are currently placed at 3rd position in the Premier League and have won 20 and lost 6 out of their 26 encounters.
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#1 Paul Pogba
It is visible that the departure of Mourinho from Manchester United has given Paul Pogba a new lease of life. There is an oomph factor about him under Ole.
The French player has scored a total of 11 goals and provided 8 assists in the 23 matches he has played this season. Quite unsurprisingly, 8 of those goals and 5 assists have come in the 9 Premier League games Pogba has played under Ole.
The hard-working player was definitely not the best midfielder at the start of the season. He failed to bring out his best under the former manager. However, Pogba is playing his natural game and is performing outstandingly well under the Norwegian.
The combination of his physicality and finesse are bound to instil fear for the oppositions' defenders in the upcoming matches. The Red Devils have crawled up to 4th place in the Premier League. They now have 15 wins, 6 draws, and 5 losses in their 26 matches. There is no looking back for Pogba and United now. The team plays around him and he has a staggering average of 61.91 passes in a game.
