5 players to watch out for this Premier League season
With such an unprecedented season, many players had fallen behind in their expectations and many players have lived beyond the sky opinion of performance. The season had been filled with gruesome tenacity and lack of rest had ensured that many players were left behind with injury and even without the injury, many players have been battling the coronavirus isolation on and off the pitch.
Although some player has evolved with the current pressure demand in the world of football and sport at large, but there is no deny that the current situation of the world had add extra pressure and lack of rest among the rank of footballer and the Premier League players are feeling the burnt with no 5-substitution rule and extra competitions while comparing to other top five leagues in Europe.
Moreover, the most enjoyable team right now has been Manchester City which has evolved with their players despite their injury woes is leading the Premier League log with fifteen points different with the rest in the league and are the favorites to lift the English Premier League trophy at the end of the campaign with odds at +150 on the online bookmakers.
However, as the battle for the top four are getting more intense on a daily basis, as the likes of Leicester City and West Ham United loss over the weekend and Manchester United and Chelsea played a goalless draw at the Stamford Bridge on Sunday and victory for the likes of Tottenham Hotspurs, Liverpool and Arsenal have just blown the top four race more open than ever, but they would all be relying on their talisman to advance them to the next campaign of the European elite club competition.
Below are the five players one need to watch out for the remainder of the season in English Premier League.
Bukayo Saka
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang may have been the main man among the Arsenal rank, and Alexandre Lacazette may have been scoring the goals needed while other expensive signings in the club have been making wave for the resurgence Arsenal but it has always been the young star that have been the Gunners player all season along.
It’s an understatement that Bukayo Saka is one of Arsenal’s most exciting players at the minute, the English winger has been the Arsenal player all season and if the Gunners are to keep their hope of UEFA Champions League alive, the young winger needed to be kept afresh for the remainder of the season.
At 19, Saka burst into the world football scene under Mikel Arteta and while making waves and carrying Arsenal on his shoulder, he had been deployed as a left-winger, left-back, left-midfield, attacking midfield and right-wing. Eventually, Arteta will have to find a defined role for the youngster. But versatility will not hurt him at this young stage.
However, since the middle of December, Saka has scored five goals and set up another four and has almost single-handedly dragged his side away from the drop zone, while he has sent them through to the last 16 of the Europa League. The prodigy is one of England’s brightest talents.
Mohamed Salah
Since his move to Liverpool over three seasons ago, the Egyptian had been so consistent in front of the goals while he kept banging the goal and lifting the spirit at the Anfield, Mohammed Salah has always been a bright light among the light in Melwood Park.
However, the constant injury and coronavirus had ensure that the Liverpool player are not consistent with their performance and although the performance of the Egypt international might have dropped for the consistency he had shown in his previous three season while winning two golden boot in the process, the Egyptian still lead the golden boot race in Premier League and will need to motivate himself and his team mate if Liverpool will have the chance to qualify for the competition they last won in 2019 while defeating fellow English club.
With seventeen league goals and over twenty goal contribution in twenty-four appearance in Premier League, Mohammed Salah will be hoping to prove his consistency in the remainder of the season and if the Anfield team will shine again this campaign, the team will need to bring lethargic Salah into the remainder of the season as his consistency is vital to the Liverpool’s consistency.
Harry Kane
The England captain is not just a born goal scorer, but is a born leader who is leading the resurging Tottenham Hotspurs back to their very best under the guidance of Jose Mourinho. Furthermore, the prolific and consistent goal scorer is now the second most potent goal scorer in the history of Tottenham Hotspurs with over two hundred goals to his name.
While the White Hart Lane team are curtly eight on the log with thirty-nine point and a game in hand, the North London team are six point behind the top four and will hoping to be among the elite club competition come next season and their talisman need to up his game if the team will hope of Champions League qualification to their name.
Although Son Heung Min is on another level, the inconsistency of the South Korean prodigy is out of question leaving behind only Harry Kane to be the main man once again this campaign.
Harry Kane is currently behind Bruno Fernandes and Mohammed Salah on the goal scoring chart with fourteen goals but the England captain has certainly complemented his season with eleven assists, while he had completed more dribbles and played more key passes and improved overall play compared his previous seasons.
However, the talisman needs to be kept afloat to increase the chance of Spurs reaching the top four at the end of the season
Bruno Fernandes
Since his move away from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020, Bruno Fernandes has been the most consistent midfielder in the Premier League and his consistency had lifted the mediocre United to the second place after guiding them to their first Champions League in three years upon his arrival.
The Portuguese is currently the second highest goal scorer with fifteen goals and with the highest goal contribution in the league so far with twenty-five goals and assists to his name in Premier League.
Despite their consistency, Manchester United is currently ahead of Everton which is sitting seventh on the EPL log with ten-point difference, with two Everton games in hand.
However, if Manchester need to keep their place among the top four for the remainder of the season, Bruno Fernades will go to man as he has been the rock that lifts the team since his arrival in January 2020. And if they are to maintain their hope and not falter like the second season of Jose Mourinho’s spell at the club, Bruno Fernandes will be huge going forward in the season as the likes of resurgent Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspurs will be looking to take their shot among the elite while West Ham blazing form might keep them in the top four if
Ilkay Gundogan
If this compilation of the player to be watchout for was at the beginning of the season, the German international might not have made the list of top ten talk less or been at the apex of the list. However, being in this position is a reference to the length the former Borussia Dortmund player has picked since the middle of December.
While the German talisman form could be reference to the current Manchester City lethargic form as the picking of the Cityzen with their twenty-six matches unbeaten while having 20 streak wins in the process is also inline with Gundogan form.
While the German international; is having twelve goals in the process and guided the Cityzen to the top of the table while the likes of Kelvin De Bryune had been out for some time and the Ruben Diaz and John Stones may have been the base force at the back that provided the advancement mechanism for the attack.
Also, Joao Cancello had provided the team with much dynamism and apparel simplicity as the Portuguese defender continually redefined the full back role in the current campaign. It was Gundogan who kept the Citizen going throughout the process and it wouldn’t be a news if the German midfielder plays in all the remaining Premier League of the season as he is seen as the lever that aids the fulcrum of the team.
In a Manchester city team play as a unit while the individuality of each outstanding players shown, while the like Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Bernado Silva and other are now having the time of their season, it is not so difficult to single-out the outstanding performance of Ilkay Gundogan whom have flourish so far as it would not be wise not to look out for him in the remainder of the season.