Kane to Hazard: Power ranking the Premier League's best players this season

Who would you choose as the standout performer this season?

WE WANT TO send you to Anfield for a once -in-a-lifetime experience.

Weโ€™ve got an incredible VIP trip to Merseyside to watch the Liverpool v QPR game on 2 May and then send you out to play with Reds legends the following day in front of the Kop.

Just let us know your best football moment using the #42ultimatefan hashtag, in the comment section below or email ultimatefan@the42.ie. Send us a picture, video or tell us about it โ€” get as creative as you like โ€” and you could be tapping that famous This Is Anfield sign on the way out for a game.  

WITH THE PREMIER League a few short weeks from its conclusion, itโ€™s time to look back on the 2014/15 campaign and decide which player has been the standout performer.

Last yearโ€™s winner Luis Suarez has moved to Spain, joining his predecessor Gareth Bale, which means weโ€™re almost guaranteed to see a new name on the trophy come May.

Hazard, De Gea, Kaneโ€ฆitโ€™s a difficult choice. Here, the42 runs you through the eight leading contenders:

Harry Kane

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Very few, if any, would have predicted Harry Kane being a contender for player of the season. In what is essentially his breakthrough season, Kaneโ€™s ascension from academy player to club captain has been an astonishing rise.

Heโ€™s scored 19 goals so far this season, a tally weโ€™d expect him to add to before the season is over, and was awarded with his first England call-up last month. All of this is even more impressive when you factor in that it took him until November to reach two Premier League goals.

Eden Hazard

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With 12 league goals and eight assists, the latest of which came in Sundayโ€™s 1-0 win over QPR, Eden Hazard is the favourite to be acclaimed Professional Footballersโ€™ Association Player of the Year on 26 April.

In terms of consistency, itโ€™s difficult to think of a better player this season. Time and time again he is come through for Chelsea this season and the stats back him up. Not only has he completed more dribbles than any player this season, averaging 4.8 successful dribbles a game, but only Cesc Fabregas and David Silva have created more chances per game.

David De Gea

Gfycat Gfycat

Manchester United may be one of the form teams now but everything wasnโ€™t quite so rosy earlier this season. Almost highhandedly, it was David De Gea who stood tall and won them points.

Only a handful of rival goalkeepers have made as many saves as De Gea this season and he even managed to equal the top-flight record for most saves in a single match when he helped them beat Liverpool back before Christmas.

Alexis Sanchez

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Arsenal have defied the odds and taken second place recently, giving themselves an outside chance at a once-deemed-impossible title. They have Alexis Sanchez to thank for this, since he arguably carried them through the first half of the season.

There had been suspicions that it would take the Chilean time to adjust to playing in England, especially when he didnโ€™t score in his opening four matches. But a run of 14 goals in 18 games quickly put these worries to bed. The only thing that could hurt his chances is that the goals have dried up since January but his performances continue to impress.

Diego Costa

Samuel Silitonga JR / YouTube

Diego Costa made an immediate impact at Chelsea. He scored seven times in his first four appearances and 19 goals in his 24 games. If that strike ratio isnโ€™t impressive enough, the fact that itโ€™s his first season and he has missed a lot of games through injury and suspension surely adds weight to his case.

Chelsea have lacked a consistent goalscorer ever since Drogba originally left back in 2012. Costaโ€™s presence in the Chelsea side has turned them into potential title winners.

Coutinho

Yimg Yimg

Coutinho will be one of the success stories of Liverpoolโ€™s season in 2014-15. He has starred despite his side looking likely to miss out on Champions League qualification.

Only David Silva has completed more accurate through balls in the Premier League over the last two seasons. Coutinho has worked hard to add more goals to his game and he finally seems to be managing it, with the goal above a prime example.

Chelsea captain John Terry revealed on social media last week that he is voting for the Brazilian playmaker as his Player of the Season.

Charlie Austin

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Former non-league hot-shot Charlie Austin is a player that probably wonโ€™t win the player of the season, but he deserves to be in the discussion. Austin has scored 17 goals and contributed four assists so far this season, an amazing feat given that he has done it with a team battling against relegation.

Sergio Aguero

Gfycat Gfycat

Without Sergio Agueroโ€™s goals, Cityโ€™s title challenge would have faded a long time ago. It has been a poor season for Pellegriniโ€™s men but Aguero has been the one shining light. His four goals against Spurs and incredible hat-trick versus German giants Bayern Munich rank among his best performances in a blue shit.

Unfortunately, Agueroโ€™s injury worries will count against him. That and he has struggled for league goals since January. But the Argentine is still in the hunt for the top scorer prize and his statistics remain impressive, with 19 goals and six assists so far this campaign.

A case could be made for several more players. Cesc Fabregas is still a top contender but, apart from his goal against QPR last weekend, his performance levels have dipped since the turn of the year. Players like Jordan Henderson, John Terry, Wayne Rooney, Morgan Schneiderlin, Jose Fonte can also be congratulated for impressive displays this year but at the end of the day it looks like it will come down to a contest between Kane, Hazard and De Gea.

Who would you vote for as your player of the year? 


Poll Results:

De Gea (704)
Hazard (597)
Kane (337)
Coutinho (283)
Sanchez (242)
Rooney (30)
Terry (25)
Aguero (21)
Costa (20)
Fabregas (20)

****

NOW TO BE in with a chance of being there to witness the climax of this eventful Premier League campaign and lining out at Anfield, tell us your favourite football moment.

Show or tell us about that special football memory and you could well be lining out at one of the most iconic stadiums in the world.

Carlsberg are offering lucky fans the chance to pull on their boots and play at Anfield with Liverpool legends. To win this dream-come-true prize, which includes a VIP trip to the Liverpool v QPR game on 2 May, just show us what is probably your best soccer moment. For exampleโ€ฆ

  • Send us a pic that sums up an amazing moment
  • Create a video to relive a happy football memory
  • Tell us about it by email, Twitter or in the comments below

So, show or tell us about that special moment at home or away and you could well be hitting that This Is Anfield sign on the way out for a game.

Tweet your entry with the hashtag #42UltimateFan or email it to ultimatefan@the42.ie. Entries close on 23 April, 2015.

For another opportunity to win this fantastic prize, visit Carlsberg.

Read: Eric Cantona backs โ€˜Kings of Manchesterโ€™ to win Premier League title next season

Read: Two of the most prolific strikers in English football right now are Irish

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19 Comments
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    Mute Noel Murphy
    Favourite Noel Murphy
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    Oct 25th 2012, 5:38 PM

    As long as BOD can walk onto the pitch, he should be Captain!!

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    Mute Paul Quigley
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    Oct 25th 2012, 7:02 PM

    I agree with Noel โ€“ why all the red thumbs !? โ€“ Oโ€™Driscoll should be captain.

    33
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    Mute Cian O Donoghue
    Favourite Cian O Donoghue
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    Oct 25th 2012, 7:52 PM

    Its the whole as long as he can walk bit. Nobody is bigger than any teamโ€ฆ

    12
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    Mute Cian O Donoghue
    Favourite Cian O Donoghue
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    Oct 25th 2012, 6:52 PM

    Wellโ€ฆ I believe a captain should always be a forward. But, BOD is a talisman. While heโ€™s fit and picked leave him b. After thatโ€ฆ Well, there are a few outstanding candidates brewing around the provincesโ€ฆ

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    Mute David O'Sulivan
    Favourite David O'Sulivan
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    Oct 25th 2012, 4:37 PM

    No, the best man to captain a rugby team is always a forward. My shout would be Stephen Ferris

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    Mute Shane Jenkinson
    Favourite Shane Jenkinson
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    Oct 25th 2012, 5:21 PM

    As fine a player as he is, I donโ€™t think Ferris is captain material

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    Mute Richard Crompton
    Favourite Richard Crompton
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    Oct 25th 2012, 9:01 PM

    Author, have some bottle and donโ€™t tell the reader โ€œthe answer is yesโ€ let the reader decide for themselves. It is a valid question to ask, and I can see your reason for being a little scared no press person dares speak ill of BOD. He has earned that respect in fairness, although his game against scarlets was shocking hope his form improves soon he wont get in to the Lions team on current form, Jonathan Davies and Jamie Roberts/Tuilagi are well ahead as it is now.

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    Mute Chris Mcdonnell
    Favourite Chris Mcdonnell
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    Oct 28th 2012, 9:58 AM

    A captain has to lead on and off the pitch. nRefโ€™s listen to BOD other players listen to BOD he has earned a respect above with only PoC in the current squad to compare with. nThere is no better 13 on this island and this earls stuff does earls no favours. Heโ€™s a winger and a very very good one but at 13 his defence is average and he canโ€™t/wont pass the ball. He wants to play 13, well I want to fly the space shuttle neither are good ideas. nAs far as a forward as captain goes every team has a pack leader so why not allow a back to lead the team as the ref will talk to pack leader and captain too, helps if ref takes a dislike to one or the other. nAs for ferris the man has never put a run of games together, every third or forth game weโ€™d need someone to step in. Not a good idea. n

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