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Brad Guzan
Ever since ousting Shay Given as Aston Villa’s first choice keeper, the American international Brad Guzan has been nothing short of extraordinary. Whilst many questioned Paul Lambert’s decision to drop Given in favor of the 28-year-old, his performances since then have merited his selection 100%.
Whilst it is true that Christian Benteke got all the plaudits for his goals and Villa’s young attacking trio were praised to no end, Villa wouldn’t have stayed up if it weren’t for the shot stopping abilities of the American international, who has turned into one of the first names on the team sheet.
Whilst there are those who still blame him for the 8-0 humbling at the hands of Chelsea, the fact of the matter was that, if it weren’t some of the American’s saves, it could have very well turned into a cricket and the American was a reassuring tower of experience in an otherwise inexperienced side and guided them to safety last year. This season as well, the American might well prove to be their main man, as Villa hope to get into the top half.
Whilst it is true that Cabaye spent the entire summer wanting away from Newcastle, the fact is that he is the glue that holds this side together and Newcastle would have been in big trouble if he had decided to leave in the summer. And although Newcastle have plenty of talented individuals in the squad, mostly French, Yohan Cabaye is one man who has been there for a while and knows what it is like to get through a Premier League campaign.
It is no surprise to see that Newcastle’s form has improved tremendously, whenever Cabaye has played. And as much as he wants away, he is crucial to Newcastle’s plans as he is capable of handling the rigors of the Premier League with a finesse that is rarely seen anywhere else. Whilst it is true that he is talked about in the media, the fact is that his importance to the toon army cannot be underestimated and that is precisely why he is such an important part of this squad.
If there is one player on the Saints squad, that is universally adored but completely underappreciated, it has to be none other than their talisman Rickie Lambert. Ever since moving to Southampton in 2009, he has endeared himself to the fans not only because of his goals but also because of his unassuming work ethic and his never-say-die attitude.
And although the 31-year-old striker was recently given an England call-up and has been prolific, ever since moving to the Saints in 2009, he’s never really been that highly rated by other football fans. Although his 103 goals in 196 games and his perfect penalty record was a major reason in Southampton’s revival, he has never really been endeared.
Not only is he extremely good in the air, he is a very clever player and his link up play is one that often goes without notice. His ability to bring others into the action has been one of his strong points from very early on. And if he continues to be deadly from dead balls and continues his good form, his time in the limelight will surely come and he could very well be an asset to the England squad in the not too distant future.
Michael Dawson
Despite his excellent and often, undervalued service to Tottenham for almost a decade, Andre Villas-Boas wasn’t entirely convinced about Dawson. The Englishman wasn’t initially didn’t feature too much in the Spur’s managers plans and he even came close to selling the solid central defender.
In the end, common sense prevailed and Dawson stayed on. His performances so far this season have been nothing short of exemplary and the Englishman has been one of the mainstays in a back four that has already kept five clean sheets in just eight games. His consistent displays have meant that he is back in the reckoning for a three lions call up, which has been long overdue. And if Dawson keeps up his blistering start to the season, he might end up proving the Portuguese wrong and in the process, help his side into the Champions League next year.
Whilst all the hoopla has been about the arrival of Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid for a club tranfer record fee, the £10 million he spent on Mikel Arteta in 2011, might well turn out to be one of the best bit of businesses that Arsene Wenger has done, in his tenure. Whilst it looked like an awful lot of money back then, it is now looking like a shrewd piece of investment as the Spaniard has grown into his role and his rise to prominence has be meteoric and his play has been metronomic, to say the least.
And whilst Ozil, Ramsey and Giroud have been stealing all the limelight this season, the unassuming Spaniard has just quietly gone about his job, not bothering about too much else. Whilst he doesn’t have a goal or an assist to his name as yet, his passing percentage of 94.6% is staggering to say the least and the amount of times he provides the key pass that leads to the assist is scary. Whilst most of his work goes unnoticed, it would be fair to say that Arsenal wouldn’t have a solid platform to build on, if it wasn’t for the Spaniard and that is precisely why he is, arguably the most underrated player in the Premier League right now.
