3 One-man teams of the Premier League 2018/19 season

Eden Hazard has been the standout player for Premier League club Chelsea this season.
Eden Hazard has been the standout player for Premier League club Chelsea this season.

It goes without saying that football is a team sport. All 11 players out on the field have an equal opportunity to make a difference, once the referee has blown the kick-off whistle.

Well, just for the record, we have to say that, the same logic doesn't apply to Barcelona or Juventus, as they have Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in their ranks, two players who can and have single-handedly won games for their clubs.

Though the Premier League doesn't have any players matching the calibres of the duo, in the current campaign of the English top-flight, there have been few players that have stepped up for their clubs and had helped their club save face on multiple occasions.

It is never a good idea for a team to become reliant on a single player, as it offers the opposition a golden opportunity to derail their entire game-plan by simply targeting their talisman.

Though a rarity in the English top-flight, there have been three players in particular that have turned their clubs into a one-man band this campaign, putting in one outstanding performance after other.

So, without further ado, here's our list of the three Premier League clubs whose season can be summed up quite rightly as a nothing more than a one-man show.


#1 West Ham United - Felipe Anderson

The Brazilian has emerged as one of the key players for The Hammers in his debut season.
The Brazilian has emerged as one of the key players for The Hammers in his debut season.

West Ham United have been one of the most inconsistent teams in the English top-flight season. Their campaign has seen its highs and lows, but one player that has shone throughout has been their record signing Felipe Anderson.

Anderson joined The Hammers for £42 million from Lazio last summer and has played a pivotal role under Manuel Pellegrini, as they occupy 11th spot in the league table.

The Brazilian winger not only leads the way in terms of goals scored this season for the London based club but tops almost every attacking metric. Also, his defensive contributions have been top notch as the Brazilian has made more tackles than any other Hammers player barring defensive midfielder Declan Rice this season.

Apart from his nine goals and four assists this season, he has brought in an attacking flair and burst of energy down the left-hand flank to an ageing West Ham squad, who have the third oldest squad in the competition.

Having contributed to 31% of all of his side's goals, he is doing his job very well and has overtaken Marko Arnautovic as the talisman of the club, that too in his debut campaign.

#2 Manchester United - Paul Pogba

Manchester United v West Ham United - Premier League
Manchester United v West Ham United - Premier League

It might not be wrong to say that Manchester United have had a season filled with ups and down. In just the last 30 days they have lost two big quarterfinals and now face an uphill battle of securing a Champions League spot for the remainder of the campaign.

The one reason behind their failure has been that all the big players have failed to shine when it mattered the most. But one player who has provided them with goals and assists this season from time to time has been Paul Pogba.

The former Juventus star's goal involvement is 22 for this season, which is his best ever. Prior to this season, his best return for goals and assists came for the Italian club in the 2015/16 season when he scored eight times and provided 12 assists during the Serie A club's run to a domestic double.

The Red Devils have become more and more reliant on the World Cup winner as the season progressed and he was the one who led his side from the front, hen the club underwent a change in the dugout mid-season. In the weeks that followed this transition, he really stepped up his game, becoming their talisman in the process.

With just pride and a crucial Champions League spot to play, for now, let's hope the 26-year-old keeps performing at the top level, while also getting some more help from his teammates.

#3 Chelsea - Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard has double-digit goals and assists for Chelsea this season.
Eden Hazard has double-digit goals and assists for Chelsea this season.

If there's one player Chelsea player that Maurizio Sarri should be thankful to for saving his job on multiple occasions this season, it has to be Belgian forward Eden Hazard, who has kept The Blues in the contention for a Champions League spot, only by his sheer brilliance.

The Silver Ball winner at the FIFA World Cup 2018, has been in fine form for the English club this season and already boasts the best statistics of his Chelsea career with three weeks of top-flight action still to go.

With 16 goals and 12 assists to his name this season, he has been involved in almost 50% of all of his team's goals. No other player comes even close to matching his figure and it seems if they are to remain in the top-four race Hazard will have to continue his fine run of form.

It is rare to see a big club like Chelsea becoming reliant on a single player for their attacking output, but with the 28-year-old in the form of his life, it is not hard to see why this fleet-footed forward has been the talisman at the Stamford Bridge this season.

The player was utilized as a false-nine during the first half of the campaign by Sarri and now is back to his natural position, but the output of goals remained unchanged during that period.

With his contract expiring in 2020, it remains to be seen whether the much-discussed move to LaLiga giants Real Madrid takes place this summer or not, if it does it will be a big blow not only to Chelsea but the Premier League as a whole.

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Edited by Debjyoti Samanta