Premier League Power Rankings: December 2018 - Salah moves up 6 spots

Brighton & Hove Albion v Chelsea FC - Premier League
Brighton & Hove Albion v Chelsea FC - Premier League

The Premier League is now entering it's busiest phase with teams playing almost every three days owing to the League's famous Boxing Day and New Year's Day traditions. The Balance of the League has been shaken, and we have gone from three unbeaten Teams at the top to just one - Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp's side has been in impeccable form and sits comfortably on top of the table owing to title rivals Chelsea beating Manchester City 2-0 at the bridge. The table has opened up at the top since Manchester City's slip up, and the players will now need to step up with 4 Gameweeks to go in a span of fewer than three weeks.

Some players have certainly impressed more than others, and the latest Premier League Power Player rankings (Till Gameweek 16) are now out. Calculated by Sportskeeda's ranking formula, we're going to rank the Premier League's top 10 Players on the basis of their consistent performances across 16 Gameweeks along with how their place in top 10 has varied compared to last Month's Power Player Ranking.

So here are the Top 10 Premier League Players for December 2018:

#10 Harry Maguire - Score: 25.1 (-1)

Leicester City v West Ham United - Premier League
Leicester City v West Ham United - Premier League

Harry Maguire has been out injured since the 3rd of November, nursing a knee injury sustained in Leceister's win over Cardiff City. The towering English International had a brilliant start to this Season's Premier League Campaign and carried on with his excellent form for England at the World Cup. The Centre-Back was at the #9th position in last month's ranking but owing to a Month's absence and no other players stacking up stats better than him he just about retains his place on our list at #10. Maguire has pitched in with 2 Goals and has made a mindboggling 56 Clearances for Leicester City.

Leicester Manager Claude Puel had Harry Maguire on the Bench during his team's 2-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur, and Maguire was eventually an unused Substitute, but we can expect the defender to be back for the Foxes soon. Maguire is an integral part of Leicester and England's defensive plans, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him climb higher up in next Month's rankings

#9 Pedro - Score: 25.1 (New entry)

Chelsea FC v Manchester City - Premier League
Chelsea FC v Manchester City - Premier League

Pedro hasn't been playing regularly for the blues but owing to an excellent Goals per minute ratio and a top-notch pass percentage the Spaniard has entered the list. He has been very effective for his team whenever called upon.

Pedro has scored 5 Goals and assisted 1 in 786 Minutes, which is the least amount of game time any player has gotten on our list. His completed pass percentage is at a superior 88.7%, and the former Barcelona forward has slowly made his way back into the Chelsea playing XI after good performances against Manchester City and Fulham.

Chelsea has struggled in recent months with their Strikers seeing Olivier Giroud setting more goals up than scoring them and Alvaro Morata being very inconsistent in front of goal. Pedro is one player in Chelsea's front line that has a genuine eye for Goal, and if he continues performing the same way for Chelsea, he could be the Blues' main Goal threat this Season.

#8 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - Score: 26.5 (-1)

Arsenal FC v Huddersfield Town - Premier League
Arsenal FC v Huddersfield Town - Premier League

The Gabon International has been sensational for Arsenal this Season and lies on top of the Highest Goalscorer list with 10 Goals in 16 games; he has also gone on to assist 3 Goals for the Gunners. Aubameyang is enjoying his first full Season as an Arsenal Player, and Unai Emery's attacking style has suited Aubameyang perfectly. It's safe to say that the forward is Arsenal's most important player now and he is living up to the expectation week in week out

Aubameyang was ranked at 7th place last time out but owing to a few other exceptional performances Aubameyang missed out on retaining his 7th place spot by a few decimal points. If the former Borussia Dortmund man can up his passing percentage from his current 76.3% and continue his rich scoring form, he's sure to finish higher up on this list by the end of the campaign. Aubameyang is a lethal Goalscorer of the highest order, and Unai Emery is lucky to have him.

#7 David Silva - Score: 26.7 (-2)

Watford FC v Manchester City - Premier League
Watford FC v Manchester City - Premier League

Wine, cheese and David Silva are just a few examples of things that get better with age. It's safe to say that David Silva now is a Manchester City Legend, having been at the club since 2010. He has been a great servant to the club and is proving his mettle again this season.

Silva has scored 5 Goals and has assisted two already with an exceptional completed pass Percentage of 89.1%. David Silva very evidently pulls the strings for Manchester City with his excellent passing, composure and almost perfect movement.

Silva was at the 5th Position in last month's Power Player ranking but considering he's scored only one goal since the previous list came out he has dropped down a little this time around.

A lot will be expected of him during the upcoming busy Christmas period as the young City players will be looking to the 32-year-old for guidance and motivation. Expect the midfielder to have a few more good games during the festive season.

#6 Anthony Martial - Score: 27.3 (-2)

Manchester United v BSC Young Boys - UEFA Champions League Group H
Manchester United v BSC Young Boys - UEFA Champions League Group H

Anthony Martial is having a brilliant Season this time around having scored 7 Goals already. Martial looks like he's got his mojo back and is showing everyone why Manchester United paid the big bucks for him. Unfortunately, despite such a good run of form, Martial got injured in the 2-2 Draw against Arsenal at Old Trafford. Incidentally, the Frenchman scored in the Arsenal game as well before he limped off the field.

The Former Monaco player was at the 4th place in the last rankings and owing to his injury missed Manchester United's 4-1 win over Fulham. Martial is expected to be back soon, and Jose Mourinho along with United fans will be hoping that Martial can continue banging in the goals the way he was before this setback.

The most impressive thing about the Frenchman is that he has taken 18 shots out of which seven have been goals, Anthony Martial has the most remarkable shots to Goals ratio on our list.

#5 Sergio Aguero - Score: 27.9 (-3)

Manchester City v Manchester United - Premier League
Manchester City v Manchester United - Premier League

Aguero is arguably the best Non-English Striker to have played in the Premier League, and the astonishing part is that even after seeing him score 151 Premier League Goals, you realize that the Argentine just turned 30 Years-old and has at least two more Seasons in him given his amazing fitness standards. Aguero has scored 8 goals in under 1000 Minutes of game time this Season.

Aguero was desperately missed during Manchester City's 2-0 loss against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Pep Guardiola's side lacked a certain killer instinct in the Final third and eventually suffered because they didn't have the services of Sergio Aguero. Manchester City's record Goalscorer was ranked at the 2nd place last month, but his muscle injury has, unfortunately, dragged him down to 5th place this time around. Manchester City will be aching for Aguero to make a come back because once he starts scoring, there are a very few defenses in the World that can stop the Argentine.

#4 Mohamed Salah - Score: 28.2 (+6)

AFC Bournemouth v Liverpool FC - Premier League
AFC Bournemouth v Liverpool FC - Premier League

Everyone who thought Mohamed Salah was a one-Season wonder must be hiding behind their couches because they have been proven wrong once again by this wonderful Egyptian. Mohamed Salah has 10 goals in the Premier League and has created 4 Goals for the Reds this Season. Liverpool is on top of the Table largely because of Salah's return to form and watching the Egyptian run down the wing is probably the most terrifying sight for defenders in the Premier League right now.

Salah has taken an enormous jump in the rankings moving 6 places up from last month. Liverpool's beloved Winger was at 10th place and has moved up to 4th because of a tremendous goalscoring run and an instrumental 33 chances created.

It's clear to see that Klopp is trying to make Salah a better all-around forward and is emphasizing on his creative abilities more this Season. Along with attackers, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Xherdan Shaqiri, it will be interesting to see if Liverpool and Salah can go all the way or not.

#3 Leroy Sane - Score: 30.5 (New Entry)

Watford FC v Manchester City - Premier League
Watford FC v Manchester City - Premier League

The more you watch Leroy Sane play, the harder it is to believe that Joachim Low dropped him from the German World Cup Squad in the Summer. The fuzzy-haired winger is a force to be reckoned with and at 22-years of age, what he can go on to achieve is limitless. Sane has 6 goals and 5 assists this Season and barring the Chelsea game, he has looked immensely impressive every time he has appeared for the sky blues this Season.

He has obviously had a very impressive month considering he didn't even appear on the last Power player rankings list. Leroy Sane, like most of the Manchester City side, is a brilliant passer of the ball and has a completed pass percentage of 84.7% this season. To put things in perspective that's the same pass percentage as Chelsea's Eden Hazard.

Initially, this season, Riyad Mahrez was touted to replace Sane in the side, but the German has given Mahrez a fierce competition. With the fierce rotation Pep Guardiola uses among the City players to keep them on their toes, it remains to be seen whether Sane is dropped again or continues to take his chances and charge towards the #1 slot on our rankings.

#2 Raheem Sterling - Score: 30.8 (+1)

Manchester City v AFC Bournemouth - Premier League
Manchester City v AFC Bournemouth - Premier League

#1 Eden Hazard - Score: 32.9 (=)

Chelsea FC v Manchester City - Premier League
Chelsea FC v Manchester City - Premier League

He may not have scored a Goal since late October but the stats don't lie, Eden Hazard is currently the best player in the League. The Belgian captain has been involved in 15 goals this season, more than any other player, having scored 7 and assisted 8.

The Belgian did suffer a dip in form, particularly in the loss against Tottenham Hotspur. He was also poor against Wolverhampton Wanderers. But an assist against Fulham and two assists against Manchester City have ensured the Belgian retains his spot as the number one player on our rankings.

Furthermore, Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri seems to have discovered a Centre-Forward's prowess in Eden Hazard and has gone on record to say that he will play Hazard as a striker in some games in the near future. Some may argue that Hazard needs to improve his Goal tally and they may be right in saying so, but after creating 43 chances this Season (the most by any player in the league) and being directly involved in 15 Goals it's safe to say that Eden Hazard is the best player in the Premier League according to the Sportskeeda power rankings for 2 months in a row now.

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Edited by Emeka Monyei