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The Premier League in England is one of the most competitive and intense leagues in the world of football. On a given day, any team can beat anyone irrespective of the difference in strength on paper, and one month's hero can turn into another month's villain.
Throughout the nine-month-long season, some players tend to consistently provide exceptional performances. The best performers are ultimately awarded a place in different teams of the season, including UEFA's best team. But the best performers do not become the best by inconsistent performances.
The 'Player of the Month' award goes to footballers who perform best in a given month within the entire league. Even if the player's club is playing in any continental tournament, only the performances in the league in a particular month are considered.
It is a highly prestigious award and is determined in the Premier League courtesy of multiple factors.
How do things stand for the Premier League's Player of the Month in November?
The Premier League has three matchdays in the month of November. At the time of writing, two of the matchdays have already been completed. Some of the results have been along the predicted lines, while few others have been shocking.
In September and October, eight players were nominated each time for the prestigious title of Premier League's POTM. The title went to Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo in September and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah in October.
Although there is one more game day left, fans worldwide have already observed some great performances. They have started citing speculation about who can make it to the Premier League POTM nominations for November. Here's a list of the likeliest candidates who can win the award next:
#5 Teemu Pukki
Norwich have won back-to-back matches in the first two matchdays of November. Both victories had identical scorelines of 2-1. The first victory came away from home against Brentford, while the next came at home against Southampton.
Teemo Pukki scored the insurance goal in the first match against Brentford, but it ultimately turned into the winner. Against Southampton, Norwich fell behind in the first 10 minutes. Pukki restored balance before Norwich scored the eventual winner.
Norwich's last game is against Wolves at home, and if Pukki can make it three in three, he may very well find himself in one place out of the eight. A hat-trick of wins will galvanize Norwich's bid to stay in the Premier League as well.
#4 Conor Gallagher
If any footballer can set a benchmark for loan spells at the moment in world football, it will have to be Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher. The English central midfielder realized how difficult it would be to break into Chelsea's first-team squad and spent last season on loan at West Bromwich Albion. However, following his spell at Crystal Palace, he is now pushing for a recall from Chelsea.
Crystal Palace have had a mixed run so far this month. They won their match on matchday 11 of the Premier League, where they beat Wolves 2-0 at home. Gallagher scored the second goal of the match and was adjudged man of the match as well.
Against Burnley, Crystal Palace couldn't hold on to a slender lead and ultimately saw a 3-3 draw. Although Christian Benteke scored a brace, Gallagher was again excellent on the ball, showing his footballing aptitude in front of the world.
He notched up an assist to increase his goal involvement and once again gave a great testament to the talent of Chelsea's academy. It will be surprising if he is not present in the race for the Premier League's player of the month award.
#3 Bernardo Silva
November has been a good month so far for the defending Premier League champions, Manchester City. They have managed to keep two clean sheets, one of which came against local rivals Manchester United.
Bernardo Silva has become a pivotal figure in Pep's system once again, of late. The Portuguese has found a good rhythm of form and has scored two-in-two in November's Premier League matches.
Silva managed to score from a near-impossible angle in the Manchester derby to extend Manchester City's lead. His goal against Everton played a similar role as Manchester City won two matches, 2-0 and 3-0, respectively.
#2 Joao Cancelo
The left-back position has been a worry for Pep Guardiola and Manchester City, but he seems to have found a solution in Joao Cancelo.
The Portuguese, who is originally a right-back, has made the transition seem frictionless and is now an important figure in Manchester City's starting eleven.
In the Manchester derby, Cancelo had the most critical say as it was his attempted cross that was spurned into his net by Eric Bailly. Cancelo also assisted an intriguing goal from Bernardo Silva in the exact match.
Against Everton, he assisted Raheem Sterling's opening goal. Cancelo has not only made offensive contributions but has looked extremely solid defensively as well.
With Manchester City winning both matches comfortably, Cancelo will be looking to make more telling contributions to help Manchester's blue side retain the Premier League trophy.
It now remains to be seen how he will perform in the remaining Premier League games in November. Undoubtedly, a solid performance will galvanize his claim for the player of the month award.
#1 Trent Alexander-Arnold
Liverpool suffered a shocking 3-2 loss against West Ham earlier in November, which significantly dented their push to become Premier League leaders.
Although he looked defensively shaky, Trent Alexander-Arnold looked like he wanted to spoil the party for West Ham during that game.
Alexander-Arnold scored the equalizer from an exquisite free-kick before assisting Origi's goal, but it wasn't enough. There were no defensive jitters on Matchday 12 of the Premier League as Liverpool swept away Arsenal by a margin of four goals to nil.
Not only was Alexander-Arnold defensively solid, but he also notched up a pair of assists. He is definitely the leading candidate for the Premier League player of the month award this month.
