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Manchester City are sitting on top of the Premier League table and that's thanks to some incredible individuals.
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City have been a force to reckon with ever since his project started taking off. Heavily backed by the City Football Group, Manchester City have some of the finest players from around the world on their payroll and they have definitely benefitted from it.
Manchester City did not enjoy the best start to the season but have eventually hit their stride and have been in imperious form of late. Several players have stepped up to the plate and have bolstered City's title-charge this season.
There have been some excellent individual performers this season and without further ado, let's take a look at the best five Manchester City players so far this season.
Top 5 Manchester City players this season so far
#5 Riyad Mahrez
Riyad Mahrez has stepped it up this season in the absence of Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus and has been consistently good up top for the Cityzens. He has suffered a light dip in form over the past month or so but the Algerian international should be back to his best in no time.
Mahrez has chipped in with six goals and two assists from across 26 appearances this season so far for Manchester City. He keeps slaloming past defenders with his silky feet and has been a menacing presence upfront with his passing and movement.
#4 Ruben Dias
It did take a while for everyone to stop and take notice of just how good a signing Ruben Dias has been for Manchester City. The former Benfica man joined the Cityzens for €65 million in the summer and has become a regular feature in Pep Guardiola's side this season.
Ruben Dias looks like he could fill the void in Manchester City's defence that was created following the departure of Vincent Kompany. We are well aware of how a top quality centre-back can improve a team after seeing Liverpool's dominance over the past two seasons since Virgil Van Dijk was roped in from Southampton.
Ruben Dias executes his defensive duties with aplomb and is great at playing the ball out from the back. He has a pass completion rate of 93% in the Premier League. Pep Guardiola has found the ideal centre-back partnership in Ruben Dias and John Stones and Manchester City are absolutely flying.
#3 Joao Cancelo
Joao Cancelo has settled down in the Manchester City starting lineup and done that quite well. There never really were any questions about his abilities though he did struggle to produce the goods on a consistent basis in the 2019-20 season.
Cancelo almost plays as an extra midfielder these days and his playmaking skills are now coming to the fore. The former Juventus man is an excellent technician.The 26-year-old has great vision and can spot runs and find his teammates who are making runs into dangerous areas without any hitches.
Cancelo's versatility enables him to play down either flank and he can play as a right-back and left-back. He has even played in midfield. Cancelo has scored three goals and provided two assists in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League combined this season.
#2 Ilkay Gundogan
No David Silva? No problem. Well, that's not something that Manchester City fans would have hoped of saying even during the initial days of the season. However, the way that Ilkay Gundogan has stepped up over the last couple of months.
Ilkay Gundogan, unlike most central midfielders, loves exploiting spaces in the final third and he has a great eye for goal. Gundogan is Manchester City's highest scorer in the Premier League this season with nine goals to his name from 21 appearances across all competitions and has been their best player over the past month.
The interesting thing to note here is that Gundogan has never been known to be much of a goalscorer. Yet, here he is scoring long-range screamers, tap-ins in addition to showing great poaching abilities inside the box.
#1 Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin De Bruyne didn't start the season on the right note and that reflected in Manchester City's performances in the opening stages of the new campaign. But the Belgian has truly come to his own over the past few months and has been pulling the strings from midfield to great effect.
He currently tops the assist chart in the Premier League as is usual and he has 10 assists in the league. He has three more assists in the Champions League. The Belgian has continued to perform at a high level despite losing his midfield partner David Silva.
Though several individuals have stepped up their game this season for Manchester City, Kevin De Bruyne will be central to the Cityzens mounting a challenge on all fronts.
