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After 14 games, the Premier League table is finally starting to shape up in England. The 2014/15 season has seen many players take the EPL by storm and helped their clubs with some noteworthy performances. Be it in defence, midfield or attack, a number of players have impressed managers and fans alike.We take a look at the five most improved players this season in the league.Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the author and do not reflect those of the site
#1 Marouane Fellaini - Manchester United
When £27 million was splashed to buy the Belgian from Everton on deadline day last season, many expected him to hit the ground running immediately. But various reasons prevented the midfielder from settling at United. Neither did the team’s playing style suit the giant midfielder nor did the constant injuries help his cause. The deadline day signing was tipped to leave the club in the summer but an injury he suffered at the end of the window prevented him from moving to Napoli.
Glimpses of his abilities were witnessed in victories at West Ham United, Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion last season. However, that was not enough to win the fans back on his side. So when Louis van Gaal took charge, he inevitably lost his place in the starting lineup and had to warm the bench. Finally, the chance came for the midfielder to shine when he replaced not-so-fully-fit Ander Herrera as a half time substitute against West Bromwich Albion. Within minutes after coming on, the Belgian scored a wonder goal, which happened to be his first for the club.
His good performance earned him a place against league leaders Chelsea, where he repaid his managers faith by putting in a man of the match performance. Fellaini covered 12.17 km on the pitch, which was the most by any player. It was not just the distance he covered, but also the great job he did on marking Cesc Fabregas. Fellaini closed down the Spanish maestro so quickly that the Catalan born player managed to complete only three passes in the first 20 minutes and a mere 11 in the entire first half.
He then carried on the solid performances against Manchester City, Crystal Palace and played a key part in helping United's revival against Arsenal. He started to win the ball from midfield to relieve pressure when the team was being slaughtered by Arsenal in the first half hour. Notably, Fellaini’s pass helped Angel Di Maria run free at Arsenal’s defence from which Rooney scored the decisive second goal of the game. He continued his good work and scored a header against Stoke City to get his first Old Trafford goal.
The Belgian is offering something different to the United midfield with his physical approach as most of the United midfielders are soft with their challenges. If Fellaini can keep this form going, then he can become the ideal box-to-box midfielder which United were craving for so long.
#2 Ryan Bertrand - Southampton (on loan)
The English International has been one of the revelations of the season and has played a huge part in keeping Southampton in the top four. The left back on loan from Chelsea has been enjoying his dream campaign with his impressive performances for the Saints in the league.
Bertrand was virtually an unknown player when the interim Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo gave him a regular first team place in 2012. After starting in the Champions League final triumph for the Blues in the same year, many expected great things from the full back. However, he lost his place after Di Matteo was sacked.
He further fell below the pecking order when Jose Mourinho took charge. He managed 57 appearances for Chelsea since making his debut in 2011 but spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa. Then he moved to Southampton for his seventh loan move.
He has started every single match for the St. Mary's outfit this season and also has a goal to his name. Bertrand is a good all round defender who is very athletic, energetic and he likes to go forward a lot. He is an intelligent defender who positions himself at the right place to intercept the passes or preventing any crosses from entering the box.
All Bertrand needed was a place to settle and get regular first team football to shine in his career. The 25-year-old has made the most of his loan move and also expressed his desire to make the loan move a permanent one, despite being contracted till 2017 with Chelsea. If he is going to continue with this sort of performances, then manager Ronald Koeman won't hesitate to make the loan move a permanent deal.
#3 Gylfi Sigurdsson - Swansea City
Sigurdsson is the best example for showing what happens when you play a player in his best position. The Iceland international has established himself as a regular in the team and has contributed with frequent goals and assists after being allowed to play in his favourite number 10 position.
After his good first season on loan with Swansea from Hoffenheim, the 25-year-old moved to Tottenham Hotspur in 2012. However, Sigurdsson struggled for regular first team action. And when he did start, the midfielder was usually deployed on the left side.
In two seasons at White Hart Lane, Sigurdsson made 58 league appearances and managed only eight goals and four assists. During the 2013/14 season, Sigurdsson only managed 14.7% of his total touches in the middle of the park and majority of them – 26.7% was in the left midfield zone. Hence, he was hardly able to influence the games.
However, things have changed and he has already managed eight assists and got two goals to his name this season. Both have come at crucial times for his team as the first was the winner at Old Trafford on the opening day of the season and the other was a sublime free kick against Arsenal which helped the Swans come from behind and claim a vital victory over the Gunners.
After Swansea manager Gary Monk regularly deployed him in the number 10 position, he has been given freedom for creativity and the license to drive forward. Since Sigurdsson was deployed on the left hand side for Spurs, he had to regularly track back the opposing wide players, and hence he was unable to stamp his authority up front.
With the workload in his game being limited now, he is enjoying his best season by only concentrating on attack. Not competing for places and set pieces with the likes of Gareth Bale and Christian Eriksen is also helping him to flourish in his career. Have Spurs sold the wrong player this summer? Only time will tell.
#4 Harry Kane - Tottenham Hotspur
The 21-year-old England International is one of the hottest prospects in the country. His recent displays has kept big names Adebayor and Soldado at bench. If the young striker continues to perform on this level, soon he could make himself a regular for both club and country.
For the last few years, White Hart Lane fans have been buzzing about the prospect of seeing Kane in the senior squad after seeing his development in the youth ranks. For a while now, the youngster has been knocking on the door but was never able to fully make the switch into the first team. Kane managed only 10 Premier League appearances last season, of which four were substitute appearances. But he still managed to score three goals.
Not even half of the season is complete but the 21-year-old has already equalled last season’s league appearances. In the ten league matches, he has scored twice. Despite his great run in the Europa League, the striker was well below the pecking order for Spurs in the league. He had to score nine goals before finally getting a starting place in the league. Spurs manager Pochetinno has played him up front as the lone striker or in the number ten position and has always given his best.
It is not only his goal scoring abilities, but also his work rate which is pleasing the crowd. He was deployed as a number 10 against Everton and played a huge role in the opening goal scored by Christian Eriksen. He was then asked to play on his own against Chelsea, which he duly did.
Even though Spurs were trashed by Chelsea on the night, Harry Kane was the sparkling light in an otherwise disappointing performance for Spurs as he kept the Chelsea defenders on their toes throughout the match and was unlucky to see his early header come off the bar. If Harry Kane keeps improving, the big money signings have definitely got to settle for a place on the bench.
#5 Saido Berahino - West Bromwich Albion
The rise of the 21-year-old England International is another great story in the club’s tale. The young striker who made his Premier League debut only last season has already earned a place in Roy Hodgson's England setup when he came on as a substitute against Scotland in November.
After he was given a trial by the club, Berahino impressed the coaches and since then has been a part of the club. He came into spotlight last season when he scored a hat-trick in his debut against Newport County in the Capital One Cup in August 2013. He then carried on his good work to open the scoring in the team’s 2-1 win at Old Trafford the following month.
Despite his sudden rise, Berahino was unable to improve on his good work. By the end of the season, Berahino managed only five goals in 32 league matches and had four more goals in the Capital One Cup. Moreover, when the club completed the record signing of Brown Ideye in the summer, Berahino's chances were set to be limited.
To the young striker’s credit, he responded to the challenge well by impressing so far this season, which kept the record signing Brown Ideye out of the team. Berahino has already managed to better his last season's performance with seven goals and an assist in the league. His goal against Manchester United proved to be a vital one as the striker was called up for his national team.
His sudden rise has seen clubs interested in signing him. However, club chairman Jeremy Peace has assured the fans that they will hold on to the young starlet.
“We are delighted that this development has now taken him all the way to the senior England squad. However, it seems to have also generated unwarranted and excitable speculation about his future – which I wish to stress remains very firmly aligned to this football club” he said.
