‘STEAL OF THE CENTURY’ EVANS POWERS HIS WAY TO NO. 11
16 DEMARAI GRAY (DOWN TWO)
A REGULAR off the bench all season, but his impact as a substitute has faded over recent weeks. Iheanacho has shown him how it is done.
15 HAMZA CHOUDHURY (DOWN FOUR)
THE “misdemeanour” that saw him omitted at Burnley meant Choudhury didn’t fully take the chance to fill Ndidi’s boots, although, when he did play, he didn’t do a bad job.
14 RYAN BENNETT (NEW)
AFTER the Wolves fixture, for which he is ineligible, the deadline-day loan signing is expected to be on the bench for the rest of the season, and will likely be handed the responsibility of helping City see out victories.
13 DENNIS PRAET
(=)
THE first name on the subs bench, and someone who should come on in every match to freshen things up in midfield, Praet did a decent job filling in for Tielemans recently, but the latter has a greater influence when in top form.
12 AYOZE PEREZ (DOWN TWO)
THERE are still question marks as to whether he is at home on the right wing, but his rate of goals and assists has picked up to a decent level. Still, he seems the most disposable of the regular starting 11.
11 KELECHI IHEANACHO (UP EIGHT)
THE Nigerian has enjoyed an unforeseeable rise to prominence over the past two months to become an indispensable member of the matchday squad. He will remain as such while he keeps popping up with important goals and producing all-round excellent performances.
10 BEN CHILWELL (DOWN THREE)
STILL one of the best left-backs in the division on his day, but those days haven’t occurred as regularly of late. His importance drops a little with the knowledge that Fuchs can do a solid job stepping in.
9 KASPER SCHMEICHEL (DOWN THREE)
SCHMEICHEL rightly remains City’s number one but his form has dropped since Christmas, albeit he was playing perhaps unsustainably excellently before then. Right now, it feels like the centre-back pairing are more important to City than the goalkeeper behind them.
8 YOURI TIELEMANS (UP ONE)
SLOWLY working his way back to the level of loan-period Tielemans, after being was handed a few weeks’ rest last month. When the Belgian is at his best, he makes City tick and is hugely influential on the team’s overall performance.
7 CAGLAR SOYUNCU
(UP ONE)
THE odd mistake and rash decision have been creeping in over the few months but it is hard to imagine any other defender playing alongside Evans. There is scope for improvement, but he is not about to lose his place.
6 HARVEY BARNES
(UP SIX)
A SHARP rise for the homegrown winger who has been City’s best player since the turn of the year.
He has been City’s most threatening outlet over the past few weeks and the goals are flowing more freely, too.
5 JAMES MADDISON
(=)
CITY’S playmaker-in-chief may not have set up a goal from open play since August, but his influence remains high, with his touch, turn, and forward passes vital to getting, and keeping, City on the front foot.
4 RICARDO PEREIRA
(DOWN ONE)
ON all-round ability, combining both attacking and defensive abilities, Ricardo remains City’s best player, and a reliably consistent performer. But, try as he might, it’s hard to run a game from rightback.
3 WILFRED NDIDI
(UP ONE)
‘YOU don’t know what you’ve got, ‘til it’s gone,’ so goes the old motto and that’s proved to be true with Ndidi. City have failed to win any of the four games that the Nigerian has missed through injury over the past month, with his qualities becoming more and more vital to the team’s success.
2 JAMIE VARDY
(DOWN ONE)
HE’S still the Premier League’s top scorer, and underrated by those that don’t watch him regularly, but a slight dip in form, combined with Iheanacho’s excellence in the number nine’s absence, means Vardy slips from the top spot.
1 JONNY EVANS
(UP ONE)
THE new leader is the man Rodgers rates at the “steal of the century”. Eighteen months on from his £3.5 million arrival from relegated West Brom, Evans has become integral to City’s success, organising and directing the forward-thinking defence around him, and helping Soyuncu to make huge strides in his development.