Copy of Ranked: Who are the top 50 players in the Premier ...

The title race is ... back on? The Premier League has three teams within four points of first.

And the race for the Champions League places is ... bigger than ever? The gap between fifth and 13th is just seven points.

There might be a relegation race, too, after two wins from two has 18th-place West Ham United five points clear of 19th-place Burnley and five points back of 16th-place Nottingham Forest. But we're not really worried about the bottom of the table today.

Or, well, maybe we are? We're back with another edition of ESPN's Premier League Top 50, our ranking of the best players in the league. While it used to be a relatively easy exercise -- Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea players, mostly -- the league is more bunched up and more competitive than ever before. The top teams still have tons of talent, but the average Premier League team now has a roster equivalent to the average Champions League side.

So, in this seemingly brand-new competitive environment, what does the top 50 look like?

How we rank, and who isn't eligible

So this isn't just a list of all the most famous players in the league, we rank players using a combination of actual production -- guys who are actually playing Premier League minutes and contributing to Premier League teams -- and talent. If, for example, Marcos Senesi moved to Arsenal, he'd probably stop playing as many minutes and he'd probably fall off these rankings. But he's on Bournemouth, so he's playing a ton and he's performing at a super-high level, so he makes the list.

Individual player evaluation is really difficult. See: all of the players Liverpool, and Manchester City, and Arsenal signed this past summer who really aren't doing all that much for their new teams. Although a bunch of stats are cited throughout, this is much more art than science, and we can be more confident about the top of the list than the bottom.

As for the specifics of this version of the list, it prioritizes players who have played more minutes. And it has only two guys who didn't at least hit the 900-minute threshold. Also, if you're currently injured, then you're not eligible, so: Tyler Adams, Rúben Dias, Alexander Isak, and Josko Gvardiol have all dropped off.

Now, to the Premier League Top 50 ...

50. Amad Diallo, winger/wingback, Manchester United

49. Kevin Schade, forward, Brentford

48. Igor Thiago, forward, Brentford

The second-highest scorer in the league can't break into the top 40? Well, he's scored five penalties, and he's also running about three goals ahead of his expected-goals (xG) tally, which is a much more accurate representation of what we're trying to determine with this list.

His per-90 numbers look more like a slightly-above-average forward than a star. But he's played a ton of minutes -- there's value in that -- and he might be the best defensive forward in the league.

Per data from Gradient Sports, he's contributed 35 pressures that have led to the ball being won in a "dangerous position," which they define as "an area where the player could create a chance to score." No one else in the league has even reached 30.

47. Leandro Trossard, winger, Arsenal

46. Matheus Cunha, forward, Manchester United

He might drop off the list if interim head coach Michael Carrick continues to not select him for United's starting lineup. But United were also doing quite well before Carrick arrived and Cunha was playing more often.

Sure, he scored an incredible goal to beat the best team in the world last weekend, but that's not as important as this: Per Gradient, Cunha has completed 12 dribbles where he's attempted some kind of "trick" -- most in the league so far this campaign.

45. Sandro Tonali, midfielder, Newcastle United

44. Daniel Muñoz, fullback, Crystal Palace

43. Reece James, midfielder/fullback, Chelsea

42. Cristian Romero, centerback, Tottenham Hotspur

41. Robin Roefs, goalkeeper, Sunderland

40. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, forward, Leeds United

39. Ollie Watkins, forward, Aston Villa

38. Michael Kayode, fullback, Brentford

He's one of the most athletic fullbacks in the world. His passing has improved a lot since the season began, and well, there's this chart -- again.

That's expected possession value created from throw-ins, and EPV determines how much a given action increases a team's chances of scoring. Kayode might be better at throwing the ball into the box than anyone is at anything else.

37. David Brooks, attacking midfielder, Bournemouth

36. Rayan Cherki, attacking midfielder, Manchester City

Taking shots and creating chances is, I don't know, 80% of being a good attacker. And, well ...

The only reason both Brooks and Cherki are not higher is that they've only played about 900 minutes, and that's the cut-off I've used for the chart. Erling Haaland, meanwhile, has played over 1,900 minutes.

35. Jean-Philippe Mateta, forward, Crystal Palace

34. Florian Wirtz, attacking midfielder, Liverpool

Wirtz's pure production hasn't quite been there yet. He, of course, only has three goals and one assist, despite Liverpool paying a nine-figure transfer fee in order to acquire him.

But his underlying numbers have inched up to right around 0.5 xG+xA per 90 -- a really solid mark for an attacking midfielder. And he's been a key figure in a ton of great possessions that we immediately forgot about because no one finished the chance or Liverpool found a way to blow the game.

Wirtz has completed 104 passes into dangerous positions -- by far the most in the league.

33. Anthony Gordon, winger, Newcastle United

32. Jack Grealish, winger, Everton

Only one player in the league has created more possession value than Grealish has so far this season. And he's made five ball carries leading to a clear chance, per Gradient, which is exactly what it sounds like. No one else in the league has done it more than three times.

31. Rodri, midfielder, Manchester City

30. Antoine Semenyo, winger, Manchester City

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29. Jan Paul van Hecke, Brighton & Hove Albion

28. Micky van de Ven, centerback, Tottenham Hotspur

27. Mohamed Salah, winger, Liverpool

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26. Morgan Rogers, attacking midfielder, Aston Villa

A lot of data-adjacent people are pretty skeptical of Rogers, mainly because his expected goals and assists numbers are only about average for his position. His output is way higher than that, and his output will not continue to be way higher than that for long.

But Rogers isn't just some cipher who barely touches the ball and is only providing value when he's picking out the top corner. He's one of the best off-ball movers in the league, and he's constantly picking up possession between the lines and helping Villa move the ball up field. He has people picking him as a starter for England because he's scored a bunch of goals this season, but what makes him a good player is all of the stuff he does before a shot is attempted or a chance is created.

He's received 96 passes in dangerous positions, while no one else in the league is above 88.

25. Elliot Anderson, midfielder, Nottingham Forest

24. Adam Wharton, midfielder, Crystal Palace

Both Anderson and Wharton could, and probably will, move for around $100 million in one of the next few transfer windows.

Per Gradient, Anderson has completed the most passes breaking multiple opposition lines, while Wharton leads the league in passes breaking the midfield line. Anderson is first in xPV added from defensive actions, and Wharton is second. Anderson is 23 years old, and Wharton is 21. England's midfield is set, for a really long time.

23. Martín Zubimendi, midfielder, Arsenal

22. Marcos Senesi, centerback, Bournemouth

Lose two centerbacks to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, and what do you do? Replace them with a guy who's an even better passer.

Gradient grades every pass that every player in the Premier League makes every weekend, on a scale of minus-2 to plus-2, in increments of 0.5. (And then they normalize each player's overall grade for the season or game on a 0-to-100 scale.) Senesi has completed 16 passes with a grade of 1.0 or better, and only one other player in the league is even in double digits.

21. Ryan Gravenberch, midfielder, Liverpool

I don't really think he's to blame for any of Liverpool's issues, since he's doing everything he did last year -- possibly at an even higher level. Per Gradient, he's the highest-graded ball-carrier in the league, and he's the only player in the league who's received the ball while opening his body to goal at least 100 times.

The only times Liverpool's possessions ever really gain any momentum this season are when Gravenberch turns through pressure, and then runs past a couple defenders.

20. Jérémy Doku, winger, Manchester City

He still hasn't figured out how to score, but I wonder how much of that is by Pep Guardiola's design. And I wonder how much it even matters:

Everyone else on this list has played at least 1,500 minutes. Doku hasn't even played 1,200.

19. Jordan Pickford, goalkeeper, Everton

Shot-stopping data can get pretty volatile from season-to-season, so I prefer to look at things across a longer timeline to get a sense of who the best goalkeepers really are. And here's how everyone in the Premier League compares over this season and last season, for the number of goals they've prevented. Or, put another way: the number of goals they've conceded below what the Stats Perform model suggests they should've, based on the difficulty and the volume of the shots they've faced:

Of note: Arsenal's David Raya has conceded nearly two goals more than expected, while Liverpool's Alisson Becker is well below average this season and just one goal better than average over the last two seasons combined.

18. Cody Gakpo, forward, Liverpool

17. Marc Guéhi, centerback, Manchester City

15. Hugo Ekitike, forward, Liverpool

16. Cole Palmer, attacking midfielder, Chelsea

14. Jurriën Timber, fullback, Arsenal

13. Bryan Mbeumo, forward, Manchester United

12. Virgil van Dijk, centerback, Liverpool

11. Dominik Szoboszlai, midfielder, Liverpool

10. Martin Ødegaard, midfielder, Arsenal

9. Enzo Fernández, midfielder, Chelsea

8. Moisés Caicedo, midfielder, Chelsea

The hype train really came to a screeching halt when he was red-carded in the first half against Arsenal, and then Chelsea managed to draw the game without Caicedo on the field.

But in addition to his fantastic defensive range and instincts, he's developed into a sometimes-dangerous and very secure passer. Per Gradient, he has the highest passing grade while under pressure of any midfielder in England.

7. Bruno Guimarães, midfielder, Newcastle United

Newcastle are one of the better teams in the Premier League and a dark horse Champions League contender if he's on the field. If he's not, they fade into the gigantic midtable morass.

He's leading the league in passes breaking the defensive line, while only two players in the league have received more line-breaking passes than him. The whole thing just falls apart if Bruno isn't on the field.

6. Gabriel Magalhães, centerback, Arsenal

5. William Saliba, centerback, Arsenal

Arsenal's entire defensive approach is built on two planks: keeping the ball away from the opposition so they can't score, and then not making mistakes during those rare stretches of play when the opponent does have the ball. And Saliba embodies all of that.

Per Gradient, he makes the fewest positional mistakes of any defender in the league, and he loses the ball under pressure less often than any other player in the league.

4. Bukayo Saka, winger, Arsenal

3. Bruno Fernandes, midfielder, Manchester United

It's been a down year for attackers not named Erling Haaland, but Bruno Fernandes has produced like a top-level attacker despite playing most of the season as a deeper-lying midfielder. He leads Manchester United in pressures attempted this season, and he's Gradient's highest-graded passer in the Premier League.

Without that combination of activity, United aren't close to challenging for a Champions League spot. I don't know how this is possible, but the best player on Manchester United is actually underrated.

2. Declan Rice, midfielder, Arsenal

I'm just going to keep posting this:

He's the best midfielder in the world because he's 6-foot-2 and he's good at everything.

1. Erling Haaland, forward, Manchester City

Want to understand why Erling Haaland scores so many more goals than everybody else? Take a look at this chart, of all the players who have attempted at least 20 shots this season:

He's attempting way more shots than everyone else, and only a couple players are taking higher-probability shots. Soccer is a game of trade-offs -- between quality and quantity -- unless you're a 6-foot-5, blazing fast Norwegian center forward who plays for Pep Guardiola. Then, you get to have it all.