A selection of talent from Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester United, Chelsea, Everton, Stoke City, Burnley, Sunderland and Aston Villa who should get more in the way of plaudits.

Football - Aston Villa v Everton Barclays Premier League

Yossi Benayoun (Liverpool)

A player who only seems to get his chance when someone is out injured or badly off form. He has filled in effectively for Ryan Babel and Albert Riera and last term did a manful job replacing Steven Gerrard. The Israeli international is always looking for a forward option and things just tend to happen when he is playing. A very useful player to have.

Vedran Corluka (Tottenham)

A lot has been made of the huge improvement shown by Aaron Lennon in the past 12 months but a fair bit of credit should be played to Corluka who plays directly behind the Spurs right winger and the Croatian always knows how to play the nippy England man in. He is also a pretty solid player in defence.

Alex Song (Arsenal)

Previously slated for being lethargic and one dimensional and a player who didn’t meet the criteria and standard of your typical Arsene Wenger style player, Alexander Song has come on leaps and bounds in the past 12 months and has now formed a great partnership with Denilson with both midfielders giving Cesc Fabregas more time and space to express himself.

Louis Saha (Everton)

Could just be the man to aid Everton’s recovery from a poor start to the season. Prolific striker will do a very good job leading the line and his goals could be crucial. A player who was very much maligned when at Man United after injury greatly held back his progress. Time for him to prove what he is capable of. Already has four goals from four games.

Florent Malouda (Chelsea)

I would be one of the first people to agree that the Frenchman was pretty poor when he first arrived at Stamford Bridge but he turned the corner towards the tail end of last season and has continued where he left off to help Chelsea to the top of the table.

Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United)

Comes in for a great deal of stick, especially away from Old Trafford, where he still has some doubters. People wrongly look at his goals tally to judge him when the Bulgarian is so much more than just a finisher. He provides plenty of assists and is the catalyst for most of the club’s most attractive football.

Darren Bent (Sunderland)

Harshly treated by a succession of Tottenham managers, Bent finally has a chance to shine at a club that will give him a regular first team spot. Already weighed in with goals in his first two games and could form a hugely important partnership with Kenwyne Jones as Steve Bruce looks to push the Black Cats towards the top half of the table and perhaps higher?

James Milner (Aston Villa)

Whilst the young Aston Villa winger does get more attention than he has done in recent months I still get the impression that if the former Leeds man was representing any of the ‘top four’ then he would be a household name getting plaudits at every turn. Good to see Fabio Capello giving him a good run at the England set-up. A very determined and old fashioned flank player who delivers inch perfect crosses.

Ryan Shawcross (Stoke City)

Calm and assured centre back who was offloaded by Man United but revitalized at the Britannia. He has helped Tony Pulis’s side retain a core defensive ethic that makes them very hard to break down, especially at home. This season has continued on nicely from his efforts last term, three clean sheets in the first four Premier League games show just how effective he can be at keeping out the opposition.

Wade Elliott (Burnley)

Talented midfielder who can make something from nothing. The former Bournemouth man was key to getting Owen Coyle’s side into the top tier and Wade has already proven that he is not out of his depth in the Premier League. Intelligent flowing footballer who thinks on his feet and always has an eye for a long range finish.


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