Ever wondered which members of a soccer team are the most important? After bringing you the Premier League's depth chart for all 20 squads last month, we have turned our attention to the traditional Big Six clubs in England to assess which players are their leading lights.
Based on a simple combination of ability and tactical importance, those whose role is integral to their team will feature higher in the ranking, while those who play less of a fundamental part will filter toward the bottom. Ultimately, the evaluation is weighted more heavily toward ability than tactical importance, but both have been taken into account. To begin, here are a few notes about the methodology.
- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
Why 15? Well, with 11 first-team players starting any given match, this should allow for those squad positions that aren't 100% cemented. Any long-term injury absences will be noted separately and not considered for the ranking.
How can you rate the players? WhoScored has an algorithm that gives an overall number out of 10, but it lends itself more to on-ball actions, while this will be more subjective. "Minutes Played" is obviously a key component of how important a player is to their manager, but slight injury issues can complicate that: we will only use it as a guide.
Are stats involved? Certainly. We'll look within the context of their position and, for example, will make a case why a striker (Goals, Assists, Key Passes, etc) will rank higher than a teammate.
How hard is it? Some of the decisions to be made are glaringly obvious, but others not so much. Comparing players across different position groups is a difficult task. Within the context of a squad, though, it's possible to get a feel for who is the most integral, even at this early stage of the season, in order to form the ranking.
I disagree wholeheartedly with your decision to put X below Y. Will you change it? Of course people will disagree and a lot of this is subjective, but it's only a bit of fun. And look out for another ranking around March when we can see how things have developed.
Enough of that; on with the rankings.
Mikel Arteta's squad quality has increased significantly over the past couple of seasons, lifting them from top-four hopefuls to title challengers and making this exercise infinitely more difficult.
MISSED THE CUT: Striker Eddie Nketiah is a handy homegrown option for Arteta to call upon up front in a pinch, but is behind Gabriel Jesus, while summer signing Jurriën Timber's cruel injury has prevented the versatile defender making the kind of impact needed to crack the list. Jorginho has also put in some strong performances in big games since joining, but isn't first choice.
15. Leandro Trossard, FW
Capable of filling in for any of the front three -- playing left, right or even as the centre-forward -- Trossard is seemingly happy to dip in and out of the first XI, playing wherever and whenever Arteta calls upon him. That makes him the kind of squad player top managers and clubs dream of.
14. Fábio Vieira, MID
By modern standards, Vieira hasn't played that much football for a 23-year-old, as he was never a key starter for FC Porto before arriving at Arsenal in 2022. However, he's steadily improving and adding elements to his game, forcing Arteta to consider him for an ever-expanding role.
13. Kai Havertz, MID
There is a lot of hope and expectation that the £65 million summer arrival will finally fulfil his potential at Arsenal, but the early signs are that may be a slower process than initially believed. While he played as a striker at Chelsea, Arteta seems to view him as a central midfielder and the transition means he is not yet a key figure for the Gunners. He did recently get his first goal against Bournemouth, though, and should go from strength to strength.