We are just five games into the new Premier League season, but plenty is already taking shape.
Manchester City and Arsenal have taken the top two spots after five games played. While the likes of Brighton and Hove Albion, Brentford and Leeds United find themselves in the early European spots.
Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool sit sixth, while next-door neighbours Everton are seventh, with both teams winning three and losing twice.
But which individuals have impressed so far that you wouldn’t necessarily pinpoint for the top performers’ success?
In this article, we’ll cover
Tarik Muharemovic
Tarik Muharemovic is a bit of a throwback defender. His primary instincts are centred around defending his own box and putting his body on the line. A defender who enjoys the art of defending.
The 23-year-old — who joined Leeds for £34.1m from Sassuolo — is joint-fourth in the Premier League this season for his 22 headed clearances. He also ranks joint-fourth for overall clearances at 37, and is joint-third for 11 interceptions.
Muharemovic is brilliant at using his body to stunt attackers’ momentum and regain possession in a composed manner. He simply puts his body between the opponent and ball and looks to shield/absorb the initial contact to come away with possession.
The Bosnian’s composure extends to other areas of his game. A brilliant example of this is his ability to make clearances into passes.
Instead of just getting rid of the ball anywhere on the pitch, Muharemovic will often look to cushion headed clearances into a teammate. Or hook a clearance into the channel for a wide man to latch onto.
Muharemovic is comfortable on the ball, looking for those left-footed diagonal entry passes in the buildup, having the passing range to hit longer balls into the frontline, but also having the composure to slow the tempo and circulate possession if needed.
Thierno Barry
Thierno Barry joined Everton last summer but had a hot-and-cold campaign, scoring eight goals in 41 games. However, the Frenchman has started the new season in strong form, netting five goals in seven appearances across all competitions.
The 23-year-old has taken 17 shots so far this season, ranking fifth for shot volume in the Premier League so far. He also has the most missed big-chances so far this campaign with six, which many would instantly equate to the signs of a poor striker.
However, the sheer fact Barry finds himself in these areas isn’t just a fluke, but by design, a striker who earns his luck through movement, positioning and his athletic build.
Standing at 6’5″, the Frenchman has long limbs and the ability to win aerial duels, making him a nightmare for defenders to deal with inside the box. Barry has contested 49 aerial duels this season — only Oli McBurnie has contested more — which speaks to his box presence and ability as an outlet from long balls. But his long legs also allow him to latch onto loose balls, both inside and outside the box to create chaos.
Barry can also drop between the lines to connect play, with good agility despite his build allowing him to combine and get on the turn where he can then attack space behind the defensive line, starting from areas where defenders find it more difficult to fully attach to him.
Despite only scoring twice in his first five Premier League games this season, if Barry continues to find himself in the positions he has done (which is highly likely when you consider the profile of striker he is), the likelihood of the French forward netting 10/15+ league goals this season is extremely high.
Chema Andres
With Brighton sitting third in the Premier League, it seemed obvious to include one of the many impeccable talents the Seagulls currently possess.
Summer signing, Chema Andres, was the choice, after joining for a fee of around £20m from Stuttgart on transfer deadline day.
The 21-year-old came through the ranks at Real Madrid, before moving to Germany to hone his craft, making 41 appearances for Stuttgart.
But it’s his mix of technical and physical capacities that makes Andres such an exciting prospect, especially when you consider the current state of the Premier League.
Starting with the physical aspects, Andres stands at 6’4″, has long legs to intercept and cut off passing lanes, but also has the defensive IQ to match with his positioning.
Andres won five out of five of his aerial duels against Arsenal in his first Premier League start, helping to impose the Seagulls in the game physically, which is no small feat for a 21-year-old against the champions, especially when you consider Arsenal’s game model being highly built around physicality.
When it comes to Andres’ ability with the ball at his feet, you can see the Spanish influence in his game. The 360-degree awareness, ability to shift rhythm and play at different tempos, connect passes with his teammates over a range of distances and communicate both vocally and through the ball to give his side a strong collective approach on the ball.
At such a young age, Andres already looks to orchestrate his teammates both in the build up and in the press, making sure everything is in order around him. This is a sign of a top class midfielder, who will fit extremely well in the tactical landscape of the Premier League.
Jeremy Jacquet
Last but not least, it felt wrong to not include perhaps the breakthrough star of the season so far, Jeremy Jacquet of Liverpool.
Now for those who watched the Frenchman at Rennes, it will be of no surprise the way Jacquet has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water, especially when you consider his centre-back partner of Virgil van Dijk.
The 21-year-old joined Liverpool for a fee of around £60m from the French outfit in the summer, having agreed a deal back in February.
Jacquet already leads Liverpool in both tackles (11) and interceptions (8), while also boasting a 76.9% aerial duel success (second only behind Florian Wirtz who has only contested five).
Defensively, Jacquet has the clear physical tools when it comes to his frame, speed and power, which can often lead to players becoming overly reliant on those physical gifts to bail them out.
But this isn’t the case with the French defender, who has an excellent reading of the game at such a young age, looking to block space, deny access, delay penetration and only bite when the time is right.
His positioning to block central lanes first and foremost and protect the goal is very good, often playing at his own speed and allowing himself to scan multiple times in a defensive phase to assess his surroundings and take the relevent action.
This composure transfers to his on-ball quality, taking small touches to bait pressure, disguising his actions nicely and looking to play against opposition momentum to kickstart attacks from the build up.
There are plenty of players worth keeping a close eye on in the Premier League right now, but these are just four that after strong starts deserve a mention.