Like Dele Ali, Marcus Rashford and Ross Barkley last year, this year too English Premier League has seen glimpses of potential from young players who have caught attention with technique and maturity belying their age. T4O looks at the 3 best such players,
Hector Bellerin
The 21-year-old had shown the previous season itself what he is capable of when he cut in from the right flank and drive a shot to the lower corner of the net to open the scoring against Liverpool.
This season is just the continuation of it. Bellerin is not the conventional right back Wenger always had, who would keep a disciplined balance between defence and attack. This youngster is more attack-minded and has given a whole new attacking option to Arsenal.
He had the best Premier League performance against Chelsea this season until now, where he had a beautiful assist for Walcott. Apart from that, he kept Eden Hazard mum down that flank. He even had a shot on target and completed 80 percent of the passes successfully. He was simply unstoppable against Ludogorets with 82 percent passing success rate and had 3 breath-taking dribbles. He has extended his contract and Arsenal are sure to see more from him in the future.
Raheem Sterling
After a surprisingly quiet season last year, Raheem Sterling has been rejuvenated this season under new boss Pep Guardiola. His impact was felt in the game against Bournemouth. He had a whopping 6 shots on target and had 89 percent passing accuracy rate. Although he was dispossessed 10 times, he put in a brilliant display with 14 successful dribbles. He scored once and got an assist.
The big money signing showed promise but failed to deliver in the first season. But now under Guardiola he has been a spark of brilliance. In the 3-3 draw against Celtic, he showed how effective he can be in difficult circumstances.
Although he was forced to concede an own goal, his passing was impactful and his movement, dangerous. He eventually bagged the goal which was an equaliser. He has 4 goals and 2 assists in 10 appearances this season.
Alex Iwobi
It was during the last stages of the season that Wenger had given some playing time to Iwobi. And the Nigerian has picked his form this season from where he had left the last reason. The 20-year-old already has 3 assists in 8 appearances for Arsenal this season.
His composure on the ball is worth appreciating and he has kept the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the bench with his game. Henry dubbed him as one of the most focused and disciplined players in the team.
He played a crucial role in Arsenal’s 3-2 win over Swansea City. His passing accuracy was 94 percent throughout the game and although he was dispossessed 3 times, he had 5 successful dribbles. He also had 86 percent pass success rate against Chelsea.
Stats- whoscored.com
