A recent resurgence from Roberto Martinez’s men has meant that the prospect of a top-ten finish is very realistic, particularly after a fantastic victory over Manchester United last time out. ​

 

A player who’s had a real turnaround in fortunes over recent months is attacking midfielder Ross Barkley. 

Since impressing on international duty against Italy, Barkley has looked like he’s returning to the form he showed last year, which secured him a place in England’s World Cup squad. Against the Red Devils, he completed 17 passes in the opposition half, which was more than any of his teammates, registering an assist in the process. Barkley is 17/4 with 888sport.com to score at any time. 

One of the first moves Roberto Martinez made in the transfer market at the start of the year was turning Gareth Barry’s loan into a permanent deal, after he’d impressed for the Toffees in the last campaign. His composure on the ball and general consistency has been an essential component of his skillset over his career, but what isn’t always appreciated is his outstanding work rate. 

Against Manchester United the England international ran his socks off, with the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that he covered 11.4km – which was more than any of his teammates. 

 

Another young Englishman who has shown real promise over the past couple of years, is central defender John Stones – with some pundits even tipping him as a possible future England captain! 

The former Barnsley man has been praised for his excellent distribution skills and natural ability to carry the ball out of defence, but he also has a fantastic eye for a tackle. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that he attempted four tackles against Manchester United, winning every one of them.    

 

There’s been such a positive feel at Villa Park since Tim Sherwood’s arrival, that at times it’s easy to forget that they’re still very much in a relegation scrap. They face Everton in desperate need of three points to help propel them away from the relegation zone. 

 

The Villains succumbed to a last gasp defeat at the hands of Manchester City in their last game, in a result that will have been sickening for the fans as the team produced one of their best performances of the season. Central to this effort was ‘Captain Fantastic Fabian Delph’, who completed an impressive 45 passes in the opposition half. This was 19 more than any of his teammates and the fifth most in the league. Delph is 15/2 with 888sport.com to score at any time. 

 

Delph wasn’t the only Villa midfielder showcasing his excellent array of passing; youngster Jack Grealish was also spraying balls about the park. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that he completed a pass in the opposition half at an impressive rate of a pass every 2.8 minutes. 

 

Tom Cleverley is a player who has quietly gone about his business this year, impressing whilst on loan at Villa Park. The Englishman has a fantastic engine on him, something that was on show against City, as he covered an impressive 11.5km – the second most in the Villa squad, behind only Jack Grealish.  

 

Carlos Sanchez has impressed since arriving at Villa Park, protecting the back four to great effect and stifling opposing attackers as they foray forward. His ability to act as a rearguard shield was on show against Manchester City, as he won more tackles than any of his teammates (three), and also made the second most interceptions in the squad (three).