Zero respect for Newcastle United in latest player power rankings

Newcastle United (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Newcastle United (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

The latest player rankings released by Sky Sports are a reflection of how much attention they pay to Newcastle United…

We are six weeks into the 2020-21 Premier League campaign, and several players have had immediate impacts for their teams. Newcastle United have experienced a bit of everything this season, which is highlighted in their balanced record of two wins, two draws, and two defeats, but the Magpies have seen a few players step up for them early on.

That being said, Sky Sports released their monthly player power rankings. The top five players in their list consist of Harry Kane (Tottenham), Heung-Min Son (Tottenham), Patrick Bamford (Leeds United), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), and James Rodriguez (Everton), in that order.

When scrolling down the article (linked above) to the “Each Club’s Top Player” section, one will see Karl Darlow is ranked as the most in-form player at Newcastle United.

The Magpies’ guardian is ranked 29th overall in the Premier League. Seeing how his big saves have kept Newcastle United alive in most games, that ranking makes sense, but what about the other players?

Readers have the ability to search player rankings by team and Newcastle United fans will be scratching their heads with some of these rankings. Listed below are the top ten players at Newcastle United, according to SkySports, and where they rank in the Premier League today:

  • Karl Darlow (29th), Allan Saint-Maximin (42nd), Jacob Murphy (52nd), Callum Wilson (56th), Jeff Hendrick (160th)
  • Miguel Almiron (161st), Jonjo Shelvey (166th), Isaac Hayden (176th), Federico Fernandez (204th), Joelinton (218th).

Yeah… take a look at that list, those rankings, and let it all sink in. It is clear that Sky Sports do not pay much attention to Newcastle United. Yes, Murphy scored a stunner against Wolves in his first start of the season, but how is he four places above Wilson, who has four goals and an assist to his name?

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Moreover, how is Wilson not among the top 30 when he is tied as the fifth-highest scorer in the top flight? Fans are calling for Hendrick to be dropped from the lineup, yet he is ranked above Almiron, Shelvey, and Hayden?

Sure, his goal and assist on opening day might have skewed the numbers, but his form has been awful in October.

Federico Fernandez is one of very few defenders in the Premier League who has not allowed a player to dribble past him this season, yet he does not make the top 200? How did Joelinton make it in the top ten?

The Brazilian is somehow ranked 41 places above Fabian Schar, 67 places above Ryan Fraser, 106 places above Javier Manquillo, 150 places above captain Jamaal Lascelles, and 158 places above Jamal Lewis.

The last two players in that list, Lascelles and Lewis, are both ranked as the two worst players on Tyneside. To quote the American presidential candidate Joe Biden, “come on, man!”