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Premier League Power Rankings: Alexis Sanchez into the top five, David Silva impresses but Wayne Rooney is in freefall after poor start

GAME WEEK THREE: Who are the 17 most important players heading into the next round of Premier League fixtures?

Tom Sheen
Wednesday 19 August 2015 14:06 BST
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Arsenal and Liverpool face each other on Monday night and Chelsea hope to get their season back on track at West Bromwich Albion this weekend.

Manchester City will hope to continue their fine start to the season at Everton - can John Stones deal with Sergio Aguero and go where John Terry failed? - while Manchester United host struggling Newcastle.

But which players hold the power ahead of Game Week 3?

We all know who the best players are but defining those with the power to shape events in the Premier League is not so simple - so we've created The Independent's Premier League Power Rankings.

Ahead of every round of fixtures in the top-flight our team of experts get together to define the 17 players who hold the power.

Rather than being based on who the best or most talented footballers are, it's defined by current form, league position, next fixture and any other factors which could influence events.

Players move up and down the rankings, battling to be number one. Some will drop out and new entries will emerge. You might not agree (in which case let us know why) - but that's half the fun.

Two weeks into the season there are already some trends developing and we've seen some major changes in the players picked.

These are the 17 most important players in the Premier League right now...

PREVIOUS RANKINGS:
Week 1
Week 2

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