Premier League Power Rankings: Christian Benteke, Jermain Defoe and John Stones move up, Pedro and Petr Cech new entries

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

Simon Rice
Friday 28 August 2015 15:09 BST
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Chelsea got their season onto the tracks with a win against West Brom last time out - but without John Terry this weekend - can they get motoring towards the top of the table?

New boy Pedro will be making his home debut which will fill Blues fans with optimism and the former Barcelona player makes it into our Power Rankings.

Arsenal get Game Week 4 under way with an away game against Newcastle - the Gunners have two players in our countdown.

Meanwhile, Manchester United will wrap things up with a tricky game against Swansea. Wayne Rooney will be hoping to transfer his European exploits to the league.

But which players hold the power ahead of Game Week 4?

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.

Three 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
Week 3

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