Some Premier League players have started as they mean to carry on. Top of their particular class at the half-way stage of the season are:
Arsenal: Robin van Persie
It really couldn't be anyone else. Whether or not Robin van Persie is the best player in the Premier League - and even if Arsenal's trophy drought continues, he should be in contention for the individual honours - he must rank as the most important. By averaging a goal a game, many of them wondrous, in a side that was struggling, the Dutchman has transformed Arsenal's season; indeed, he may have done it in an afternoon with his hat-trick at Stamford Bridge. One who is so much more than simply a scorer has developed into the Premier League's most feared forward.
Aston Villa: Shay Given
Apart from Gabriel Agbonlahor, the beneficiaries of Alex McLeish's appointment at Villa are all to be found at the back. Given his consistently fine form over his career, Shay Given's reliability is no shock but, after a year on the sidelines at Manchester City, it shows his powers are not fading and he has prevented Villa's uncertain start from being rather more awkward. McLeish's first signing is likely to prove his best.
Blackburn: Yakubu
This is a renaissance few predicted. The Achilles injury that interrupted his Everton career appeared to have ended Yakubu's days as a top-quality goalscorer; it seemed a product of deadline-day desperation when Blackburn signed him at the end of August. And yet, without doing anything as radical as running a great deal, the Nigerian has returned to the top scorers' leaderboard. Indeed by scoring four goals in a Premier League game, against Swansea, he accomplished something even Alan Shearer did not in a Rovers shirt. Rovers' two wins this season would have been impossible but for Yakubu's six goals against Arsenal and Swansea.
Bolton: Ivan Klasnic
The shortlist is just that: very, very brief. But Ivan Klasnic is alone at the Reebok Stadium in enjoying this season more than last. Indeed, the Croatian's previous campaign was notable largely for one strange statistic: no league starts, but 22 substitute appearances. This time around, he has made the most of greater opportunities to show why he is the club's finest finisher (even if he does precious little else) although, with his dismissal against Norwich, he has hampered as well as helped Bolton's cause.
Chelsea: Juan Mata
There are times when the new Chelsea look rather too similar to the side of old, but not when Juan Mata is on the ball. The Spaniard has brought a level of invention that was lacking beforehand and, with delicate skill and deft trickery, he has swiftly established himself as a high-class creator. In selecting Mata as one winger and Daniel Sturridge as the other - very different as they are - Andre Villas-Boas has given the forward line a futuristic look.
Everton: Leighton Baines
Such are the standards that Leighton Baines has set over the past couple of years that it is utterly unsurprising he has excelled. Defensively sound and a threat going forward, he has simply continued where he left off before the summer break. Indeed, while Everton's outstanding player this season, he is engaged in a Merseyside derby of his own, rivalling Jose Enrique for the tag of the Premier League's leading left-back.
Fulham: Moussa Dembele
The scouts have apparently been flocking to Craven Cottage, and with good reason. Moussa Dembele's eye for a pass and ability to glide into space, mark him out as a player of class, one who, though wearing No. 30, is a genuine No. 10. But one relevant criticism is that he should score more goals: one is a meagre return for a player of such talent.
Liverpool: Lucas Leiva
Luis Suarez is the obvious choice but, while the Uruguayan's finishing can disappoint and some of his conduct is controversial, it is harder to find fault with another South American. Lucas Leiva still led the league in both tackles and interceptions after his season was prematurely and cruelly curtailed through injury. For many, the Brazilian was man of the match when Liverpool won at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League and none have subdued David Silva, the possible player of the year, quite as effectively as Lucas did in the final hour at Anfield.
Manchester City: David Silva
David Silva has been in sparkling form for Manchester City this season
Not merely City's finest, but probably the division's best, David Silva has gone from an isolated creator in a defensive side to the personification of a more eye-catching, adventurous style of play at the Etihad Stadium. With his silken touch and habit of drifting into space, the elusive inventor is, in an expensively-assembled squad, the star that shines the brightest. His glorious hooked assist to Edin Dzeko in City's 6-1 win at Old Trafford may be the pass of the season.
Manchester United: Phil Jones
It is not often a young player arrives at Old Trafford and seems so obviously, so immediately, ready to be a Manchester United player. Arguably, Phil Jones is three: the commanding central defender most expect him to become, the rampaging right-back of the early weeks of the season, and the marauding midfielder he has needed to be in recent weeks. With his blend of power and class, he could be a United player for the next 15 years but, in a squad with more mature talents, he is the pick of the bunch so far.
Newcastle: Tim Krul
In a team of worthy candidates for individual acclaim, Tim Krul is the most deserving. The second-choice goalkeeper last season has been arguably the finest shot-stopper in the Premier League thus far this year, showing agility and ability in almost equal measure. His performance in the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea must rank among the finest efforts in a losing cause.
Norwich: Steve Morison
There are plenty of unlikely success stories in the Norwich squad, but Steve Morison's is more improbable than most. Playing non-league football three seasons ago, he is now troubling Premier League defences, averaging almost a goal every other start and scoring against Arsenal and Manchester City. While Grant Holt has made more headline-grabbing contributions, Morison's non-stop movement means he is the first-choice striker at Carrow Road.
QPR: Alejandro Faurlin
Midfielders have been constants in the headlines at Loftus Road. But while Joey Barton and Adel Taarabt have made the news, Alejandro Faurlin has simply got on with the task of dictating play. While most of Neil Warnock's Championship stalwarts are being phased out - and Heidar Helguson enjoys an unexpected renaissance - Faurlin's form has not merely ensured he has remained pivotal, but has generated speculation that Arsenal and Tottenham are interested in him.
Stoke: Jonathan Walters
Stoke seem to make a high-profile striking signing every summer. And yet - whether Peter Crouch, or Kenwyne Jones - they are outperformed by the rather cheaper Jonathan Walters. In a side who are not particularly prolific, the former Wrexham and Chester man has been involved in almost half their league goals and, whether running the channels intelligently or slotting in on the flanks, has established himself as an integral part of the team.
Sunderland: Sebastian Larsson
Steve Bruce's summer recruitment may have produced few immediate benefits for Sunderland, but their plight would be much worse had he not signed Sebastian Larsson. The Swede has doubled up as supply line and top scorer, his trademark set-pieces meaning he can both provide and strike. He also surprised, however, with a wonderful volley to score on his debut at Anfield and earned Martin O'Neill a maiden victory with his injury-time free kick against Blackburn. Even his ludicrous dive at Wolves should not detract from his excellence.
Swansea: Michel Vorm
The 'penalty killer', as he is nicknamed, may have caught the eye with his saves from 12 yards, denying Wigan's Ben Watson and Fulham's Clint Dempsey, but his all-round excellence has been as significant. If Swansea do survive, their achievement in keeping eight clean sheets in their 17 league games will be crucial. The Dutchman has been particularly defiant in Wales, and it is an astonishing statistic that only one opponent - Manchester United's Javier Hernandez - has scored against him in his new homeland.
Tottenham: Scott Parker
Until he joined Tottenham, Scott Parker's speciality seemed to be heroic, but doomed, displays in a lost cause. The current campaign has changed that, just as he has helped turn Spurs' season around. By providing the bite and the balance in the midfield, he has dovetailed beautifully with the flair players and given Tottenham a platform to attack. To play two out-and-out wingers, as Harry Redknapp usually does, requires a workhorse in the middle of midfield, and Parker is among the best in the business.
West Brom: Shane Long
Shane Long made an impressive start to Premier League life with two goals in two games
A striker may seem an odd choice in a side who have ranked among the division's lowest scorers for much of the season but, while Shane Long struck on each of his first two appearances as a West Bromwich Albion player, his contribution cannot be measured purely in goals. The Irishman's non-stop running has endeared him to his new supporters and his remarkably swift recovery from the knee injury Aston Villa's Alan Hutton inflicted with a terrible tackle was typical of his determination.
Wigan: Mohamed Diame
Wigan's has been a strange season, a spell of eight straight defeats sandwiched by two reasonable runs. But while few have maintained their form throughout the campaign, Mohamed Diame is the exception. With his sheer power, the midfielder is an anomaly in other respects, too, in a side not known for their force. Diame's all-action display against Chelsea may have brought him to outsiders' attention, but he has been similarly impressive for much of the campaign.
Wolves: Stephen Ward
There was a time when Stephen Ward was one of the men Molineux didn't understand; he was one of the boo boys, along with other honest, but limited, players. Now he is probably Wolves' most improved performer and has become integral for both club and country. In Karl Henry's absence, he has deputised as captain, a sign of his growing stature and, while establishing himself as the best left-back at the club, he has again demonstrated his versatility by moving into midfield and playing on the right of defence.
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