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Premier League top 10 success stories

Having examined the top 10 disappointments last week, this time around Daniel Storey picks his top ten pleasantly surprising success stories of the fledgling Premier League season...

10) ALAN IRVINE

Alan Irvine is unveiled as the new West Browich Head Coach at the Hawthorns, West Bromwich.

The jury is still out on whether Alan Irvine will be a success at The Hawthorns. West Bromwich Albion have only taken eight points from seven matches and sit 14th in the table, so it is not quite time to break out the party poppers.

However, the pre-season expectation was that Irvine would already have come close to losing his position. As it is, consecutive victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley led to a slight change in approval rating from supporters. Nobody is eating their words just yet, but the table is slowly being set.

9) ASTON VILLA’S DEFENCE

Predictably, Aston Villa have lost all three games since Paul Lambert signed his new deal, conceding eight times and failing to score at all. However, such a record is tempered by the quality of their opponents: Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City.

Losing three games on the spin is no cause for alarm because Villa's early-season form was so splendid, with the club's defending in particular causing everyone to rub their eyes in disbelief until they were red raw.

8) DIAFRA SAKHO

Diafra Sakho West Ham

While Enner Valencia has been largely ineffective (save the howitzer against Hull City) and scored just a single goal following his £12million move, the pressure on the Ecuadorean has been alleviated by the excellence of Diafra Sakho. Sakho was playing in France's second tier last season, top scorer for Metz as they won the title, and cost the Hammers just £3.5m.

It is not just five goals in five starts at a rate of one every 95 minutes that has been surprising, but also Sakho's willingness to run the channels and provide an outlet in holding up the ball.

7) NACER CHADLI

Richard Dunne and Nacer Chadli tangle

Maybe not all of Tottenham's players have immediately been able to embrace Mauricio Pochettino's high-intensity pressing style, but Nacer Chadli is a player revitalised.

Pochettino's success in attack stems from an ambition to win the ball as high up the field as possible, before launching into an instant counter-attack and overloading the opposition with an extra attacking midfielder. Chadli has become this 'free man', scoring four goals to mask the form of the disappointing Emmanuel Adebayor.

6) LEONARDO ULLOA

There was a sharp intake of breath from many when newly promoted Leicester City paid £8m for a 28-year-old striker with 16 top-flight goals in his entire career.

It is currently a gamble ending with Nigel Pearson pointing to Ulloa's five Premier League goals and laughing.

Leonardo Ulloa's physical and aerial presence are vital assets for a promoted club. Having an outlet up field when defending for large periods in matches is so often the difference between success and failure.

5) JAMES MILNER

You can point to 44 appearances last season all you want, but 12 Premier League starts is not sufficient to satisfy a player with ongoing international ambitions.

It may have taken an injury to Samir Nasri, but James Milner has stepped out of the shadows in glorious style since his return to Manuel Pellegrini's starting line-up. He was named Man of the Match in the draw with Chelsea, having assisted Frank Lampard's late equaliser, and created eight chances against Villa.

4) UNITED’S YOUNGSTERS

The purchase of Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao generated plenty of debate about whether Manchester United had sold their soul, but the performances of the club's Academy graduates this season acts as the perfect (if unnecessary) defence.

Of course the likes of Tyler Blackett and Paddy McNair would not have made United's first team without an injury crisis, but both have performed far beyond expectation having failed to play a single minute for the club before August.

While those inside Old Trafford raved about the potential of striker James Wilson, the accelerated progression of Blackett and McNair has caught all by surprise.

3) JORDAN HENDERSON

Henderson spent much of last season rebuilding his reputation at Anfield. Rather than rest on his laurels, he has surged into another new gear this time around.

Made vice-captain (and the "moral conscience" of the club) by Brendan Rodgers, Henderson appears to have carved out a role as Liverpool's box-to-box midfielder. His protection of Steven Gerrard and support for a struggling forward line have been the most promising aspects of Liverpool's stuttering season to date.

It is only two years since Henderson was told by Rodgers that he could leave Anfield. "When the manager told me I could go to Fulham it was a bit of a shock at first," the midfielder recalls.

Rodgers tells a different story. "I never wanted Jordan to leave," he said. "We spoke about the opportunity, but it was never the case that I wanted him to go."

It is an ending that's getting happier with each passing performance.

2) STEWART DOWNING

Stewart Downing West Ham

Downing has performed considerably above expectation, creating the most chances in the Premier League, and has also done so in a new role, usually operating as the furthest point forward in a midfield diamond behind two strikers. Able to become far more involved in proceedings when not simply expected to cross the ball in hopefully to Andy Carroll, West Ham United are feeling the benefits.

The thought of clamouring for Downing to be called up by England after turning 30 would be inconceivable a year ago. The midfielder deserves immense credit for his adaptability and commitment to a startling improvement.

1) DIEGO COSTA

Of course Diego Costa should have been expected to score goals. He is a physical striker suited to the Premier League's style, and scored 36 times for Atletico Madrid last season. But, after hamstring injuries and a hugely disappointing World Cup, some began to whisper the name 'Roberto Soldado' into the ears of Chelsea supporters.

No-one could have quite predicted a start as easy as this. Costa has been every bit the "killer" that Arsene Wenger described last week. His nine goals (in seven PL matches) have come from an astonishing 19 shots - a conversion rate of 47 per cent. To put that in perspective, if Luis Suarez had matched that goal-per-shot ratio last season, he would have ended up with 72 goals in the league alone.

An unexpectedly smooth transition for the only missing piece in Chelsea's jigsaw - the Premier League title appears the only likely conclusion.

A version of this article first appeared on Football365

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