There are 14 Premier League matches left to play this season. Little is decided anywhere in the table and we look set for tight battles for the European places and to avoid the bottom three in particular. However, there’s no harm in taking a few early punts at what could appear at the end of season awards.

Teams have already experienced peaks and troughs in their form this season. Heroes to villains, hype and criticism, it all comes in the path of a Premier League season for many. That’s expected, of course, but some players have carried their performances through all the chaos of the campaign.

Unsurprisingly, most of said players have been at the top six clubs. The top six, though, have all had their own mini crises at one point or another, but they have all had periods of irresistible form, too.

These FIVE players already look to have guaranteed their spots in the Premier League Team of the Year, mind…

N’Golo Kante

Kante’s individual win record speaks for itself. He could be one of very few players to win the league in consecutive years with different clubs and his influence on Leicester and now Chelsea cannot be overestimated.

Just as he enabled the Foxes' 4-4-2 last season, Kante makes Chelsea’s 3-4-3 tick. His passing range is constantly improving and the Frenchman has turned in some astonishing individual performances. He might not be the most glamorous of footballers, but Kante is one of the most impressive.

Toby Alderweireld

Alderweireld continues to impress in the Premier League. Excellent even from his opening days at Southampton, he is on course to stride into the Team of the Year. The only issue is the number of matches he has missed through injury, which could weaken his claim come voting time.

While others have staked decent claims for the centre-back berth, few players have had the impact on their team that Alderweireld has for Spurs. Virgil van Dijk is a contender, as is Joel Matip, but the defensive weaknesses up and down the table put the Belgian in a strong position.

Sadio Mane

Designated as Liverpool’s saviour when their form dipped in January, Mane has performed brilliantly since arriving at Anfield. The price-tag raised eyebrows, but his pace has seen him become, arguably, Liverpool’s most important player, scoring plenty of goals along the way, too.

Liverpool have looked a weaker side without Mane, which is testament to his performances this season. While Philippe Coutinho will often take the plaudits, the former Southampton man was the most influential figure in Liverpool’s early season brilliance.

Diego Costa

Costa has been playing on a different level this season. Finishing at a far better rate than at any other point in his career and dominating centre-backs on a weekly basis. In fact, the former Atletico Madrid striker has made a decent claim to be the best No.9 in the world.

Assuming Chelsea lift the trophy in May, Costa’s revival from last season to this will be one of the most influential factors. It has, however, not only been about an increased goal output, but about a step up in his overall game.

David Luiz

Luiz no longer splits opinion in English football. Having been bemoaned for his lapses in concentration during his first Chelsea spell and criticised as a panic buy when he was re-signed last summer, the Brazilian has been utterly superb this season.

Perfect for the role at the heart of Chelsea’s back three, Luiz has acted as a springboard for attacks and been almost faultless defensively. Of all the defenders Chelsea could have signed last summer, it's hard to envisage any being quite as good as Luiz has been.