The runaway league leaders unsurprisingly feature heavily in Goal's picks for the best players of the season thus far
Getty ImagesDavid De Gea | Manchester UnitedThe best goalkeeper in the world, and there really shouldn't be any debating it anymore. De Gea's superhuman double save against Arsenal qualifies him for this team alone, as it capped one of the finest goalkeeping performances seen in English football in years. His 10 clean sheets are unmatched by any other goalkeeper, too.AdvertisementGettyKyle Walker | Manchester City
That Pep Guardiola managed to extract Walker from Tottenham in the summer is perhaps both a masterstroke for City and an entry into the Darwin Awards for Spurs. Walker is, on form, the single best right-back in the country and he has barely put a foot wrong at the Etihad. He has played at both right midfield and right full-back which shows that he has a layer of versatility to his game.
Getty ImagesNicolas Otamendi | Manchester CityBeing the best ball-playing defender in a Pep Guardiola team is a tough ask, but Otamendi has managed it at City. Previously imposing but error-prone, the Argentina international has cleaned up his act, and has made a league-high 1,607 passes – ahead of even team-mates David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne. In 17 games, he has also contributed four goals, one coming in a fiercely contested derby encounter with Manchester United.GettyJames Tarkowski | BurnleyBurnley's defence perhaps defies statistics, but Tarkowski has been a central reason for their remarkable rise up the Premier League table. Closer to the European positions than relegation, the Clarets had the joint-best defensive record along with Manchester City heading into the weekend, with Tarkowski making a club-high 28 blocks, 145 clearances and 94 headed clearances.