Who are this season’s unsung heroes in the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’? https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6789236/2025/11/19/premier-league-big-six-unsung-heroes/ The biggest Premier League clubs covet the best players, and that’s understandable: quality on the pitch is (usually) reflected in results. But football has very few examples of 11 superstars combining to fire their team to glory. Instead, successful sides usually contain a careful blend of marquee names and more unsung heroes; players who make a team greater than the sum of its parts and ensure the manager’s chosen tactical system functions as it is meant to. Here, The Athletic runs through a key performer at each of the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ clubs so far this season. Arsenal — Leandro Trossard Leandro Trossard was omnipresent for Arsenal last season, featuring in 56 matches across all competitions, more than any player has for the club in over two decades. He started 37 of those games and was used across the front line, even stepping into Martin Odegaard’s role during the captain’s absence. His adaptability helped Arsenal maintain structure and consistency through a demanding campaign. After less than 50 minutes of Premier League action in the first four fixtures this season, he returned to the line-up against Manchester City in September and has been one of Arsenal’s most reliable performers since. Trossard’s game is built on intelligence and timing. He reads space instinctively, drifts into half-pockets and combines fluidly with those around him. Whether finding Riccardo Calafiori on the overlap or linking with Martin Zubimendi inside, his movement creates room for the forward runs of Calafiori and Declan Rice. Two-footed in dribbling, passing and shooting, and calm in decision-making, the 30-year-old Belgium international acts as a natural connector in every phase of the game. In what is a younger Arsenal squad, his experience carries even more weight. Away at Fulham last month, he was the oldest outfield player on the pitch for the visitors and showed his know-how in the game, scoring its only goal. Beyond his involvement in build-up and defensive work, Trossard remains just as sharp in front of goal, with four goals and four assists making him Arsenal’s most productive player so far this season. His thunderous strike from the edge of the box last time out against Sunderland, followed by the quick footwork and close control that created space for himself, underlined just how dangerous he remains inside the area. Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images Manchester City — Nico Gonzalez Signed from Porto in January for €60million (£52.8m; $69m at the current rates) to bolster a Manchester City midfield lacking long-term injury victim Rodri, Nico Gonzalez was quickly questioned over both that fee and how he fitted into Pep Guardiola’s side. Less than a year on, those early doubts have all but disappeared. Nico has blossomed into one of the most essential players in City’s new-look system. There is greater directness and intensity in both his game and their overall play, and long-time Liverpool No 2 Pep Lijnders’ summer arrival as an assistant to Guardiola has clearly contributed here. That shift is visible in how Nico balances the team without the ball. The 23-year-old Spaniard leads City in both tackles won and defensive duels, relying on anticipation more than aggression to do so. Against Liverpool in City’s final game before this international window, he repeatedly stepped across passing lanes alongside right-back Matheus Nunes to close the central spaces in a performance that summed up his blend of composure and awareness. On the ball, he sets City’s pace. Among Premier League midfielders to play at least 500 minutes this season, he is first in successful passes per 90 minutes (65.2) with a 90 per cent accuracy, and also ranks among the leaders for line-breaking passes into advanced zones. When he starts, City keep more possession, commit fewer fouls and take all three points far more often. The difference seems clear: five wins in six with him in the line-up, compared with just two in five without. Their win-rate climbs from 40 to 83 per cent, possession rises from 54 to nearly 60 per cent, and the team take more shots, concede less of them and pass the ball with greater accuracy. Those details point to a player now central to Guardiola’s structure, and the numbers mirror the eye test and underline how Nico has become City’s quiet metronome, setting a rhythm that keeps them in control. Carl Recine/Getty Images Liverpool — Curtis Jones Liverpool’s summer rebuild was loud and expensive, but the start of the champions’ 2025-26 season has featured more uncertainty than dominance, with those new signings still adjusting and key players missing. Amid all the turbulence, Curtis Jones has quietly become one of the team’s most reliable performers. Jones’ adaptability was evident last season, when he featured in 46 games across all competitions in midfield and attacking positions, making six Premier League goal contributions. Once known for flair in youth football, he has evolved into a steadier, more disciplined midfielder who fits seamlessly into Arne Slot’s possession-focused system and values control as much as creativity. His positional intelligence rarely shows up on the statistical dashboards, but gives Liverpool a quiet sense of order in the centre of the pitch. Opportunities have been limited this season — he has only two Premier League starts in the first 11 matches — but his impact has been immediate whenever Slot turns to him. In the 1-0 defeat of Arsenal at Anfield in August, he came off the bench after an hour with the game still goalless to calm the build-up, take the ball under pressure and thread passes through the press, eventually winning the free kick that Dominik Szoboszlai hammered into the net. His composure shifted the tempo of play and restored order in midfield. Yagiz Gurtug/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images Jones is among the hardest players in the Liverpool squad to dispossess, using balance and awareness to protect possession and turn away from pressure. He completes more passes per 90 than any midfielder at the club (66.6), including 22.4 into the final third, and leads the group for recoveries and duels won. In the 5-1 Champions League win away at Eintracht Frankfurt last month, Jones started as the deepest midfielder and dominated the game’s rhythm. He finished with a match-high 139 touches and 127 completed passes from 132 attempts, more than any other player on the pitch, while covering over seven miles (11km). His positioning anchored Liverpool’s shape and allowed smoother transitions into attack, a performance that showed how comfortably he controls matches from deeper zones. That blend of press resistance, control and defensive balance makes him the quiet conduit between chaos and calm, a player who can keep Liverpool steady in turbulent moments. Tottenham Hotspur — Guglielmo Vicario Only five Premier League clubs have conceded a higher expected-goals figure than Tottenham Hotspur this season, yet only three have let in fewer actual goals. Much of that discrepancy is down to their goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario. After an injury-hit 2024-25 season, Vicario has been one of the league’s most effective shot-stoppers in the early months of this one, relative to the chances he faces. His +0.34 post-shot xG saved per 90 minutes puts him on course to prevent around 12 goals across the 38-game campaign. So far, he is already four goals above expectation, a swing that could be worth two extra wins over a season. Only Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson has prevented more. The shift to a more compact structure under Thomas Frank has been mutually beneficial for both new head coach and goalkeeper. Tottenham now concede fewer high-value shots, but the real difference lies in the quality of Vicario’s performance. His save percentage has climbed from 65 to 77, and the goals conceded have fallen from over 1.5 per game to 0.9, despite only a modest drop in shots faced. In 2024-25, he allowed 37 goals from 37.6 expected on-target attempts; this season, that figure has flipped in his favour, evidence of a goalkeeper performing well above expectation. He has not been flawless. Two goals conceded from long range against Aston Villa last month and a pair of errors leading to shots, one resulting in a goal, have brought scrutiny. Yet those moments sit within an overall campaign largely defined by command and consistency between the posts. Now established within the leadership group of a young squad, the 29-year-old Italian has given Spurs the composure they missed last season. Justin Setterfield/Getty Images Chelsea — Malo Gusto Chelsea’s best performances this season have invariably come with Malo Gusto in their starting line-up, and the difference when he isn’t there is striking. They have won all six games he’s begun in the Premier League, scoring 2.7 goals per game and conceding just 0.3. In the other five, they have lost three times and drawn twice. Gusto’s importance extends beyond the black-and-white of results, though. He shifts seamlessly between full-back, midfield and advanced wide roles, using his positioning to form triangles that keep the team connected across the right flank. In last month’s win against Liverpool, he stepped into midfield as a hybrid full-back, helping control possession and stretch play; against Tottenham a couple of weeks ago, he held deeper, providing balance while still progressing the ball forward. That adaptability allows head coach Enzo Maresca to tailor the system to different opponents without losing fluency, and it reflects a player who is growing rapidly in both awareness and responsibility. At 22, the Frenchman is still developing, but his defensive recovery speed and decision-making have improved with every game. His first senior goal, in the 3-0 home win against Wolves that took Chelsea into this international window, offered a glimpse of his growing confidence in the final third, too. Michael Regan/Getty Images Manchester United — Leny Yoro Leny Yoro has quietly established himself as the balancing presence in Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation, operating on the right of Manchester United’s back three. Amorim often uses him in games where he wants to push the line higher and compress the space between defence and midfield, trusting Yoro’s pace and anticipation to hold the structure. Amorim’s centre-backs are also asked to step into midfield to close gaps, a demand Yoro fulfils naturally. The 20-year-old’s composure and decision-making reflect a defender far beyond his years. With Amad often pushing high and wide from wing-back, Yoro carries heavy responsibility, covering the channel behind Amad, defending diagonals and tracking late runs into the box, yet he invariably handles it with calm assurance. This season has underlined how quickly Yoro’s defending is evolving. His aerial success rate has climbed from 50 to 67 per cent, placing him among the Premier League’s best centre-backs in duels won. That progress has come through cleaner tackling, sharper anticipation and quicker recovery across the ground. His reading of play allows him to break up attacks before they develop, giving United greater control in transition. On the ball, he remains composed and secure, supporting rather than initiating United’s build-up, but his range of passing hints at further growth. During his time playing for Lille back home in France, he frequently played long diagonals to stretch defences, a part of his game that remains underused in England. There is more to come then, but already Yoro looks like the stabiliser in a system that demands both precision and bravery.