The Premier League season has once again provided all the thrills and spills that we come to expect from the most exciting league in the world. One of the most refreshing things about this division is the fact that there will always be teams and players performing at a level that no-one would have predicted. Who would have thought that with 5 games to go Newcastle would be looking hot favorites to make a Champions League spot? Who could have predicted that Swansea and Norwich would make such a mockery of their pre-season predictions? And with every overachieving club there are players that are driving their season, here are 5 of the best.

Michel Vorm:

The Dutchman known as “penalty killer” joined the Welsh outfit this summer for around £1.5 million and was seen as the replacement for Dorus de Vries who chose not to renew his contract and left to join Wolves. No-one would have even dreamt of placing Swansea 4th in the clean sheets table at the start of the season but nevertheless they are there and that is down to the extraordinary performances of Vorm. He has kept 12 clean sheets this season, only Joe Hart and fellow Dutchman Tim Krul have more. He has been a major part of Swansea’s impressive season and is now seen as integral to their side.

Kyle Walker:

Walker was signed in a joint deal with Kyle Naughton in 2009 by Tottenham from Sheffield United. He had only made a handful of appearances for the Yorkshire club but was loaned back to them and played over twenty games before being recalled after January. Following loan spells with QPR and Aston Villa Walker has cemented his place in the North London side and now looks a very serious competitor to Glen Johnson for the England right back slot. With pace, a good cross and, as Arsenal found out a fierce shot Walker is everything a modern day right back should be. He has been a consistent performer for Spurs this year and suits their quick, attacking game perfectly. Question marks remain over some aspects of his defensive game but at 21 years of age there is no doubt Walker is the future of Tottenham and England for some years to come.

Yohan Cabaye:

When Newcastle allowed Kevin Nolan and Joey Barton to leave in the summer questions were asked about how the Newcastle midfield was going to cope. Add these departures to the long-term injury to Hatem Ben Arfa and you could forgive the Geordies for being very apprehensive for the season coming. In Graham Carr though Newcastle have one of the best experts of the French league and his latest gem is the midfield dynamo Cabaye. With 3 goals and 7 assists the Frenchmen has provided a great partner to Cheick Tioté in the centre of midfield and his best moment culminated when he scored a 30 yard free kick in the 3-0 victory over Manchester United. His cult status amongst the Newcastle fans is growing and he is one of the main reasons that Newcastle are doing so well this season.

Stéphane Sessègnon:

After signing in the January transfer window last year from PSG Sessègnon has now finally settled down into the Premier League and looks worth every bit of the £6 million that Steve Bruce shelled out to sign him. His first season was promising but nothing special but this season he has scored 8 goals and 11 assists and he has become a pivotal part of Martin O’Neill’s revolution at the Stadium of Light. His confidence is growing game by game and he is the perfect “number 10”. He has all the attributes to play in the hole behind the main striker. With his quick feet, low centre of gravity and his ability to unlock defences at will Sessègnon is one of the revelations of the season and is one of the most in-form players in the league.

Papiss Demba Cissé:

It would have been so tempting to choose his partner in crime Demba Ba in this position but with the other Demba failing to find the net in 9 games now the emphasis at the Sports Direct Arena has been firmly thrust to the new No. 9 Papiss Cissé. Since joining the Magpies this January Cissé has scored 11 goals and has been nothing short of unstoppable. The new front man has a lethal shot with both feet and fantastic movement off the ball. He has started to link up well with Hatem Ben Arfa and although Alan Pardew has made some brilliant signings since he took over surely Cissé is the best?

There are many more players who are performing very well or carrying their team such as Robin Van Persie, Yakubu or even the wonderful Gylfi Sigurdsson but these are the five that I feel have made the biggest impact and were certainly the most unexpected. The end of the season will be extremely close and the summer will hopefully bring more exciting talent to England.

Pre-season predictions are a dangerous game especially when it comes to tipping the relegation candidates. A safe bet is to always look around the teams from last year and the newly promoted sides. This is something BBC’s chief football writer Phil McNulty did when in his pre-season predictions he placed Norwich City in 17th and Swansea City in 19th. Contrary to Phil’s beliefs, these two are sitting pretty in the Premier League in 11th and 10th respectively. This suggests the view that perhaps the transition from Championship to Premier League isn’t as hard as some people seem to imagine.

When examining the squads of Championship teams it is important to see that many of these players would not look out of place in not just bottom of the table clubs but also mid-table teams. In the current Championship, players such as Adam Lallana, Jack Collison and Adrian Mariappa have been followed by Premier League clubs and thoroughly deserve that attention. Swansea and Norwich have stronger squads than people give them credit for and they certainly warrant their positions in the table. Although recognition for these players is not widespread, the facts do not lie. Other than Wayne Rooney, Danny Graham and Grant Holt are the leading English scorers (alongside the “past-it” Frank Lampard) but yet are still ignored by the England set up.

Part of the strength of the squads is down to the wise moves that their respective managers make in the transfer market. Paul Lambert has shown himself to be an excellent spotter of talent. Signings such as John Ruddy and Bradley Johnson (free transfers) and Kyle Naughton (on loan) have formed a solid base within the Norwich set up. He has also proved to be a good man-manager after promoting Grant Holt to captain and then seeing the forward score 67 in 120 for the Canaries. However if Lambert is shrewd then Brendan Rodgers is something of a genius in the transfer market. Scott Sinclair, Neil Taylor, Danny Graham and Michel Vorm are just four of Swansea’s household names that have been brought in by Rodgers, as well as loan signing Steven Caulker. Arguably his greatest signing however is Gylfi Sigurðsson. The Icelandic star has become one of key figures at the Liberty Stadium with 5 goals and 3 assists in 10 appearances in his loan spell from German side Hoffenheim.

Of course, players and managers are not the only reason that newly promoted clubs can achieve success when they get promoted. English football is an interesting game and habits can come into it quite a lot. Many clubs in the league will have realistically had to prepare for a relegation battle this season because it is what they are embroiled in year after year. For promoted clubs they are used to winning, they have gotten promoted because they have won a large number of games and as far as they’re concerned this shouldn’t change. Newly promoted teams have no fear and aren’t afraid to follow the tactics that brought them so much success in the past. Swansea is a prime example of this as they aren’t afraid to continue with their fluid passing system that took them up and they have consequently signed players that fit into their system.

Equally if teams want to develop their system of playing they cannot be too adventurous at the start as it could backfire. Stoke City has led the way here by “winning ugly” as Arsene Wenger would say, but nevertheless winning and securing safety allowing them to achieve more success in the future. Clubs shouldn’t break habits as these tactics have brought them to where they are today and by sticking with their current systems Swansea and Norwich have enjoyed fantastic debut season. QPR has tried to inject too many new players too quickly and they’re struggling to gel which can possibly explain their shortcomings this year. The quality at Loftus Road cannot be questioned but it is perhaps too much too soon.

Overall the success of these clubs should be inspirational for teams such as West Ham, Southampton and Reading who are all chasing promotion from the Championship. These three should follow Swansea and Norwich and have faith in their current squads, current managers and current tactics. These are the reasons for their success and there is no reason it shouldn’t be in the future. To tackle this grueling league, teams should not panic buy and should stick to what they know. It’s tricky with the league becoming more and more competitive but teams like Swansea and Norwich are showing the way.