So far in the 2011/2012 season a couple of players who were previously never really in the spotlight have so far taken the first half of the season by the scruff of the neck and showed everyone just how good they are. Some of the main players who stood up in the 2011 half of the season were Demba Ba, Michel Vorm, Leon Britton and Grant Holt; just to name a few.

In 2012 there are plenty of games left to play and that means plenty of time for others to stand up and be counted. When asked who I thought the stand out players might be in 2012, a few players came to mind. With some help, I managed to whittle it down to just eight, and here they are.

Yohan Cabaye was a player who came straight to mind. The Newcastle midfielder has been key to the blistering start that Newcastle have had this season; he’s been instrumental in breaking down attacks and dictating the play of the game, chipping in with two goals and two assists. The Frenchman has been reaping the praises off his manager in recent weeks and with Newcastle’s other key midfielder Chieck Tiote heading off to the Africa Cup of Nations, now is the time for Cabaye to really shine.

There are only two teams contributing two players to this list. The first of those teams is Chelsea in Daniel Sturridge and Oriol Romeu. Both players have made better than solid starts to the season. Sturridge already has nine goals and two assists to his name in the 15 matches he has featured in, and it looks like that with the poor form of Torres he’ll stay in the Chelsea set up and just become better as the year goes on. He could even make a push for a place in Capello’s England squad for the European Championships in the summer.

Romeu just about made the list and not for the wrong reasons. Simply for the sole purpose that Barcelona may take him back in the summer, thanks to a clause in his contract. If not and he indeed does stay with the Blues then we’re going to enjoy a treat of a young midfielder. He seems to have been calm and collected throughout the matches he’s featured in so far this season. He’s also quickly proved himself as one of the better passers in the Premier League with a pass success rate of 90.4%, already putting him in the top ten of the league. He is one for everyone to keep an eye on.

One player who has arguably been the best player for his club this season is next up, the little man from Benin, Stéphane Sessègnon who signed from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer for £6 million. He’s proven already he’s got a bit to his game, involving himself in nine Sunderland goals, a third of their total return so far. With his four goals and five assists, 2012 will be the year that he kicks on.

My favourite in the list and one who I hope can go on to do wonderful things this year is young Anthony Pilkington. Having been on the books of Manchester United as a youngster he’s managed to work his way up to the top level. Starting off with Atherton Collieries who play their football in the tenth tier of English football, he made his way to Stockport County were he spent three years before moving to Huddersfield Town then on to Norwich City. Pilkington is one player who doesn’t look out of place in the Premier League, already boasting five goals from midfield this season. He promises to be a big player for the remainder of the season.

Another player who could do wonders in the second half of the season and is still only 22 years-old is Swansea City’s Scott Sinclair. The Welsh side have impressed everyone with their start to the campaign. A quick and skilful player, Sinclair is already the club’s second highest goal scorer this season and is a man built to play under pressure, as he proved in last season’s Play-Off Final when he bagged a hat-trick against Reading. Swansea fans will be keen to see Sinclair building on his very good start to the 2011/2012 season.

Last but by no means least is the second team who have managed to get two of their players on the list. That team is Fulham and their potentially important players are Bryan Ruiz and Moussa Dembele. The former, a summer signing from FC Twente for the fee of £10.6 million, is yet to set the Premier League alight but he plays with a certain swagger that may just need time to settle in before he really shows us what he has. Already he has scored two fine goals as well as setting up another two. Ruiz is a player that as soon as he finds his feet, which he already is starting to, will surely be a success in the league.

The latter mentioned, Dembele, is a player I must admit I never really rated, but then started to watch him a little closer and my god he’s some player. One who is never shy of helping out the back line in his defensive duty as well as getting forward, the Belgian is really a footballer that could easily go unnoticed in games but one who is vastly underrated in the league. It is time for you to stand up and be counted, Mr Dembele.

Well there you have it, I’ll see you in 2013 when you can all tell me how right I was.