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Football is a sport of highs and lows. At one point, players and teams are at the very pinnacle of success, allowing the fans to kiss the badge with pride and celebrate in whatever way they can. At other points, clubs and players hit lows that take time to recover from.
Turning failures into success is no short-term project. It takes years of rebuilding and could involve several humiliations along the way. Just ask Barcelona, who won the treble in 2015 but are now remembered as the team that lost two games to Bayern Munich by a 11-2 aggregate scoreline.
Teams are not the only ones who suffer such a fate, however. Football has been riddled since its inception with players who often fail to sustain a peak, hit a trough and then struggle to get back up. Here, we look at five players who could be playing to hold on to their careers at their current clubs in the 2021-22 season.
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#5 Gabriel Jesus | Manchester City
Gabriel Jesus is a tough player to analyze. The Brazilian has often provided Manchester City with a spark off the bench, which in turn leads to him receiving starts. But Jesus often fails to take that chance and is promptly placed back among the substitutes in due course.
There is little doubt about the forward's talent, however. Few would have been more confused than Jesus when the entire football community called City a team without a striker when Sergio Aguero departed this summer. The Cityzens' pursuit of Harry Kane also fell through. This prompted many to call the lack of a goalscoring forward, City's biggest weak link heading into the 2021-22 campaign.
Yet, the talk hasn't affected Jesus. The Brazilian has already scored three goals and assisted three more in seven matches this term. He finally seems to be grasping the opportunities that have come his way.
City still look set to try and sign Kane next summer, meaning Jesus is likely to be playing for his future at the Etihad this season. If that does prove to be the case, he has certainly begun the journey to prove his value to the club on the right foot.
#4 Anthony Martial | Manchester United
Anthony Martial has been repeatedly linked with moves away from Manchester United this summer. But as things stand, he looks set to continue at the club for at least another season.
Martial was considered a world-class footballer not long ago. The Frenchman was in devastating form during the 2019-20 season for the Red Devils, registering 23 goals and 12 assists. He was the top scorer for United that season.
Since then, however, Martial has played 42 matches for the club and found the back of the net just seven times. The fall in his form has been undeniably massive and, more worryingly, the forward hasn't looked like ending this rut any time soon.
Selling Martial, who is still only 25, might be the best option for both parties. But if the Frenchman can find his feet again this season and break into a stacked United attack, he might just guarantee himself an extended stay at Old Trafford.
#3 Naby Keita | Liverpool
Naby Keita was one of the most promising young midfielders during his spells at RB Salzburg and RB Leipzig. A big-money move to Liverpool followed, which has massively blocked his development.
Keita was certainly the signing the Reds needed back in 2018. However, the Guinean international has struggled with injuries and failed to acclimatize to English conditions. In the three years he has spent at Anfield, Keita has managed just 82 appearances for Liverpool.
He has, however, started the 2021-22 season brightly. Keita recently scored a worldie against Crystal Palace and has looked the part in the six matches he has played so far. With Gini Wijnaldum departing Liverpool this summer, Keita could finally get his chance to shine. But another slip-up could potentially put a definitive end to the 26-year-old's career in Merseyside.
#2 Eden Hazard | Real Madrid
One of the more predictably terrible big-money transfers, it has simply not worked for Eden Hazard at Real Madrid. The Belgian completed a big-money move (€160m) from Chelsea to the Bernabeu in 2019 but has struggled time and again in Spain.
In two years with Los Blancos, Hazard has not even managed 50 matches for the club (currently on 49). He has also recorded a paltry five goals and nine assists in these matches. He has not brought out the consistent brilliance that made him the player he was at Chelsea. Injuries haven't helped Hazard either, often handicapping him.
Hazard also has not had much to do with Real Madrid's staggering start to the 2021-22 season. Carlo Ancelotti's side are unbeaten at the top of La Liga and have scored 21 goals in the Spanish top-flight. Hazard, who has appeared in six of those matches, contributed just a solitary assist.
At 30, the Belgian doesn't have age on his side either. Hazard will have to fire on all cylinders for the remainder of this season or his dream move to Real Madrid could end worryingly sooner than he would have wanted.
#1 Philippe Coutinho | Barcelona
Once the crown jewel of Liverpool, Philippe Coutinho was repeatedly on the precipice of being sold this summer. Somehow, the Brazilian managed to stay on at Barcelona, partly due to his wages, a long-term injury and manager Ronald Koeman's apparent endless belief in him.
Coutinho's struggles at Barcelona are well-documented. The Blaugrana seemingly signed him without knowing whether he would replace Andres Iniesta or Neymar. For that reason alone, this transfer always seemed destined to fail. Coutinho's best moment since joining Barcelona came when he won the treble with Bayern Munich on loan and this offers sufficient testament to that fact as well.
However, the attacking midfielder is still at the Camp Nou at the moment. With Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann gone, much of the focus is on Coutinho, Memphis Depay and Ansu Fati to deliver.
While Depay and Fati's futures in Catalonia are secured for the time being at least, the same cannot be said for the 29-year-old Brazilian. Finally back from injury, the 2021-22 season could be the last time Barcelona count on Coutinho to deliver. If he wants to stay on at the Camp Nou, he must deliver.
