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Underperformance is not an uncommon theme in the world of football. While footballers have individual differences in their talents and abilities, it's next to impossible for any footballer to perform to their best possible abilities in every single match.
Reasons for underperformance in footballers can be one or many. A common reason is often a persistent, minor injury that hampers a player's performance. There could be other issues as well, like a footballer playing for a club they no longer want to be at.
Given how underperformance can happen with any footballer, even world-class players can face spells of poor performance. Great footballers can often jump back from poor spells easier than others. This will be the priority of the next five names from the world of football who have played well below their abilities in the current season so far.
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#5 Neymar
Very few footballers carry a reputation like Brazilian superstar Neymar in modern times. The Brazilian has won several trophies, and has already played for two of the biggest clubs in Europe—Barcelona, where he won the treble, and Paris Saint-Germain.
At Barcelona, he formed a deadly trio with Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, with the latter also being his teammate at PSG presently. His world-class abilities led the French giants to trigger his previous clause and break the then world transfer record for a fee of €222 million.
But the mercurial talent that Neymar boasts hasn't been tapped into during the current season. Neymar has also missed a large chunk of the season due to injury, making the situation more complicated. Many fans anticipated Neymar to showcase his skills even more with the arrival of Messi. Sadly for him, that hasn't been the case. Despite making 14 appearances for PSG and playing close to 1200 minutes, Neymar has managed just 3 goals and 3 assists in all competitions this season.
#4 Harry Maguire
Manchester United fans hoped that club captain Harry Maguire would finally take his game to the next level after a successful international campaign. Maguire had been instrumental in England's long run at the Euros and things looked promising when he returned to Old Trafford.
There is no denying that Maguire has what it takes to justify the heavy investment Manchester United made in him. If his performances at the Euros were anything to go by, there seemed to be a bright future for the club and the player.
But things have gone from bad to worse as Maguire has been extremely poor in the Premier League. He has made numerous defensive errors that opponents have capitalized upon, like the one against Watford where he was sent off.
Maguire has displayed poor judgment on numerous occassions, causing many problems for Manchester United's backline. As new manager Ralf Rangnick settles in, both he and the fans will hope to see better performances from the 28-year old centre-back.
#3 Romelu Lukaku
Chelsea spent a long time last summer chasing the coveted signing of Erling Haaland. When the move ultimately failed to materialize, Chelsea, unwilling to wait, brought Romelu Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge instead.
The Belgian forward was incredible for Inter Milan in their successful pursuit of the Scudetto in the 2020-21 season. Despite paying a hefty transfer fee of €115.00 million, Chelsea were confident about their purchase. Romelu Lukaku could finally live his teenage dream of playing regularly at Stamford Bridge.
Lukaku hit the ground running when he scored in Chelsea's derby win over Arsenal. He also managed to score twice against Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge shortly after. Lukaku hasn't since lived up to expectations, and has been inconsistent on the pitch while struggling with injuries off it. Despite making 16 appearances in all competitions for the Blues, Lukaku has been able to manage just 5 goals and a solitary assist so far.
#2 Joao Felix
When Joao Felix made the move from Benfica to Atletico Madrid, many eyebrows were raised at the astonishing transfer fee of €127.20 million. He was brought in as both a replacement for the outgoing Antoine Griezmann as well as an investment for the future.
Although it was always unlikely that Felix would perform in the same fashion as he did in Portugal from the get go, Atletico had banked their hopes on the Portuguese wonderkid. Felix has reasonably justified part of his price in his journey with Atletico.
But Felix has been extremely mediocre so far in the current season. He missed the start of the season with an injury that seems to have affected his rhythm. At times, he has struggled for minutes, and when he has managed to get game time, his performances haven't been up to the mark.
After 776 minutes spread across 15 games in all competitions, Felix has managed only two goals and two assists. That is well below the rate of conversion the Portuguese had last season, where he contributed to Atletico Madrid's triumphant La Liga campaign with seven goals and six assists in 31 appearances.
#1 Harry Kane
Harry Kane spent all summer dealing with strong speculation over a potential move to Manchester City. The move never happened, but it seems to have negatively impacted the England captain.
Over the last half-decade, Kane has undoubtedly been one of the best strikers in the world. Club trophies may have eluded him, but Kane has had no shortage of individual accolades. There are very few forwards as clinical as him, and with Tottenham having retained him, fans would have hoped to see the striker in the same form once more.
11 goal involvements in 22 appearances may seem alright for many footballers, but not when the player in discussion is Harry Kane. His poor performances become even more apparent when one considers only the Premier League. In his 14 league appearances, Kane has managed just 2 goals and 1 assist.
By Harry Kane's lofty standards, it has been an extremely poor run of performances from him so far. Antonio Conte will be hoping he can get the best out of the 28-year old once again.
Also read about Harry Kane’s Wife, Katie Goodland.
