Maintaining form on a consistent basis is the one aspect of football which players should strive to do best of all. However, it’s not always such an easy feat.
Slating certain individuals for a lack of form or a surprising dip in success is not the recommended antidote for getting them back to speed. On the face of it, it can seem that they are not trying as hard as usual or that they do not look overly bothered by events on the pitch. Dig a little deeper, though, and for the most part, people can discover that, quelle surprise, footballers are only human.
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They go through rough patches. Whether these periods come about as a result of psychological stresses, tactics that don’t suit them or even injury, the point is that superstars can have days, weeks or even months of below-average performances. So, let’s run through five players in a similar ilk who took a step back during the 2015/16 season.
Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard is far from the only Chelsea player underperforming this season, but the difference in the Hazard of this season and last has been decidedly marked.
Towards the culmination of the 2014/15 season, the Belgium international was all smiles for the cameras as he picked up his PFA Player of the Year award before eventually going on to have a Premier League medal draped around his neck. He was coming off the back of a superb season where he had dazzled everyone who saw him play
He attracted the attentions of spectators and combative defenders across the division (incidentally, he was the most fouled player that campaign) as well as scoring 14 times and grabbing nine assists.
This time out, he hasn’t scored any league goals and has had to battle through a very turbulent few months. The regression has been a bewildering one to watch but Blues fans will hope he can turn it around eventually – perhaps Euro 2016 will be the battlefield he needs to rediscover his firepower.
Arda Turan
The Turkish international’s arrival from La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid was seen as the perfect solution to some of Barcelona’s most pressing issues.
Seen as a versatile player, Arda Turan was drafted in as someone Luis Enrique could plonk in a variety of positions if he needed to. Naturally, the former Atletico player is a winger, but Lucho saw fit to use Turan as a central midfielder in his first two appearances. In many ways, it is a trend that has continued ever since he set foot inside the Camp Nou.
Whereas under Diego Simeone, Turan was a leader, a player who could rally his troops and take the initiative in games, he had quickly assimilated as a vital cog in the very efficient Barca team. Seemingly stripped of his identity, then, he has failed to really cope with the demands placed upon him and has even become a scapegoat for some of the club’s surprising defeats.
Introduced for the final quarter of an hour against Real Madrid in El Clasico, his substitution coincided with a period of Madridista dominance which saw them steal all three points and has seen his form questioned by many. His overall impact was hampered by his six-month delay but doubts remain over whether he can grow back into the player many remember him as.
Time will tell.
Francesco Totti
A genuine legend of the beautiful game, it has been sad to see his talents wasted on the bench at AS Roma.
Seemingly unloved by club manager Luciano Spalletti, the captain has had to spend the majority of the current season away from the helter-skelter action of 90-minute football. Banished to the fringes of the fold, the 39-year-old has been shown little respect having featured in just 12 matches across all competitions.
Only last season, he was the club’s joint-top scorer in the league alongside Adam Ljajic with eight goals. Injury has played its part in cutting his minutes short but the main reason has been Spalletti not selecting him to play.
Transfer rumours continue to rumble in the background that the ex-Italy international could be set for a move away from the club he has been at since 1992, with Leicester City reportedly poised to splash the cash on his services.
John Stones
Everton have had a torrid time of it this season. Recently humiliated in the Merseyside derby by a final scoreline of 4-0, the Toffees were spared no mercy by their greatest of rivals. Some fans of the School of Science have grown tired of Roberto Martinez’s seemingly endless positivity and it’s plausible that the Spaniard could get the axe before the end of the season.
A number of their big players have failed to step up to the mark and they have gone missing in far too many mistakes. Currently holding the fifth-worst defensive record in the league, Martinez’s men have conceded 57 goals which is the same as relegation-threatened Sunderland.
Indeed, amidst all the poor displays at the back, it has been difficult not to notice just how poor John Stones has been in comparison with the same player who once attracted the interest of Jose Mourinho when he was still in charge of Chelsea.
Even former Premier League star Jason Cundy has questioned his value on the transfer market following a series of calamitous performances. Miscued clearances, misplaced passes and an absence of a formidable assurance – it’s hard to believe that he has undergone such a slump.
Bas Dost
Doubt Bas Dost’s ability at your peril, especially if you’re a defender. Simply put, he’s a fearsome attacking threat on his day and was a central character in Wolfsburg VFL’s rise to become Bayern Munich’s title rivals for much of last season. Things have not run quite as smoothly this time around, for club or player.
They had issues with sponsorship, Kevin de Bruyne headed for Manchester City in a big-money move and then – perhaps worst of all – Dost broke his foot during the winter break. Sidelined for over six weeks, the 26-year-old Netherlands international could not make the same impact he had done when they finished as deserving runners-up in the Bundesliga.
It’s safe to say he has taken a big step backwards. He has just eight league goals to his name while the season prior he had bagged a remarkable 16. At least he cannot be reasonably blamed for his lack of goals – you can’t very well rattle the net with a fracture in your foot when you’re sitting in the dugout.
If he can stay fit throughout the summer and steer clear of any niggling strains for the foreseeable future it’s arguable that we have yet to see peak Dost. For now, his fans should content themselves with that.
