With 2016 coming to a close, many eyes are turning to reflect on the highs and lows of the past 12 months, but for some football players, there will be a bittersweet lump in their throats at how underused they have been of late.
Sometimes, performers go through purple patches, but they can also experience turbulent periods of mediocrity and poor performances. When the bad times hit, it isn’t always easy to get out of a funk – and that’s when the fans can get irate at even the most loved players.
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It can often end up with them winding up on the bench or getting transferred, but falling foul of managerial disfavour, or getting ousted by a bigger ego can also produce the same results.
So, which underutilised players deserve a chance to prove their worth in 2017? Scroll down to read our take on it.
#1 Branislav Ivanovic
Having been linked with FC Barcelona in the past few weeks, it’s clear just how positive the general consensus remains about the Chelsea defender’s ability.
Limited to six league starts for the Blues by manager Antonio Conte, it has been difficult for the 32-year-old Serbian to force his way into the side. Apparently unsuited to the Italian boss’ 3-4-3 system, which has seen the club extend their Premier League win streak to 11 matches as well as guide them to the top of the table, he hasn’t been involved much.
In his last six appearances, he has enjoyed a bit-part role, to say the least, with a paltry total of 34 minutes racked up in that time frame.
Ivanovic remains a top player, and if the notion that skilful defenders get better with age has any semblance of truth to it, he deserves a chance to prove his worth. He can still offer consistent, world-class contributions.
He’s confident in the air, knows how to hold possession of the ball and has plenty of title-winning experience having played an integral role in nine trophy-winning campaigns across almost a decade-long association with the Londoners.
Give him another chance, Antonio.
#2 James Rodriguez
Snagging a move to La Liga giants Real Madrid is one nearly always associated with a dream, but it’s equally daunting to live up to the standard.
James Rodriguez has found it difficult to really establish himself as a Los Blancos player ever since joining the club, and with rumours linking him with a January transfer, it’s possible the underused midfielder will depart if the right offer rolls in.
It’s baffling, in all honesty, just why the Colombian international hasn’t been able to get into his stride with regular minutes. Sure, he’s had to deal with managerial changes a few times, but he’s not been alone in dealing with those sorts of problems.
James is a phenomenal footballer so it has been frustrating for him to see his talents wasted on the sidelines with minutes trickling to him without much fluidity. Equally, it has been annoying for neutrals in the way they have been denied the pleasure of seeing him fulfil his potential. However, with Cristiano Ronaldo looking to cement a place as an out-and-out striker, the 25-year-old can be the star in midfield to provide more and more assists.
In all, the former Puskas Award finalist has played less than 400 minutes in La Liga and has only played the full 90 on four occasions. Plenty of interested suitors will be purring at the prospect of seeing him unsettled but following Zinedine Zidane’s comments in Spanish publication AS that ‘he will get minutes’, we may yet see him feature more prominently.
#3 Anthony Martial
The 2015/16 campaign saw Manchester United struggle with a change of identity under the now departed Louis van Gaal and despite an overall disappointing season, there were some positives including the arrival of Anthony Martial and the emergence of Marcus Rashford.
Martial, however, has not been a part of the current Jose Mourinho reign to make the Red Devils a force once again but has been sidelined, quite literally.
Ousted by the questionable Wayne Rooney and the unreliable Jesse Lingard, the France international hasn’t been allowed to showcase what he can do this term. Right now, with the 13-time Premier League champions on a decent run of form his exclusion has largely gone under the radar, but Rooney, at 31, will tire come the Spring and Lingard might not be able to produce against the bigger opponents.
Martial can inject something special into this team, but if he’s consistently left out of the Special One’s plans, he will eventually plot a path for the exit door and if that happens United will be sorry they neglected him. It could be argued that his efforts on the pitch haven’t warranted him extra playing time, but he is a player that needs a little extra love from the manager.
His pace on the wing, his athleticism, his decision making and his energy might not be as polished as the fans might like but he has that x-factor, that squirt of genius they only have right now in the form of the free-scoring Zlatan Ibrahimovic. They need more than one source of brilliance, and Martial can offer it.
Come on, Jose – include Martial in your plans.
#4 Kelechi Iheanacho
It has been reported in several publications of late that Pep Guardiola wants Iheanacho to play more like Robert Lewandowski and Lionel Messi – but he’s unlikely to attain that sort of superhuman ability if he isn’t included a heck of a lot more than he has been this season.
In all, the Nigerian striker has played only 363 league minutes for the Citizens this season and has proven himself quite reliable when he has been called upon.
He didn’t score against Leicester City or Arsenal, but he needs more time on the pitch if he is to grow and develop the way Pep wants him to. Clearly, Iheanacho is a natural goalscorer, he has a lithe frame capable of seeing him slither into tight spaces and he has a clinical finish in his repertoire of skills.
With the Premier League crown slipping out of sight, it would be wise of the manager to select him more often – they need more firepower on the pitch to convert their possession into points. It’s as simple as that.
It’s unlikely he’ll be loaned away considering how highly thought of he is at the club but he will certainly be itching for more minutes.
At 20 years of age he is still young and has time on his side, but he won’t want to see some of his most formative years wasted watching and taking notes – he’ll want to learn first-hand. He could be a world-class talent in two or three years if he gets more minutes.
#5 Fernando Torres
An Atletico Madrid icon, Fernando Torres might have crafted some iconic memories with Liverpool at Anfield, but his long-lasting legacy will surely rest with Los Colchoneros in the Spanish capital.
Injury saw him sidelined for a handful of matches from the end of November until mid-December, but even before that the Spaniard only completed 90 minutes on two occasions – both in the UEFA Champions League.
Only twice, in La Liga, has he managed to get a run out for more than an hour highlighting just how underused he has been, so it’s little wonder he has struggled to rattle the net this season. In many ways, as faith in him has reduced, the player, too, has lost confidence in himself. It has been a vicious cycle.
Headlines continued to point to his poor run without scoring a few weeks back, but that didn’t tell the whole truth of the story.
Now that he is fully fit again, however, and considering how mercurial he was toward the end of the 2015/16 campaign, he deserves to be allowed to finish matches more regularly.
