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The 2021-22 footballing season is off to an exciting start, with action heating up in Europe’s top five leagues.
The season-opening transfer window was undoubtedly the most entertaining one in recent memory. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Romelu Lukaku, Raphael Varane and several others have completed moves to new clubs over the summer.
Ronaldo established his dominance once again at Manchester United, most recently scoring a brace in the Red Devils’ 2-2 draw against Atalanta. However, the likes of Messi and Jadon Sancho have struggled at their new clubs.
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On that note, let’s take a look at the five world-class attackers who are currently out of form.
#5 Jadon Sancho
Manchester United’s long search for a right winger finally materialized with the £76.50-million signing of Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund.
The young Englishman established himself as one of the finest operators in his position during his four-year stint at Signal Iduna Park. He also had prior experience in English football with Manchester City’s youth set-up, and there were huge expectations upon his arrival at Old Trafford.
The 21-year-old has failed to hit the ground running at his new club. He has been unable to notch up a goal contribution in 12 appearances across all competitions and has mainly featured from the bench in recent games. Six of Sancho’s appearances this season have been as a substitute.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has recently made tactical changes to fix Manchester United’s leaky defense, employing five defenders at the back. This takes the right winger out of the game, and we could see even less of the talented youngster in the coming months.
#4 Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard left Stamford Bridge as one of the best forwards in the modern game, but he has been a shadow of his former self at Real Madrid.
Injuries haven’t helped the Belgian either, as he has been restricted to the sidelines for a major chunk of his Real Madrid career. However, the 30-year old has remained relatively injury-free this season, making 10 appearances for Los Blancos across all competitions.
Despite notching up an assist in his first game of the season, Hazard has failed to make any real impact since.
The Belgium captain was left on the bench in some of Real Madrid’s most important games this season, including their most recent El Clasico fixture. Five of his nine La Liga appearances have come from the bench.
Hazard has now fallen down the pecking order behind Karim Benzema, Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo and Marco Asensio.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has even revealed that he prefers other players ahead of the former Chelsea star. Here's what he said recently:
"He can play 4-3-3 on the left or 4-4-2 above or behind the striker. He is ready to play, but the problem is that there is a coach who prefers another player. He does not have a star status at Madrid because he has had many injuries and little by little he will have his best version."
He added:
"I am sure that this season we will see his best version and that he will play more than he is doing now. Hazard has it. Everything: quality, motivation. He has to endure, what happens is that sometimes the coach prefers other players."
#3 Romelu Lukaku
After scoring a goal on his homecoming debut in a London derby against Arsenal, Romelu Lukaku has endured a lean patch in his recent outings. In the first four appearances since his return, the Belgium international notched up four goals across all competitions.
Lukaku has failed to score a goal in seven appearances since and has only one assist to his name during that period. The 28-year-old dominated Serie A last season to propel Inter Milan to their first league title in 11 years. However, he is yet to establish his reputation in English football.
Having said that, Lukaku remains one of the most lethal forwards in world football right now and has an excellent eye for goal. He has been ruled out of action for the last couple of weeks due to an ankle injury.
#2 Harry Kane
The England captain was heavily linked with a move to the Etihad during the summer transfer window. However, he was reportedly forced to stay put by Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy.
Harry Kane is hugely regarded for his professionalism for club and country, but he has barely turned up for Spurs this season. The Englishman looks largely uninterested on the pitch and has failed to contribute in the final third in any manner whatsoever. A case in point was his recent outing against Manchester United, where he registered only one shot against the Red Devils’ shaky defense.
After missing Tottenham Hotspur’s season opener against Manchester City in the ongoing Premier League campaign, Kane has made 14 appearances across all competitions. He has scored seven goals and provided one assist in those appearances.
Kane has scored thrice in the UEFA Conference League and twice in the qualifying stages of the Europa Conference League this season.
#1 Lionel Messi
After a heart-wrenching saga that saw Lionel Messi depart Barcelona after 21 years at the club, the Argentine superstar embarked on his new journey in Paris.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner was greeted by thousands of PSG fans at the Paris-Le Bourget Airport and was officially unveiled soon after. Football fans were licking their lips at the prospect of witnessing potentially the deadliest attacking trio in world football - Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Barring an impressive 2-0 win against Manchester City, the much-hyped attacking trio have failed to trouble opposition defenses in their limited time together on the pitch. Lionel Messi, in particular, has been unable to live up to the billing and has failed to hit the ground running in the French capital.
The 34-year-old has made five appearances in the 2021-22 Ligue 1 season, failing to register a goal or an assist in the league campaign so far.
However, his best performances have come in the Champions League this season. He has netted three goals in three appearances in the competition so far.
Messi scored his debut goal for PSG in their 2-0 win against Manchester City and followed it up with two more goals against RB Leipzig in a thrilling 3-2 win.
