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We are well into February and slowly entering the business end of the 2021-22 season. With the Champions League and Europa League knockout fixtures just around the corner, every footballing superstar is preparing to put their best foot forward.
Unfortunately, not every star has managed to start the year on a high. They are still looking for inspiration, trying to find a way to come up big for their teams.
Today, we will check out five established names who are struggling for consistency.
Here are five footballers who have endured a slow start to the year:
#5 Marco Reus – Borussia Dortmund
Over the last decade, Bayern Munich has ruled the Bundesliga with an iron fist winning nine titles. Borussia Dortmund were the last to beat the Bavarians in the league title race, way back in the 2011-12 campaign.
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Since then, BVB have seen their attempts fall short and their title challenges fizzle out before the business end of the campaign.
This season, too, they have tried to put their best foot forward, but already find themselves nine points behind the leaders in second position.
Every Dortmund player has to take the blame, but we cannot help but single out their headline-making skipper Marco Reus.
Reus is one of the most talented players in the Bundesliga, but his performances this year have hardly been satisfactory. He has looked below his best over the last few weeks and Dortmund's results have subsequently taken a nosedive.
In four Bundesliga games this year, he has done very little to write home about, netting only once in that stretch.
The German had a particularly disappointing outing on matchday 21, when his side fell to a 2-5 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen.
If Dortmund hope to finish on a high, Reus must regain his purple patch and lead his men by example.
#4 Jan Oblak – Atletico Madrid
Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid are renowned for their efficiency and discipline. The reigning La Liga champions do not necessarily score the most goals, but they’ve always had a knack for keeping things tight at the back.
Their defense has been at sixes and sevens this season, which has made life difficult for Jan Oblak.
The Slovenian keeper, who is known for his decision-making and absolute command of his box, has looked nervous in the current campaign.
Since the start of the year, Oblak has played four La Liga games for Atletico, conceding eight goals and keeping just one clean sheet.
He famously conceded four in Los Rojiblancos’ last league outing against Barcelona.
The 29-year-old also conceded twice in the Copa del Rey and just as many in the Spanish Supercup semi-final.
#3 Romelu Lukaku – Chelsea
Since his club-record transfer from Inter Milan last summer, Romelu Lukaku has struggled to cope with the weight of expectations at Chelsea.
He has scored only eight goals for the Blues in all competitions this season, an immensely disappointing return for a player of his caliber.
Lukaku has taken part in seven games so far this year, finding the back of the net only once. His link-up play has been poor, finishing wayward, and his body language has also been far from impressive.
The Chelsea striker needs to produce a convincing performance to win back his supporters. He might get the perfect opportunity to do just that when the Blues play Al-Hilal in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-finals tonight.
#2 Lionel Messi – Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain No.30 Lionel Messi missed his team’s first two league matches of the year due to COVID-19. He eventually returned to fitness and started in PSG’s French Cup clash against Nice.
In Neymar’s absence, Messi wore the No.10 jersey for the first time at PSG. It was due to the French Cup tradition which mandates players to wear jerseys bearing numbers from 1 to 11. Unfortunately, his performance didn’t live up to the billing. He was smothered by Nice’s defenders and couldn’t help his side from falling to a defeat.
He bounced back with a goal and an assist in Sunday’s 1-5 win over defending Ligue 1 champions Lille. His last outing alone would have been enough for any other player to escape this list.
However, when you're one of the best in history, you ought to be able to live up to unrealistic expectations.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo – Manchester United
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo has had a rough start to the year. The 37-year-old has seen his team underperform against minnows and has not been able to help them get their act together.
At the start of the year, he captained United for the first time this season. The Red Devils fell to a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford against Wolverhampton Wanderers, with the Portuguese cutting a frustrating figure in attack.
He missed the next match due to a hip injury, which allowed Bruno Fernandes to spring to life and bag a brace. Manchester United won the next couple of matches, but Ronaldo could not make a telling contribution.
The Portuguese captain then featured in United’s FA Cup clash against Middlesbrough. He missed a first-half spot-kick as his side fell to a defeat on penalties.
Ronaldo’s last appearance came in a 1-1 draw against Burnley on matchday 24 of the Premier League. He came off the bench in the 68th minute and missed two decent chances to win the game for his side.
It has not been Ronaldo's year so far. The iconic Portuguese has not scored in five games for the first time in over a decade (2010).
