One star from each of the big 6 who needs to prove themselves when Premier League restarts

The Premier League is possibly the most exciting league in the world, and it's back as soon as this Wednesday when Aston Villa face Sheffield United. While Liverpool have run away with the title, the race for the European spots is still on. The relegation scrap is also heating up. So there are still plenty of things to be interested about about the Premier League.

Every season has its hits and flops and today, we will be look at the players from each of the Premier League big 6 (namely Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur) who have had an underwhelming first half of the season and will be looking to prove their worth to the world when the season restarts.

#1. Liverpool - Takumi Minamino

Minamino has hardly got time in the Premier League so far.

The fact that Takumi Minamino makes this list is a testament to how good Liverpool have been in the Premier League this season. It was incredibly difficult to find a Liverpool player who has been underwhelming as they have just dropped 5 points this far.

One could have put Adrian in here but with Liverpool having nothing other than the league to play for, but he may not get the chance to play. Minamino, on the other hand, will get minutes with the games closely packed and 5 substitutions allowed.

He arrived in January after having massively impressed with RB Salzburg but it'll be fair to say he hasn't hit the ground running. To be honest, he has barely played and will be looking to prove himself as Liverpool walk to the Premier League title.

#2. Manchester City- Kyle Walker

Walker must work hard on his issues to make his mark in the Premier League once again.

Not very long ago, Kyle Walker was widely accepted as the best right-back in England. That title is in free fall with the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and probably even Reece James ahead of him in the pecking order.

Even at Manchester City, his place is no longer secure, with Joao Cancelo getting game-time quite often. If these were not problems enough, Walker landed himself in even more bother while football hasn't been on. When the pandemic was at it's peak, Walker was caught flouting lockdown rules not once but thrice. Walker must work hard on his footballing and non-footballing issues if he's to ever rise to the top of the Premier League prestige charts again.

#3. Chelsea - Kepa Arrizabalaga

Kepa was decent in his first season at the Stamford Bridge but this season has been rough.

When Real Madrid bought Thiabaut Courtois near the end of the 2018 summer transfer window, it sent Chelsea into a state of panic. They had the cash but there was hardly any time left in the transfer window to replace someone of Courtois' calibre.

Eventually, they did manage to splash the cash, paying a whopping €71 million to get Kepa from Bilbao. It still remains the world-record fee for a keeper. Kepa was decent in his first season at the Stamford Bridge but this season has been rough. He has been error prone and even got dropped a few times in the Premier League.

Chelsea want to challenge for the Premier League title next season, and are hence using their deep pockets readily. With the likes of Andre Onana linked to the club, Kepa must prove his worth in the remaining games to prove to Lampard that he's good enough.

#4. Manchester United - Paul Pogba

It remains to be seen how Pogba fits in with Fernandes as United try to climb to fourth in the Premier League.

Paul Pogba, when on song, is among the best midfielders in the world. He has impeccable technique, a great physical presence and confidence in his abilities. But unfortunately for United fans, he doesn't always do justice to his talents. He's not been bad at Manchester United, but a player of that quality and price surely has got to do better.

He started strong this Premier League this season but hasn't played since December due to an ankle injury. In the meantime, United have strengthened their squad, bringing in Bruno Fernandes from Sporting CP. Fernandes has been excellent since his arrival and has massively lifted spirits in the United camp. Pogba now faces a challenge.

Fernandes occupies the role of the most attacking midfielder in a midfield 3, which is also the position Pogba prefers to play in. It remains to be seen how Pogba fits in with Fernandes but this would mean United having to drop one of Fred or Scott McTominay, both of whom have been quite good in the Premier League. A lot of eyes will be on Pogba and he will have to prove whether he's up to the task

#5. Tottenham - Tanguy Ndombele

Tanguy Ndombele has been uninspiring in the Premier League so far.

When Spurs broke their transfer record for the young French midfielder, it was seen as a sign of intent. After all, Tanguy Ndombele was wanted by most of the European elite. He would massively improve a team which had just reached the Champions League final.

However, the story has not quite panned out along those lines. Spurs have been poor in the Premier League this season and even a change in the managerial front hasn't brought about a change in fortunes. Ndombele has been uninspiring.

For a player who's dynamism and energy impressed everyone last season, Ndombele has had weight issues and has been termed lazy. He will be desperate to prove his doubters wrong and in the process aid Spurs' bid to reach the Champions League.

#6. Arsenal - Nicolas Pepe

Pepe has shown flashes of the tremendous potential he possesses

Another Premier League club from North London, another record signing. Nicolas Pepe arrived from Lille in the summer having set the Ligue 1 alight the season before. In fact, Arsenal couldn't afford his 80 million fee, so they had to pay in installments.

Pepe has shown flashes of the tremendous potential he possesses, be it dribbling past Van Dijk or scoring two free-kicks in a Europa League game. However, consistency has been an issue with the Ivorian though and the winger has to do much more to prove to the Gunners faithful that breaking the transfer record for him was the right decision.

For starters, he can provide Arsenal with the push to take them to the Champions League places on the Premier League table in the rest of the season.