5 PFA Team of the Year players who struggled the next season

Chelsea’s horrendous title defence and the collective drop in performance levels of their star players have attracted a lot of column inches over the past few weeks. Much of the criticism has been focused on Eden Hazard- last year’s PFA player of the year- who has now gone 25 games without a goal. Hazard also made it to the PFA Team of the Year last season along with 5 other Chelsea players.In this context, we focus on players who- over the course of the past 5 years - made it to the PFA Team of the Year but struggled to replicate the same form in the next season.

#1 Diego Costa ( PFA Team of the Year 2014-15)

The Spaniard has had more altercations than goals this season

While Eden Hazard’s goal scoring drought is quite staggering, so is the case with another Chelsea player. whose primary responsibility is to score goals. After a fantastic start to last season’s title winning campaign, where he was the best striker in the country, Diego Costa has done little of note this season so far.

Having been voted into the PFA Team of the Year 2014-15, Costa has endured a torrid time this season. Much of it is his own fault though. While a snarling, cussing striker who “gets at” the defenders and winds them up is a great asset in a well functioning team (especially a Mourinho side), he becomes a huge liability when the team as a whole is under-performing. Costa has scored just 4 goals so far this season and barring an odd flicker or two, has become a passenger in the team.

His propensity to pick fights with defenders, referees, his own team-mates and even his manager have become such a nuisance that Mourinho has dropped him from the starting eleven. That Mourinho prefers to play a horribly out-of-form Hazard as a false nine shows how poor a season Costa is enduring.

He can still turn around his season (and Chelsea’s) -and there were offshoots of recovery in the 2-0 win against Porto- but there is little chance of him making the PFA Team of the Year 2015-16.

#2 Robin Van Persie (PFA Team of the Year 2012-13)

When Van Persie moved from Arsenal to Manchester United, everyone expected him to play a supporting role to Wayne Rooney in United’s attack. But the Dutchman went on an incredible scoring run and was pivotal in Sir Alex Ferguson’s team wresting the title back from their “noisy” neighbors, Manchester City.

With 26 goals in the Premier League and 30 in all competitions, Van Persie was the primary driving force behind United’s charge to the title. It seemed things could not get better; he was named in the 2012-13 PFA team of the year and usurped Rooney as United’s first choice striker.

Then came Fergie’s retirement and things started going downhill. First, as revealed in Rio Ferdinand’s autobiography, Fergie walking away seemed to really shock him. David Moyes’ appointment as the Red Devils’ manager brought about a decline that has not stopped till date.

In the 2013-14 season, Van Persie’s travails seemed to embody the struggles of the entire side as they put up a miserable title defence. Van Persie grumbled about Moyes’ training regime and struggled to maintain his fitness. He also chose to go to the Netherlands to undergo rehabilitation after a series of niggles.

Predictably, his output dropped. Making 28 appearances in all competitions he scored 18 goals. After leading the Dutch to the semifinals of the 2014 World Cup, it was expected that he would start firing on all cylinders under Louis Van Gaal. He struggled with injuries again and scored just 10 goals from 29 appearances.

At the start of this season, he was shipped to Fenerbache where he has sometimes struggled to even make the starting XI- much to the glee of Arsenal fans.

#3 Steven Gerrard (2013-14 PFA team of the year)

While Suarez, Sturridge and Sterling took most of the plaudits for Liverpool’s exhilarating 2013-14 campaign-which ultimately ended in heartbreak- Steven Gerrard was at the heart of everything-the good, the bad and the really bad- Liverpool did during that season. Though the season-defining image for Gerrard and Liverpool was that slip against Chelsea that brought the Reds’ title challenge to a grinding halt, before that game Gerrard had one of his best seasons.

Playing in a side full of attacking intent Gerrard bombed forward from midfield and thrived in a side bereft of tactical discipline. In a way the season embodied Gerrard- a free spirited player strutting his stuff without much concern for the shape of the side. He ended the season with 13 goals and a league-high 13 assists.

In the next season, Gerrard and Liverpool struggled to recapture the form that saw them blast away opponents. Suarez went to Barcelona, Sturridge faced constant fitness issues and last season’s disappointment seemed to sap the spirit out of Gerrard.

He announced his retirement midway through the season and as Liverpool stumbled below the Champions League places, their season took on the form of a Stevie G-farewell tour. The lowest point came when he came on as a substitute at half-time against arch rivals Manchester United.

Thirty-eight seconds into the second half he was sent-off for a nasty stamp on Ander Herrera. His final contribution to his beloved Liverpool was scoring the solitary goal in a 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Stoke City.

He now plays for L.A. Galaxy in the MLS.

#4 Scott Parker (PFA Team of the Year 2011-12)

Short and slight- Scott Parker is not your typical defensive midfielder. But his positional sense and a battling style of play make him a worthy presence in the team. Having won the Football Writers Association Player of the Year for the 2010-11 season for his impressive performances in a West Ham side which got relegated, his signing by Tottenham Hotspurs in 2011 was seen as a massive coup.

He immediately settled into the side and put in another impressive season at the heart of midfield. He flourished under Harry Redknapp’s guidance and was voted Club Player of the Year. He was also made the club captain and became a regular in the England national team. He was voted into the PFA Team of the Year 2011-12.

Redknapp’s sacking at the end of that season and Andre Villas Boas’ appointment marked a steady decline in fortunes for Parker. AVB’s high-pressing style did not suit his game and he was a permanent fixture on the bench.

At the end of that season, Parker moved to Fulham. He still plays for the London side in the Championship.

#5 Dimitar Berbatov (2010-11 PFA Team of the Year)

With his languid, easy-on-the-eye style of play, Dimitar Berbatov has always divided opinion among Manchester United fans. His relaxed approach to the game is at odds with the hustle and bustle of English football. But even the fiercest of Berbatov’s critics would have nodded in agreement with his stellar performances in the 2010-11 season.

The Bulgarian’s dexterity bamboozled the best of Premier League defences as he scored 20 goals in 32 Premier League performances- sharing the Golden Boot with Carlos Tevez. His most memorable outing came in a thrilling 3-2 win against arch-rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford. He scored an unforgettable hat-trick in a virtuoso solo performance as United won the Premier League yet again. These performances earned him a spot in the PFA Team of the Year.

And, then, as easily as Berbatov fades into the edges of a match, he faded into the periphery of United’s squad in 2011-12. He seemed afflicted by little niggles and Sir Alex did not seem to trust him even for Europa League games. He made just 12 appearances in the Premier League (7 from the bench) and 21 in all competitions-scoring 9 goals. It was a strange, inexplicable fall from the heights he touched in the previous season.

He moved to Fulham as Sir Alex brought in Robin Van Persie to beef up his attack and continued to sizzle intermittently whilst retaining that languid style. After two seasons at Fulham, he moved to Monaco and now plies his trade with PAOK in Greece.