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Every season we see new players emerge from shadows or players coming of age, but unfortunately we witness players regressing as well. It could be down to the performance of the team as a whole, or to the inability of the player to fit into a system, or a new environment in case the player moved to different league or a different team.This does not mean that these players will not be able to bounce back. With the right atmosphere, right formation and good management, these players can of course bounce back. Just have a look at Dennis Bergkamp’s career, he had a dreadful spell at Inter Milan before coming to Arsenal, but he settled down with Arsenal quickly and as they say the rest is history.Let us have a look at few players who did not perform to their usual lofty standards this season -
#1 Robin Van Persie
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After a poor season under David Moyes, Van Persie performed well at the World Cup for Louis van Gaal's Holland. From his goal celebrations it was pretty evident that he and van Gaal had a good relationship. This meant everybody thought the Manchester United boss would inspire him to do the same at club level.
But unfortunately for Van Persie, even his Dutch coach could not inspire him to recapture the form which almost single-handedly led United to the EPL title in 2012-13. The general perception was that he would be appointed as the captain of the side as Van Gaal had made him the captain of Holland as well.
But Van Gaal chose to go with Wayne Rooney instead of Van Persie. Even though he reached double figures for the season, 10 goals in a season for a player of the calibre of Van Persie does not bode well. He was hampered by injuries and fitness issues as well and missed almost a third of the season.
Van Gaal's 3-5-2 system and his experimentation with the starting line up did not do him any favours. The worst bit for the former Arsenal man was that United clicked into the gear in the second half of the season when he was not in the squad.
Even when he came back, he could not play much as he could not displace Rooney up top in the 4-5-1 system. If Van Gaal is planning to continue with the same system next season then Van Persie might struggle to get into the squad.
| Season | Matches Played | Goals | Assists | Key Passes per game | Shots per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | 22(5) | 16 | 3 | 0.8 | 3 |
| 2014-15 | 25(2) | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2.8 |
#2 Radamel Falcao
Falcao's never been the same player ever since his ACL injury he suffered last season. But there was lot of optimism in the air, when he was signed on loan by Manchester United. Even though his start to the season was not spectacular, with a few goals and assists he was slowly settling into life at Old Trafford when the injury curse struck him again.
He did return later, but he could not rekindle his form and found himself warming the bench more often. His time at Old Trafford fizzled out in a flurry of niggles, slips and missed chances. Towards the end it evident that injury had vastly diminished his striking potency which once used strike fear into the heart of opponents.
His £265,000 a week salary did not help his cause either as the media and experts kept bringing it up putting him under more pressure. His paltry total of 4 goals and 4 assists was not enough for Manchester United to consider make the deal permanent one.
| 4Season | Matches | Minutes Played | Goals | Assists | Key Passes | Shots per Game | Dribbles Per Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 14(12) | 1287 | 4 | 4 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 0.5 |
| 2013-14 | 16(1) | 1398 | 9 | - | 0.5 | 2.9 | 0.8 |
He might have flourished at Atletico Madrid in a 4-5-1 formation, but the style of play of Simeone's Atletico is different from Van Gaal's Manchester United and Rooney who played as the striker has more vision and creativity than Falcao. Even when he came off the bench he could not impact the game as much, his control and his footing kept letting him down.
A share of the blame should go to the United midfielders as well, who did not pick out his runs and movements. Even with all the support he got from the Manchester United fans, he did not seem confident in the Red jersey. But we never know how a fully fit and firing Falcao would have performed.
#3 Yaya Toure
It is surprising to see the big Ivorian in this list, after having a spectacular 2013-14 season which saw him bang in 20 goals and collect nine assists. This season even though he performed in patches, he looked jaded and tired. You can't blame him to a certain extent as he had played every minute for Ivory Coast in the World Cup and African Cup of Nations for Ivory Coast. And add to that the trauma of losing his brother Ibrahim to Cancer just before the World Cup.
Toure’s problem wasn’t really with the lack of goals but more with his lack of effectiveness in midfield. He looked slower than before, his defensive contribution was appalling at times and he was not his usual dominating self. And what the problems worse was that even Silva and Kompany were having average seasons and nobody really stood up for City except Aguero and Lampard. That is why they failed to build on their title winning season.
| Seasons | Matches played | Minutes Played | Goals | Assists | Key Passes per game | Shots per Game | Tackles Per Game | Interceptions Per Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 27(2) | 2357 | 10 | 1 | 1.1 | 3.1 | 1 | 0.5 |
| 2013-14 | 35 | 2927 | 20 | 9 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 0.7 |
But Toure did produce a timely reminder of his devastating best with two goals and a midfield masterclass at Swansea as the Sky Blues won 4-2 on the penultimate weekend of the season. There were rumours that Yaya Toure would be sold at the end of the season.
Inter Milan under former Man City manager Roberto Mancini seemed probable, but now they have signed Kondogbia, so for now it seems Toure will be at City for another season. With no international matches, a fit and fresh Toure still has a lot to contribute to City next season..
#4 Vincent Kompany
Manchester captain Vincent Kompany has been an inspirational captain for Manchester City, he was their rock at the back. But this year he didn’t look good at times and showed real signs of wear and tear at age 29. He played through games as if he still had a World Cup hangover having played a major role in Belgium's journey to the quarter finals at the World Cup.
His fitness was also a major talking point at various times through the season. The 29-year-old made 25 top-flight appearances for City last term as he was blighted by injury before his run was eventually cut short by a groin problem mid-April.
| Season | Matches | Minutes Played | Goals | Assists | Tackles Per Game | Interceptions Per Game | Clearances Per Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 23(2) | 2034 | - | - | 1.4 | 1.8 | 4 |
| 2013-14 | 28 | 2365 | 4 | 1 | 2.3 | 2 | 5.1 |
Kompany was one of World's best centre backs, but his performance over the season was not up to his usual standard. This could be backed up by stats as well.
Last season he averaged 2.3 tackles per game, where as this year it has come down to 1.9, interceptions per game came down from 2 to 1.8 and clearances per game is down from 5.1 to 4. This really underlines his decline. To top that, he has not contributed offensively as he did not even score one or register an assist as compared to his four goals last season.
With a proper holidays and pre season under his belt, City fans will be hoping to see their captain come back fully fit and hungry.
#5 Ciro Immobile
Immobile, 25, suffered a dismal season with Borussia Dortmund, scoring just three Bundesliga goals, following a £15.5 million move from Torino. He struggled to get into the team, starting only nine games with 15 appearances from the bench. But he did well in Champions League with four goals in five matches. Before signing a deal with Dortmund, Immobile netted 22 goals in Serie A and clinched the golden boot with Torino.
| Season | Matches | Minutes Played | Goals | Assists | Dribbles Per Game | Shots Per Game | Key Passes Per Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-14 | 14(16) | 1359 | 7 | 1 | 0.8 | 2 | 0.3 |
| 2013-14 | 29(4) | 2591 | 22 | 3 | 1.3 | 3.1 | 1 |
He was signed by Klopp as replacement for Robert Lewandowski who moved to rivals Bayern Munich, but his style of play is completely different to that of the Polish hotshot. Klopp’s move to replace the Bundesliga top scorer with the Serie A top scorer did not work out.
Lewandowski and Immobile are two different players as Lewandowski had more pace and movement and he was good at linking up play but Immobile is an out and out striker with excellent finishing and awareness. He remains close to the box and unlike Lewandowski, his link up play is not that great. And as Klopp found out he is not the kind of striker who could play up top alone in a 4-5-1 formation, he needs a second striker like Alessio Cerci at Torino to support him.
This is why Klopp dropped Immobile and Aubameyang began playing the role of sole striker. Another problem was that the tempo in Serie A is much slower to Bundesliga and to add to that Klopp’s Dortmund is known for breaking at lightning speed, beautiful link up play and relentless pressing. The Italian found it difficult to cope with this and eventually found himself warming the bench.
There are rumours that the Immobile is looking for a move back to Italy but Dortmund’s new coach has Tuchel has insisted that Immobile will get another chance under him.
#6 Mario Gotze
Mario Gotze‘s life was good, scored in the World Cup final, a decent debut season with the biggest German club managed by one of the greatest coaches ever, Pep Guardiola.
Almost a year later things cannot be more different for Gotze, as he was recently voted as the second worst player in Bundesliga by his peers. He started 28 games in the league for them scoring nine and providing four assists. It seems reasonable but much more was expected from the youngster who drew comparisons with none other than Leo Messi once.
He has been widely criticised in the media and even Bayern and German legend Franz Beckenbauer urged him to grow up.
| Season | Matches | Minutes Played | Goals | Assists | Shots Per Game | Key Passes Per Game | Dribbles Per Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 43(6) | 2996 | 13 | 3 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 2.4 |
| 2013-14 | 26(12) | 2372 | 13 | 9 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 3.6 |
The creative forward struggled to find his best form after an impressive start to the 2014-15 campaign. There were spells where he could not score or provide an assist for seven consecutive games. For a player hoping to reach the level of Ronaldo, Messi and Robben this does not make for good reading and it looks like his growth has stagnated.
Guardiola’s pass and move tactics do not do him any favours either, he is more suited to direct, one touch and quick play like that of Dortmund where he thrived. At Bayern he has played as a winger, a false nine, second striker and as number 10. So its obvious that Guardiola’s has not identified what his best position is and many a times he has been used more as a utility player who used instead of injured players.
He is blessed with technical ability and creativity but he is not quick enough to play as a winger, so number 10 role would be the most natural position for the youngster. But the question is how much does Guardiola trusts him to handle such a role.
Gotze has been linked with move abroad with clubs like Manchester United and Arsenal, there has been reports of an improbable move to Borussia Dortmund as well. But it will be a hard decision after they invested so much on him.
