We are now 25 games deep into this exciting season of the Premier League and this season we have witnessed many changes as well. From Chelsea dominating the league to becoming vulnerable and then again dominating, rise of Southampton, Man United’s fluctuating form and many other things. Let us now make a list of EPL’s top 5 under performers of the season.
Christian Benteke – (Aston Villa)
Till last season Christian Benteke was one of the most lethal forwards in the Premier League but this season he has scored just 2 goals in 16 Premier League appearances and he is poor with respect to every aspect of the game. Neither his passing accuracy is good nor does he create any chance for others and his shot accuracy is just 37% which is really poor for a striker. He was the main striker of the team, which did not score any goal in the month of October and January. There might be multiple reasons behind this, whether it be Paul Lambert’s man management, the bad patch of Aston Villa as an entire team or Benteke himself.
Juan Mata – (Manchester United)
During the 2012-13 season Mata was the highest assist provider in the Premier League and among the top 3 in entire Europe. The very next season Mata was dropped by Jose Mourinho due to multiple valid reasons and the reason why he joined Manchester United in the winter of 2014. He was in good shape after joining Man United for the second half of the season as he scored 6 goals and crafted 4 assists in 15 Premier League games. But again after the arrival Louis Van Gaal, Mata’s form has gone down as he has scored only 5 goals and made only 3 assists in 20 Premier League appearances. The only reason behind this is Van Gaal’s poor deployment of the team, which is not favoring Mata’s comfort zone and keeping him away from the score sheet and assist chart.
Mario Balotelli – (Liverpool)
Mario Balotelli joined Liverpool in the summer window of 2014 from AC Milan. Mario was expected to be a direct replacement for their superstar forward Luis Suarez, who left the club during the same window. Mario used to be one of the finest forwards in Europe and also the most feared one. He has the experience of playing in Serie A, Premier League and the Champions League and has also won the titles in all these competitions. Balotelli was also a European Golden Boy Winner during his time at Inter Milan. But ever since he moved to the Merseyside he has scored only 1 goal in 13 Premier League appearances, which is very poor and devastating for a striker of his potential. The reason behind this is Balotelli and his immaturity. Let’s hope he gets his form back and starts scoring goals again.
Romelu Lukaku – (Everton)
Lukaku is the costliest player in the history of Everton Football Club. The Toffess finalized to purchase him after he impressed Roberto Martinez by his performance in the 2013-14season with Everton. Lukaku was lethal in the 2013-14 season as he scored 15 goals in 31 Premier League appearances and was excellent with respect to every aspect of the game. This season he was doing great until the month of November but then his form went down and his name started to disappear from the score sheets. This season he has racked up 7 goals in 25 Premier League games and has not been very influential for Everton. His below par performance can be taken as one of the reasons behind Everton’s bad patch in the Premier League. The reason behind this is Lukaku’s overconfidence and his adamant nature.
Paulinho – (Spurs)
Paulinho was one of the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League last season, the reason why many European giants such as Chelsea, Barcelona etc tried to chase him down. He was injured at the start of this campaign after coming back from the World Cup and lost his place in the starting XI when he recovered. The Brazilian couldn’t compete with academy prodigy Ryan Mason for his spot in the team. He has made 11 appearances this season without either scoring or assisting. His defensive contributions for the team have not been up to the mark and also he has created just one chance in the 11 appearances he has made.
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