Worst Premier League XI 2014/15 (So Far) Featuring Former Manchester United And Arsenal Stars

Worst Premier League XI 2014/15

Aside from Chelsea and Southampton, the rest of the Premier League have struggled to maintain a consistent run of results. So while there have been some sublime displays from those two clubs, there have also been so shocking performances by others.

In the interest of parity, only players who have played at least five games this season have been considered. So this immediately discounts the likes of Adel Taarabt and Claudio Yacob who, although awful haven’t really played enough to make it into the side.

So here is the list of the worst players in the League so far this season. This is how the team would look like, in a 5-3-2 formation.

Goalkeeper:

Vito Mannone

If there was one area of the pitch, where there was plenty of competition was for the goalkeeping slot. And it all came down to two Sunderland keepers, one from the past, Simon Mignolet and the current one, Vito Mannone. In the end, the latter just gets the vote, because of goals directly resulting from his mistake. Former Arsenal man has had to endure a horrible start to the season and although the defence in front of him haven’t done too well, the Italian shot stopper hasn’t done himself too many favours as well.

Defence:

Santiago Vergini – Rio Ferdinand – Dejan Lovren – Eliaquim Mangala – Kyle Naughton

One of the main reasons why there is a five-man defence is because of the pathetic displays that some defenders have coughed up so far this season. Taking his place at right back is none other than Sunderland’s Santiago Vergini. The Argentine might have earned a call up to the national squad but he most certainly scored the own goal of the season against  Southampton and that alone is enough for him to merit a place in the line up. On the other flank, it is an Englishman in Kyle Naughton. At 26, Naughton isn’t what you call an experienced defender, but the full back who can play on the right or the left hand side has already picked up two red cards this season and put his team in situations that they should never be in.

When your team wins immediately after you are out of the team and looks so much better, then you know you aren’t helping them move forward. Rio Ferdinand’s lack of pace forced Harry Redknapp to play three at the back at the start of the season, with disastrous consequences. Fomer Manchester United star’s absence has helped QPR as Richard Dunne and Steven Caulker have formed a formidable partnership. The other two positions are filled in by two players who cost a lot of money in the summer. Dejan Lovren and Eliaquim Mangala haven’t had the greatest of starts with their new club and have time and again been exposed. While the Croatian has been a shadow of the former self and has been found wanting positionally, Mangala’s form has been such that teams have actually gone into the game targeting him specifically and have succeeded too.

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Midfield:

Charles N’Zogbia – Mousa Dembele – Hatem Ben Arfa

Ryan Mason’s performances this season have given the Spurs faithful plenty of hope, but the main reason why he has been getting so many games is because of Mousa Dembele. Apart from the early few months, Dembele looks a shadow of the player he was at Fulham and it looks as though the time has come for him to move on. In front of him are two former Newcastle players, whose sides are languishing near the bottom. Aston Villa have only scored six goals so far this season and although N’Zogbia has an assist to his name, he has done little else in an attacking sense. Steve Bruce took a gamble in the summer by electing to take on Hatem Ben Arfa from Newcastle in a bid to strengthen the Hull attack. But instead of making it better, the Frenchman’s unwillingness to work for the team has meant that the team have regressed and been found wanting at the back.

Attack:

David Nugent – Lukas Jutkiewicz

Up front, the two strikers have combined for a grand total of 1 goal and two assists in 1540 minutes of Premier League football this season. After a fruitful pre-season that saw him score six goals, Lukas Jutkiewicz has struggled to find the net for Burnley and that is one of the reasons why the club have only scored 8 goals this season. It has been a similar plight for David Nugent who has been unable to continue his goal-scoring prowess from the Championship. While he has done well defensively, the Englishman has been unable to do the primary job of scoring goals, which is why Leicester are currently in 18th place with no goals in their last five League games.