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“Form is temporary, but class is permanent” – This is a very common phrase which is used in the sporting world, and not just, the footballing world. Even though, the line sounds classy and refreshing, form can make or break a player or a team, not matter how classy they are.Take the case of Fernando Torres. The Spaniard struck fear in the minds of opposition defenders during his time at Liverpool and was easily one of the best players in the world. But after his move to Chelsea, Torres couldn’t replicate the form he showed at Liverpool in nearly three and a half years. Eventually, he was discarded by Chelsea for free and was the subject of heavy criticism from fans and pundits alike.Similarly, many top players who were on the top of their game last season have failed to carry that form into the current season. Here is a look at the top 10 players who have failed to do so.DISCLAIMER: The views expressed here are that of the author and not of the website.
#10 Alessio Cerci
Cerci had an amazing season with Torino last time around with 13 goals and 11 assists in the Serie A. His assists tally was also the highest in the league. The Italian was linked to several top European clubs throughout the summer and he eventually signed for defending La Liga champions, Atletico Madrid.
Cerci failed to break through into the Atletico Madrid side and he was limited to substitute appearances. He started just one game for Atletico and that was in the Copa del Rey. He made eight appearances from the bench in the league and Europe combined, scoring one goal and also getting a red card.
He was sent out on loan to AC Milan in the winter transfer window and has provided two assists in six games so far. But considering the form he was in last season, this season has been a massive let-down for the Italian.
#9 Henrikh Mkhitaryan
The former Shakhtar Donetsk player had an impressive debut season for Borussia Dortmund and managed to score nine times while providing 10 assists in 31 league games for the German side.
The Armenian’s performances last season helped the Dortmund fans forget about the departure of Mario Gotze to an extent, but his displays so far this season have hardly been impressive.
Jurgen Klopp is also to be blamed to some extent for Mkhitaryan’s poor form, as he pushed the Armenian out wide to accommodate Shinji Kagawa. The 25-year-old has been at fault for being a little selfish, and taking several shots throughout games with teammates in better positions. His goal tally for the current season stands at one, with that goal coming in a cup match.
Mkhitaryan is now being linked with a move away from Dortmund in the summer and the rumoured suitors are Premier League giants Liverpool and Manchester United.
#8 Dejan Lovren
After a very impressive debut season for Southampton, Dejan Lovren made a £20 million move to Anfield. The Croatian’s arrival eventually led to the departure of huge fan favourite and club vice-captain, Daniel Agger, and this added to the pressure on Lovren, as he had big shoes to fill.
His mistakes were one of the reasons why Liverpool got off to a catastrophic start to the season. Former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher has often criticized Lovren and pointed out that the Croatian was caught out of position several times and that he committed similar mistakes over and over again.
According to Squawka, the 25 year old has made six defensive errors this season and two errors leading to goals in just 17 league games while during his time at Southampton he made just one defensive error as well as errors leading to goals in 31 games.
The resurgence of Mamadou Sakho and the brilliant performance of makeshift center-back, Emre Can, have led to Lovren being benched for nearly two months. Due to injuries to Steven Gerrard and Lucas Leiva, Can may return to the Liverpool midfield and this will be a big chance for Lovren to return to the starting eleven and prove his worth.
#7 Ross Barkley
Ross Bakley made a quick rise to stardom after an impressive breakthrough year last season. The Everton man won widespread acclaim with his performances for the club and was eventually rewarded with an England senior team call-up and was also part of the team that travelled to Brazil for the World Cup.
During the ongoing campaign, the Englishman has struggled with injuries and poor form. He missed the first few months of the season after picking up an injury in pre-season and during this period, Everton were off to a bad start in the league.
But even after Barkley’s return from injury, Everton’s form didn’t pick up considerably and he was benched on several occasions despite the club’s poor run of form. Barkley has shown glimpses of last year’s form once in a while, but his current rut can make one wonder if last season was a flash in the pan.
#6 Mario Balotelli
When Mario Balotelli made his move from AC Milan to Liverpool, it was a transfer that excited many fans. But the Italian, who was the first choice striker for his country at the World Cup, has failed to deliver despite all the hype that surrounded him.
Balotelli scored 18 times for AC Milan last season despite the Italian club’s poor season, but after his move to Liverpool he has scored just three times in 19 games across all competitions.
It took him nearly 13 hours of Premier League football to score his first league goal for the Merseyside outfit. Balotelli’s poor form has often resulted in manager Brendan Rodgers benching him and even omitting him from the match day squad itself, despite the club’s striker woes.
The 24-year-old has slowly started to show some good form for his new club with a goal and an assist in his last two appearances and both of them were off the bench. But Super Mario needs to find consistency if he intends to prolong his Liverpool career.
#5 Romelu Lukaku
Lukaku joined Everton on loan from Chelsea last season in a quest to get more games under his belt and gain valuable experience. The Belgian enjoyed a terrific season with the Toffees under Roberto Martinez and helped guide them to a fifth-place finish in the league with his 15 goals in 31 league games.
Everton purchased Lukaku for a club record £28 million in the summer after the young Belgian added a lot of directness and power to their attack during his loan spell.
The 21-year-old has so far failed to live up to expectations this season and has found the back of the net only seven times in 25 league games. Lukaku’s poor goal scoring record is one of the reasons why Everton have struggled in the league.
The former Chelsea man is still one of the most promising youngsters in the game and has plenty of time left in the season to score a few more goals and help his side out.
#4 Ciro Immobile
Borussia Dortmund’s problems this season have been linked to the departure of Robert Lewandowski and there is a lot of truth in that. Dortmund purchased Ciro Immobile and Adrian Ramos to account for the goals they were getting from Lewandowski, but that move has failed drastically.
Immobile was the top scorer in Serie A last season with 22 goals while playing for a mid-table club like Torino. So when the Italian moved to Dortmund, big things were expected of him, but so far, he has failed to deliver.
So far this season, the 24-year-old has scored just eight times in 22 games and Jurgen Klopp has now been forced to play Aubameyang up front, even though the manager prefers playing the Gabonese international on the right wing.
Immobile was an unused substitute in Dortmund’s last two league victories after failing to score in the three games before that, despite starting them.
#3 Aaron Ramsey
Despite several injuries, Aaron Ramsey enjoyed the best season of his career in the 2013/14 season. The Welshman found the back of the net 16 times in 34 games last season and also scored the winning goal for Arsenal in the final of the FA Cup. For his brilliant performances, he was rightfully named Arsenal’s Player of the Season.
This season too, Ramsey has had his share of injury problems, and, unfortunately, his general gameplay has also come down.
The 24-year-old has often squandered good goal scoring opportunities by going for goal himself in a desperate attempt to get on the score sheet. His tally for the season is just six in 26 games.
His reading of the game is not up to the mark for a midfielder and according to Squawka, Ramsey who has played nearly twice as many minutes as Francis Coquelin, has made nine interceptions fewer than the Frenchman and his tally is the same as that of Chamberlain, who has played the majority of the season as a winger.
The emergence of Coquelin has increased the competition for places in the Arsenal midfield and if Ramsey doesn’t step up his game pretty soon, he might see himself demoted to the bench.
#2 Steven Gerrard
The Liverpool captain was included in the PFA Team of the year last season following his brilliant performances which helped the club finish second in the league. Gerrard, who is playing his last season at Liverpool, hasn’t been on top of his game this season.
The 34-year-old struggled in the early part of the current season when he was deployed in a defensive midfield role and this affected Liverpool’s performance considerably. He was later moved into a more advanced position in the team, but the Liverpool captain hasn’t thrived in that role either.
Gerrard finished the previous season with 14 goals in 39 games across all competitions as well as a league highest 13 assists.
This season, Gerrard has played 33 games across all competitions and has 10 goals to his name, but many of them have come from the spot. The major concern though is his diminished assists tally. Gerrard has just one assist to his name this season despite taking the majority of Liverpool’s set pieces and playing in an advanced role in midfield.
The former England captain’s performances have dipped considerably this season and maybe this was the right time for him to move on, after all.
#1 Radamel Falcao
Two years back, Radamel Falcao was one of the best strikers on the planet. The Colombian was prolific for Atletico Madrid and eventually made a big money move to Ligue 1 side AS Monaco in the summer of 2013.
Falcao’s performance levels at Monaco dipped slightly, but nevertheless he managed to score 11 goals in 19 games for the Ligue 1 club. He started the current season with the club and scored 2 goals in 3 games for them, before making a loan switch to England on transfer deadline day in the summer transfer window of 2014.
The 29-year-old has been at Manchester United for nearly six months now and during this period he has managed to play just 16 games and has just four goals to his name.
Falcao’s fitness issues combined with his form have made this a poor season according to his standards. In addition to this, his general gameplay has not been up to mark and he has been on the receiving end of the fans’ criticism in the recent weeks for his display on the pitch.
If the Colombian doesn’t get his act together quickly, Manchester United may decide against making his loan move permanent at the end of the season.
