‘A player is only as good as the manager and the system he plays in.’
Players are often signed by clubs without the consent of the manager which end up as a disaster more often than not. Players also often lose prime playing time of their career playing for the wrong managers unable to bring the best out of them. Even a change of manager can spell doom for players performing well under the previous manager. History is littered with examples of these instances.
We look at 5 players who were constantly overlooked by their managers and their playing time did no justice to their talents:
#5 Asmir Begovic
Asmir Begovic had built his reputation playing for Stoke City for five and a half seasons. The Bosnian goalkeeper was considered one of the finest and underrated keepers in the league for a few seasons until his move to Chelsea for £8 million.
Begovic knew what he was getting into when he signed for the Blues. Courtois had just replaced Cech as the No. 1 keeper in the team and that was quite a feat in itself. The Bosnian had to be content being the second choice at the start of the season. However, as the season progressed, Courtois suffered from horrific form, suspensions and injuries, and this meant Begovic got his chances to prove his worth.
While the rest of the Chelsea squad struggled, Begovic was one of the most consistent performers for them. Filling the void left by Courtois’ injury perfectly, he saved Chelsea from humiliating defeats on multiple occasions.
However, he was dropped abruptly after Mourinho’s sacking and Courtois took the charge again. While Courtois slowly returned to form, Begovic’s dependable performances went under the radar.
The 29-year-old keeper has only made 5 league appearances in the last year and with Courtois returning to form, he may have to look elsewhere for regular game time that he deserves.
#4 Juan Bernat
The Spanish left-back was signed by Pep Guardiola as he tried to experiment with David Alaba in different positions. He made a very promising start to his Bayern career and seemed like he could make the left back position his own.
Alaba, however, has reclaimed his position as the primary left-back, and this has meant Juan Bernat does not get as many chances he would hope for.
Bernat mostly only played as a substitute for almost all of last season. He was often brought in to play left wing back but struggled to make an impact for the team. Struggling with injuries, Bernat is yet to fulfil his promising talent.
The 23-year-old has only started 13 league matches this year. With the prime years of his career approaching, Bernat has a decision to make – struggle for a starting position at Bayern or sign for another club.
#3 Mamadou Sakho
Sakho was termed as the next captain at PSG at an early age but Liverpool snapped him up for a price of £18 million. The French centre-back settled in quickly and made a name for himself for his no nonsense defending. He rapidly established himself as the best defender at Liverpool and was ready to lead the team to a new era under Klopp.
Recurring injuries resulted in a struggle for game time at first but that was just the start of a rapid downfall of his career. He was found guilty of drug use and even though UEFA cleared him only a few weeks later, the damage was done. He looked completely unsettled and his performances deteriorated.
Before the start of 2016/17, Sakho suffered from injury and he mysteriously did not recover past his recovery date. It was only in September that the Frenchmen revealed that he had recovered but was frozen out of the team. Apparently, Klopp was unhappy with his attitude and he wasn’t even training with the first team. Sakho is yet to make an appearance for Liverpool this season.
At this juncture, it seems like the only way for Mamadou Sakho is out.
#2 Morgan Schneiderlin
Morgan Schneiderlin was considered one of the best defensive central midfielders in the league at Southampton. The midfield duo of Schniederlin and Wanyama was one of the most solid midfield in the world. It was of no surprise to anyone when Manchester United signed him in the summer of 2015.
The Frenchmen never really settled into his new team. His chances were rare and scattered and his performances hardly deserving of any better. In the second half of last season, Schneiderlin often played well and solidified a feeble midfield under Louis van Gaal. But he was inexplicably dropped at times.
After Mourinho’s arrival, it was expected that the Frenchman would be suited to the system that Mourinho employs. However, Mourinho has shown nearly no confidence in him and the midfielder is yet to start a league match under Mourinho. Herrera and even Fellaini have been preferred over him for the defensive midfield position and now Carrick has made that position his own again.
The Manchester United manager recently revealed that Schneiderlin has asked for a transfer and he will be sold for the right price. With Everton and West Brom having already made bids for him, the Frenchman is surely on his way out of the club in January.
#1 James Rodriguez
The Columbian superstar was signed for a whopping €80 million by Real Madrid in the summer of 2014. To accommodate him, Real Madrid sold their Champions league final man of the match, Angel Di Maria.
While he was under a lot of media scrutiny, the questions were answered soon with his performances. He formed an all-conquering midfield partnership with Modric and Kroos as they went on to make history with an unbeaten run. But as soon as that run ended, his performances dried out. As Ancelotti was sacked at the end of the season, he struggled under Benitez. When Benitez was sacked mid-season, Zidane took over and it seemed like Rodriguez had received another lifeline.
But Zidane has preferred a midfield of Casemiro, Kroos and Modric. Lacking the pace to play on the wings, the Colombian has not been able to be a first choice player for the Los Blancos under Zidane. For the price he was signed for and the talent that he possesses, Rodriguez has been heavily underutilised under Zidane.
The Columbian attacker has confirmed that he could be leaving in January and with Chelsea heavily rumoured to be after him, he could revive his career under Conte.
