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Every season, football players are always under pressure to deliver. This pressure is higher for those who are considered as key players for their respective clubs.
Failure to do just that attracts intense criticism from rival supporters and sometimes, even your supporters might end up turning on you.
Not every football player starts the season on a high note. We have seen, even some of the best players in the world, start the season slowly before catching up later mid-season.
Injuries, struggles to adapt to a new team, or simply bad form are some of the factors that might contribute to this slump.
While it is normal for a player to go through this phase, it becomes a thing of concern if they’re no signs of improvement later on.
Without any much ado, let’s take a look at five players who have had a slow start to the season.
#5 Marcus Rashford
Last season, Marcus Rashford was the main man for Manchester United. He was their major source of goals, everything that he shoots seems to end up in the back of the net.
He scored 30 goals and registered 11 assists in 56 games in all competitions for the club. To simply put it, his performance last season was just incredible.
When you perform at that level, the expectations would definitely be high. Fans would expect you to carry on that performance into the new season.
But sadly, Rashford hasn’t just been able to replicate his impressive form yet. He has had a slow start to the season, and it’s evident that his lack of goals, is causing Manchester United to suffer.
He has struggled to find the back of the net or even provide assists like he did in the previous season. Despite playing 11 games, he has only scored once and registered three assists.
#4 Mason Mount
Mason Mount, the former Chelsea player, is finding it hard to gets himself integrated into the Manchester United team, which he joined in the summer.
Before joining the club, he was considered an important player for both Chelsea and the England national team. He had already established himself as a regular starter.
His move to Manchester United was rather surprising, as no one saw it coming. With the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, he was brought in and the iconic number seven jersey was handed over to him.
Inheriting that shirt usually comes with a lot of pressure and expectations. Even though Mount might be playing an entirely different position from Ronaldo, fans still expect him to deliver some goal contributions.
This is something that he’s finding very difficult to do at the moment. Mount has played seven games in total for the club and, surprisingly, he is yet to score a single goal. He only managed to register one assist.
#3 Rodrygo
Rodrygo, the young Brazilian talent, is one player who needs little of no introduction at all. Even at his young age, he has established himself as one of the key players at Real Madrid.
Rodrygo can score goals and also create chances for his teammates. His performances over the last two seasons have been extremely impressive.
This season, however, Rodrygo is not performing at the level that many had expected him to perform. He is struggling to score goals and register assists, these are things which he usually does effortlessly.
His numbers so far this season aren’t convincing enough. Rodrygo has played 12 games and has only managed to score a single goal.
His slow start to the season appears to be due to the new tactical approach being implemented by Carlo Ancelotti at the club. However, there’s still enough time for Rodrygo to rediscover his form.
#2 Sebastien Haller
Sebastien Haller, the Ivory Coast international, has played for different teams across Europe. However, the team where he rose to prominence were Dutch giants Ajax.
In 2021, after a brief stint in the Premier League, Haller was signed by Ajax in a deal worth £22 million. His move turned out to be successful as he did everything that a striker was required to do.
In the 66 games that he played, he scored 47 goals and also registered 16 assists. His performances at the club were worthy of recognition and last year, he joined Borussia Dortmund.
His first season was fair, as he scored nine goals in 22 games for the club. This season, when many were expecting him to improve, Haller has had a very slow start to the season.
He has played eight Bundesliga games so far and yet, he is yet to score a single goal no register a single assist. He has only scored two goals in the DFB-Pokal.
#1 Kai Havertz
Kai Havertz, the young, talented midfielder, gained attention during his time at Bayer Leverkusen. He scored 46 goals and registered 31 assists in 150 games for the Bundesliga team.
His impressive performances caught the attention of Chelsea, who signed him in 2020. Though he showed glimpses of his talent, he was inconsistent and couldn’t quite adapt to the intensity of the league.
In 139 games, he scored 32 goals and registered 15 assists. After three seasons at the club, Havertz completed a move to Arsenal in the summer transfer window.
Obviously, there were doubts about this move. It wasn’t like he was like an established player, he was still struggling to adapt to life in England. So many weren’t sure why Arsenal went for him.
For a player who is under intense pressure, he hasn’t actually done anything to convince us otherwise. He is having a slow start to the season, scoring just one goal in 13 games for Arsenal this season.
