Five top players who let themselves down in 2018/19

As the 2018-19 Premier League season draws to an end, it’s time to reflect on who has under-performed. The biggest clubs in England have cut themselves adrift from the ‘bottom fourteen’ of the league, with the ‘big six’ now becoming a league within a league. However, with the demand for week-to-week consistency failing this season spectacularly for some of these sides, some players have managed to really let themselves down this year.

Let’s take a look, then, at five players we really would have expected more from in 2018-19.

Alexis Sanchez

While his first few months in Manchester were a crushing failure, the 2018-19 season was supposed to be the rebirth of Alexis Sanchez. Injuries, a lack of form and any real reference to his old play style, though, has really seen him drop out of favour.

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A paltry two goals and three assists all season are shocking returns for a player of whom so much was expected in the past. Nowhere near the talent he once was, and nearly impossible to sell, too.

Mesut Ozil

Another fine example of Premier League money wasting, Mesut Ozil has endured a horrible season for the Gunners. His usually low-energy style hasn’t exactly gone down well across his time in England, but this year it has felt more pronounced than ever. He’s barely registered for Arsenal this season, despite playing over 2,100 minutes, he’s managed just six goals and three assists.

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Again, one who has dropped so far from his La Liga heyday, and a very hard player to sell.

David Luiz

While Luiz has often had an up/down time of it in London, this year has been one of his worst yet for Chelsea. Despite playing over 3,000 minutes across all competitions, good appearances have been few and far between. A pair of goals does little to make up for an awful defensive contribution, and he has been a major part of the reason why Chelsea have had such a poor defence in 2018-19.

Dejan Lovren

For Lovren, the biggest letdown has been his fitness. While he’s often been a player who misses matches, he missed the start of the season and has now appeared to be fourth choice between Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and himself. He’s lost a lot of the goodwill he had built up in the 2017-18 season, having endured a really poor season fitness wise.

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In a season that has promised so much for Liverpool, Lovren has regularly failed to contribute.

Riyad Mahrez

When the Algerian signed from Leicester City to Manchester City, some seen his transfer as an expensive bench option. Unfortunately, that is exactly how it has played out – with 13 starts and 13 sub appearances in the league, he’s been a poor buy for City. While he’s impressed at times, his inconsistency and total lack of fit with the City way of playing makes him a player who has not made the most of his long-awaited move to a continental giant.

Featured Image Credit: Benjamin Radzun from Germany [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]