Ten players who aren’t performing to the best of their abilities so far this season.
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Romelu Lukaku (Everton)
Lukaku hasn’t got into the goalscoring groove that he had at Goodison Park last season so far since making his move from Chelsea permanent, but a scuffed finish at Burnley yesterday could give the Belgian the confidence needed to kick on and find his best form.
Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal)
This is perhaps slightly harsh on Ramsey, who has suffered a couple of niggling injuries during the early weeks of the season, but the Welsh international is yet to show the decisive form that he had for the Gunners during spells last year.
Wes Brown (Sunderland)
As a seasoned Premier League performer and usually solid defender, the lapses in concentration that Brown has suffered in the 8-0 shellacking at the hands of Southampton and defeat to Arsenal are unacceptable.
Yaya Toure (Manchester City)
Toure was perhaps the most decisive player in the Premier League title race last season, but has come in for plenty of criticism this season after some lazy and ineffectual displays for faltering City.
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Just as Liverpool have struggled for form at the start of the season, so has their captain, with teams making a point of man marking Gerrard to limit his influence, the former England international is yet to find a way to cope.
Rio Ferdinand (Queens Park Rangers)
Signed to add experience and defensive solidity to a newly promoted side, former Manchester United hero Rio Ferdinand has been so poor for QPR that he was dropped for last weekend’s defeat to Liverpool.
Marcos Rojo (Manchester United)
United put a lot of their eggs into the basket of Marcos Rojo this summer as their only central defensive signing and, whilst the Argentinian hasn’t been terrible, he has looked far from an assured presence.
Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur)
If the reports of Jan Vertonghen being keen to leave White Hart Lane in the near future are true, it is certainly showing in the Belgian’s performances – he has been far from his best in the early weeks of the season.
Mario Balotelli (Liverpool)
Whilst the criticism of Balotelli has been over the top in the early weeks of the season and he certainly is being made a scapegoat, the Italian still isn’t doing enough to create or score goals since his move from AC Milan.
Juan Mata (Manchester United)
Spaniard Mata simply hasn’t looked like the player who won two successive player of the year awards with Chelsea since joining United, a theme that has continued under the management of Louis van Gaal.