Eight underperforming players in the Premier League this season so far

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The 2018/19 Premier League campaign has certainly not disappointed so far. Six games into the new season and the ‘top six’ are starting to take their places at peak of the table.

In terms of players, the usual suspects have shone for their respective sides. Chelsea’s Eden Hazard leads the way at the top of the goalscoring charts with five goals so far.

Liverpool are the league leaders having won all six of their opening fixtures, whilst relegation favourites Cardiff City and Huddersfield Town sit at the very bottom of the league.

But who are the players that haven’t quite performed to the level that many were expecting?

We’ve picked out 10 Premier League players that may not be entirely happy with their performances so far this season.

Asmir Begovic (Bournemouth)

League minutes played: 540

Club league position: 8th

Bournemouth find themselves in a good position in the league table after winning three of their first six Premier League matches. The likes of Ryan Fraser and Callum Wilson have impressed going forward, but Asmir Begovic may be slightly underwhelmed by his start to the campaign.

The Cherries have conceded more goals than any other side in the top half so far this season, whilst Begovic has made more errors leading to goals than any other goalkeeper except for Huddersfield’s Ben Hamer, who’s now been dropped. Improvement needed.

Key stat: No player has made more errors leading to goals in the Premier League than Begovic this season (2).

Chris Wood (Burnley)

League minutes played: 338

Club league position: 16th

Wood became a real threat for Burnley last season after arriving from Leeds United in a club-record deal to replace the outgoing Andre Gray.

The 26-year-old managed 12 goals in 29 appearances last season but has been part of a Burnley side that struggled in the early stages of this campaign. That could be down to the Clarets’ early involvement in the Europa League, but Wood will be disappointed with his league form so far having failed to register a single goal or assist.

Key stat: Chris Wood has failed to score in each of his four Premier League starts this season and has been substituted off each time.

Cenk Tosun (Everton)

League minutes played: 417

Club league position: 12th

Tosun impressed for Everton in the second half of last season under Sam Allardyce, after the Toffees parted with a reported £27m to sign him from Besiktas.

But the Turkish forward is yet to register a league goal since Marco Silva’s arrival and was dropped for Everton’s most recent league game against Arsenal last weekend.

Key stat: Cenk Tosun has taken 12 shots in the Premier League without scoring, more than any other Everton player this season.

Steve Mounie (Huddersfield Town)

League minutes played: 434

Club league position: 20th

David Wagner’s side are desperately in need of some inspiration in the attacking areas this season. So far, the Terriers have conceded more goals than they’ve managed shots on target.

Mounie was Huddersfield’s key man in front of goal last season, managing nine goals following his arrival from Montpellier.

The 23-year-old forward started Huddersfield’s first five league games of the season before being dropped for their most recent encounter against Leicester. He is still yet to register a goal and, if Wagner’s side are to avoid relegation, they will need Mounie to improve his performances.

Key stat: Mounie’s poor start to the season has seen him register 0 goals, miss 2 big chances and hit 4 shots off target.

Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)

League minutes played: 223

Club league position: 2nd

Jesus’ only league goal this season came in City’s 6-1 thumping of Huddersfield Town in August. Sergio Aguero’s excellent record this season has done him no favours, but the Brazilian striker is struggling to regain the form that saw him labelled one of the most exciting young players in Europe after his arrival at the club at the start of 2017.

With City behind Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title and beaten by Lyon in their Champions League opener, Pep Guardiola will want to see Jesus find his feet as soon as possible this season.

Key stat: Gabriel Jesus has missed 7 big chances in 223 minutes of Premier League football this season.

Alexis Sanchez (Manchester United)

League minutes played: 333

Club league position: 7th

Former Arsenal forward Sanchez really isn’t living up to the huge wages he’s earning with United at the moment. His performances after his arrival at the club during the second half of last season were somewhat underwhelming, but many expected him to kick on for this campaign after a full pre-season.

But that cutting edge is still missing from his performances. Could some of that be down to Jose Mourinho’s style of play at Old Trafford? Maybe. But Sanchez must do more. The Chilean is yet to register a single goal for United this season.

Key stat: Alexis Sanchez has failed to score in 831 minutes of Premier League football and has been substituted off more times than any other Mancheser United player this season (3).

Kenedy (Newcastle United)

League minutes played: 344

Club league position: 18th

Kenedy returned to the club from Chelsea for another season-long-loan deal after impressing for the Magpies during the second half of the last campaign, but his performances have been far from good enough so far this term.

The Brazilian came in for a lot of criticism after his performance against Cardiff last month. A nasty tackle on Josh Murphy went unpunished, before he missed a penalty in the last minute which would have seen Newcastle go away with all three points. He is yet to register a goal or an assist this season.

Key stat: Kenedy has failed to create a single chance this season and has missed more big chances than any other Newcastle player.

Harry Kane (Tottenham)

League minutes played: 538

Club league position: 5th

The England captain has three goals in six Premier League appearances so far, but has looked worryingly off the pace for both club and country at times this season.

Many believe that Lucas Moura’s increasingly important role in Spurs’ team could be responsible for this, whilst it’s also been suggested that Kane is suffering from fatigue after leading England to the World Cup semi-finals this summer.

Key stat: Harry Kane is averaging 1.34 shots on target and 2.84 shots per 90 minutes this season compared to 5.68 shots per 90 last season.

The post Eight underperforming players in the Premier League this season so far appeared first on Squawka News.



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