The Premier League’s ever-present ‘top-six’ have all had mixed starts to the new season and have plenty to reflect on after the first four league matches of the 2018/19 campaign.
There have also been a number of players that fans have kept a close eye on after another hectic transfer window.
But for one reason or another, some players are yet to make their mark this season and could still become extremely important for their sides as the season progresses.
September sees this season’s Champions League campaign kick-off, while the top-six sides will also take part in their first domestic cup action of the season in the Carabao Cup.
So who are the forgotten players that could yet be vital for their teams in the coming months?
Manchester City: Kevin De Bruyne
De Bruyne looked set to have another extremely influential season following his heroics in City’s title-winning campaign, only for a knee injury sustained in training to bring a halt to his progress. The midfielder came off the bench in City’s opening day victory against Arsenal but has been unable to play since.
Pep Guardiola’s side have remained unbeaten in his absence, but looked to be missing the influence of De Bruyne in their 1-1 draw with Wolves at Molineux and didn’t look overly convincing as they eventually saw off Newcastle United at The Etihad on Saturday.
The Belgian proved just how gifted a player he is last season and will no doubt have a huge part to play in whatever City achieve this season. At the moment he is on schedule to return in November ahead of what is likely to be an extremely hectic festive schedule for Guardiola’s side.
Stat to remember: Kevin De Bruyne created more chances (106) and provided more assists (16) than any other player in the Premier League last season.
Manchester United – Anthony Martial
It would have been no surprise to see Martial move on from Old Trafford this summer after a difficult time under the management of Jose Mourinho. Reports suggested that Martial did, in fact, want to move on and his relationship with the United boss appeared to be at breaking point when Mourinho expressed his disappointment at the way the Frenchman left United’s US tour to attend the birth of his child.
However, the forward remains a United player for now and, in a surprising turn of events, he is reportedly set to sign a new long-term contract at the club, despite having only featured in one of the Red Devils’ four matches this season.
A new contract for Martial would obviously suggest that he is seen as a big part of the club’s future and you would assume that he will still play a significant part in United’s season. The busy schedule following the international break is likely to see Martial get his opportunity and there is no doubt that he can be a hugely decisive player for Mourinho’s side when he’s on his game.
Stat to remember: Only Romelu Lukaku (19) has scored more Premier League goals than Anthony Martial (9) since the start of last season, starting 17 games fewer than the Belgian.
Tottenham: Son Heung-min
The South Korean forward came on as a substitute in Spurs’ opening day victory over Newcastle United but has been unavailable since then because of international commitments.
The 26-year old helped his country to win The Asian Games which, in turn, means that he becomes exempt from a 21-month military service period. A big relief, yes, but Son will now be needed back at Spurs, who were missing a player of his ilk in their 2-1 defeat to Watford.
The versatile forward netted an impressive 18 goals for Mauricio Pochettino’s side last season and will be vital for Spurs as they get their Champions League and Carabao Cup campaigns underway in September. He’s been missed.
Stat to remember: Harry Kane (45) was the only Spurs player to be directly involved in more goals across all competitions last season than Son Heung-min (29).
Liverpool: Fabinho
The main focuses of Liverpool’s recent recruitment have been the additions of £68m goalkeeper Alisson and Naby Keita, who finally arrived from RB Leipzig this summer. But many seem to be forgetting that the club also spent around £43.7m on a player considered to be one of the most talented holding midfielders in Europe.
Fabinho, who excelled at Monaco when manager Leonardo Jardim moved him into a midfield role after previously playing full-back, has yet to appear for Liverpool this season. He hasn’t even made the matchday squad in the Reds’ last three games, but he hasn’t been injured.
Manager Jürgen Klopp is totally calm and says the Brazilian has simply needed time to adapt to the team’s style of play. After his side’s latest win against Leicester City, the German added that Fabinho had made great strides in recent weeks and is likely to make his competitive debut for Liverpool after the international break.
He is currently with the Brazil squad and could feature for them in their friendlies against the United States and El Salvador. Once he’s settled, he certainly won’t be a bad player to add to a side that are top of the league and have only conceded once all season.
Stat to remember: Fabinho won 100+ tackles in each of the last three league seasons before his move to Liverpool.
Chelsea: Cesc Fabregas
The Spaniard is yet to appear for Maurizio Sarri’s side in the Premier League this season because of ‘an unusual injury’, as quoted by the Chelsea boss himself. Fabregas played 60 minutes in the Blues’ Community Shield clash against Manchester City and will be hoping to return to action as soon as possible.
Results-wise, you can’t really say that Chelsea have missed him, having won all four of their opening fixtures, but Fabregas’ undoubted quality and experience will be a big asset for Sarri’s side once he does return. He also opens up a number of different options for the former Napoli boss, who’s current preferred midfield trio consists of Jorgino, N’Golo Kante and Real Madrid loanee Matteo Kovacic.
It remains to be seen whether Sarri views Fabregas as a number 8 or as a deep-lying playmaker in his system, but he will be needed as Chelsea’s schedule ramps up in the coming months.
Stat to remember: Cesc Fabregas created more chances (91) in the Premier League last season than any other Chelsea player; Chrisitan Eriksen (95) and Kevin De Bruyne (106) were the only players with more.
Arsenal: Lucas Torreira
Unai Emery’s limited use of Torreira since his summer arrival from Sampdoria has frustrated a number of Arsenal fans and that will probably continue to be the case if Granit Xhaka errors persist.
When Torreira has featured for the Gunners, he has looked impressive. He’s only slight, but in time, you could see the Uruguayan becoming a big presence in Unai Emery’s midfield. His main job is to sit and protect the defence, but his quality on the ball and his instinct to pass the ball forward whenever possible has also looked promising – he completed 100% of his 26 passes during an impressive cameo against Cardiff, providing a match-winning assist in the process.
Like Fabinho at Liverpool, you’d expect Torreira to get plenty more opportunities when Arsenal’s squad is stretched after the international break. Don’t be surprised if the 22-year old eventually establishes himself as a mainstay in the Gunners’ midfield.
Stat to remember: Lucas Torreira led his Sampdoria teammates for tackles won, fouls won and interceptions during his two seasons in Serie A.
The post Every top-six Premier League club’s forgotten ‘ace in the hole’ appeared first on Squawka News.
From Squawka NewsSquawka News https://ift.tt/2oJUrZr
No comments:
Post a Comment