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The 2020-21 Premier League season is nearing its end, with Manchester City sealing their third league title in four years.
The likes of Bruno Fernandes, Kevin De Bruyne, Harry Kane and Ruben Dias have been in sensational form during the season and have been instrumental in their respective team's success. Thanks to their performances, the trio is in contention for the PFA Player of the Year award.
However, there have been other players who enjoyed bright starts to their respective Premier League campaigns but couldn't sustain the same as the season wore on. On that note, let’s take a look at five such players.
#1 Raheem Sterling | Manchester City
Raheem Sterling featured in the 2020-21 Premier League season as one of the starters in Cityzens’ star-studded lineup. But his current form is such that he may not start the Champions League final.
After a decent start to his Premier League campaign, Sterling seemed to pick up the pace with a goal and an assist against Fulham. In his next 15 Premier League outings, Sterling notched up an impressive tally of six goals and four assists.
However, in his last seven Premier League appearances, the 26-year-old has managed a meagre output of one goal and an assist. That has seen Sterling rapidly slip down the pecking order at Manchester City. He saw just ten minutes of game time in City's Champions League knockout ties against Borussia Dortmund and PSG.
That was a sharp drop from his 89 minutes of action across two legs against Borussia Monchengladbach.
In 47 appearances across all competitions this season, the Englishman has been involved in 25 goals (14 goals, 11 assists).
#2 James Rodriguez | Everton
The 2014 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner enjoyed a stellar start to his Everton stint but has failed to sustain the same level of performance.
James Rodriguez moved to Goodison Park on a £29 million transfer ahead of the 2020-21 season. The Colombian adapted to the Premier League impressively, producing six goal contributions (three goals and three assists) in his first five appearances in the competition.
Rodriguez’s flying start to the season coincided with the Toffees' upturn in fortunes, with Carlo Ancelotti's men registering 13 points in their opening five Premier League fixtures. The Blues found themselves top of the table till game week six before Rodriguez and Everton's early-season form fizzled away.
After a fairy-tale start, Rodriguez managed just two goals and no assists in his next ten Premier League matches.
A nagging calf injury has hindered the Colombian throughout the season; he was ruled out of action for two weeks on multiple occasions due to the injury. Overall, Rodriguez has notched up a tally of six goals and five assists in the 2020-21 Premier League season.
#3 Timothy Castagne | Leicester City
Leicester City's new full-back Timothy Castagne arrived at English shores at the beginning of the 2020-21 Premier League season after an immensely successful three-season stint at Atalanta.
Castagne had a dream start to his Premier League career, scoring on his competition debut against West Bromwich Albion. The Belgian started in the Foxes’ first six Premier League games. He registered a goal and two assists in this period, including one in Leicester’s 5-2 thrashing of Premier League champions-elect, Manchester City.
Much like Rodriguez, though, Castagne has been severely hindered by recurring injuries this season. A thigh muscle strain relegated him to the sidelines on two different occasions for a combined period of over two months.
The 25-year hasn’t been able to recapture his early-season form since his return from injury. His slump has coincided with Leicester City’s poor run in the Premier League of late. However, after a stunning win against Chelsea in the FA Cup final, Castagne and the Foxes will look to end their Premier League campaign strongly.
#4 Kurt Zouma | Chelsea
Kurt Zouma established himself as an integral part of Chelsea's first team under Frank Lampard.
The Frenchman started 15 of Chelsea’s first 17 Premier League games of the season. Zouma scored four goals in this period and was one of Chelsea’s best players in the first half of the season.
However, the arrival of Thomas Tuchel in January this year has reduced Zouma’s game time; the 26-year-old failed to make a Premier League appearance in Tuchel’s first five league games in charge.
Moreover, Zouma has played a combined total of 90 minutes in the Champions League knockout stage, making only one appearance out of a possible six. While Zouma was better suited to the flat-four at the back under Lampard, he has struggled with Tuchel’s three-at-the-back defensive system.
#5 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Arsenal
Arsenal are enduring one of their worst Premier League campaigns in recent years and find themselves on the brink of missing out on a European spot for the first time in 25 years.
A significant reason for Arsenal’s failures this season has been the absence of a senior figure in attack, thanks to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s poor form in the latter half of the season. The Gabon international has registered only 15 goals across all competitions this season, including ten in the Premier League.
However, the Arsenal captain has not been able to lead from the front in a season where the Gunners have lacked firepower in the attacking third. While the likes of Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette were expected to take the bulk of the responsibility of creating and scoring goals, the North Londoners have had to rely on their teenagers for attacking output.
20-year old Emile Smith Rowe and 19-year old Bukayo Saka have been Arsenal’s attacking outlets this season. While they have performed admirably, Mikel Arteta and co. have missed the presence of an experienced centre-forward.
