Every Premier League Team's Biggest Flop of the 2014/15 Season
With the champions determined and relegation issues likely to look a lot clearer by the weekend, the sun is beginning to set on the 2014/15 Premier League season.
We all know who the best performers have been over the campaign, but with the praise still ringing in the ears of Eden Hazard, John Terry, Harry Kane and the like, what about the worst players from each team?
Every club has had at least one, so sit back, relax and try to work out which one of Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao is going to get the nod for Manchester United.
Arsenal: Mathieu Flamini
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It's tough to pick the worst performer for Arsenal during what has been a largely impressive and often uplifting Gunners season, but it is the French midfielder Mathieu Flamini who gets the nod.
The reason? Well, if you'd told Gunners fans at the beginning of the campaign that their team was going to be missing Mikel Arteta for a vast majority of 2014/15, they'd have expected to see Flamini step into the ex-Everton man's shoes. Instead, Flamini has allowed compatriot Francis Coquelin to surpass him in Arsene Wenger's plans.
Coquelin's displays have been impressive too, meaning that Flamini has somewhat faded from view in recent months, perhaps permanently so.
Aston Villa: Joe Cole
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Upon giving Joe Cole a two-year contract last summer, who would have thought that Aston Villa were merely setting themselves up for paying an unfit player who would barely have an impact upon their season? Well, everyone.
The former Chelsea, Liverpool and England midfielder is a shadow of his former self, and he has managed to feature in just 12 Premier League matches this season, scoring once in a draw at Burnley.
With new boss Tim Sherwood keen to promote exciting youngsters such as Jack Grealish, you'd presume Cole's chances will be even more limited next season. However, with an extra year to run on his contract, he is likely to stick around at Villa Park until he's told otherwise.
Burnley: Lukas Jutkiewicz
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The impressive displays of Danny Ings are likely to ensure that the forward sticks around in the Premier League even if, as looks likely, Burnley are relegated at the end of the season. The same can't be said of fellow forward Lukas Jutkiewicz.
A summer arrival from Middlesbrough for around £2.25 million, Jutkiewicz started each of the Clarets' first nine league games of the campaign without much success, and as a result, he hasn't been in the starting XI since.
A vast array of underwhelming substitute appearances have now led to him playing just 19 minutes short of 1,000 in the Premier League this season, all without scoring a goal.
Chelsea: Juan Cuadrado
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How can you criticise any of the champions' players?
It is a tough choice, and while the likes of Ramires, John Obi Mikel and Filipe Luis have had underwhelming seasons for Jose Mourinho's men, it is pretty difficult to work out just what Colombia's Juan Cuadrado has done since he arrived at the club from Fiorentina in January.
He's a good player—his displays at the World Cup and in Serie A showcased that—but as a replacement for the Wolfsburg-bound Germany international Andre Schurrle, he has struggled to make an impact, perhaps becoming the latest casualty of a Jose Mourinho master plan that encourages his wide players to come inside rather than stay on the flanks.
We should see more from him next season.
Crystal Palace: Brede Hangeland
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What looked to be a good, solid signing in the summer has gone a little sour. Norway's Brede Hangeland has gone from being part of the furniture at Fulham to being frequently overlooked at Crystal Palace.
He's featured in just two of the Eagles' last 18 Premier League matches, with boss Alan Pardew unsurprisingly preferring the impressive pairing of Damien Delaney and Scott Dann as his central defenders.
Indeed, Delaney has played every minute of Palace's league campaign since Boxing Day, ensuring that there has been no route into the team for the 33-year-old Hangeland, who appears certain to leave Selhurst Park when his one-year contract expires in the summer.
Everton: Tim Howard
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Off the back of his hugely impressive World Cup, Tim Howard would have bounced into the new season with Everton determined to show that, at 36, he'd lost none of the ability that made him one of the most highly regarded goalkeepers in the Premier League over the last decade. It didn't work out like that.
Looking every one of those 36 years, Howard has had a campaign to forget as the Blues have leaked 46 league goals during an underwhelming campaign that will finish in mid-table mediocrity.
With question marks over the ability of his understudy, Joel Robles, there are plenty of Blues fans urging Roberto Martinez to go shopping for a new goalkeeper in the summer.
Hull City: Abel Hernandez
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At one stage it had looked as though the business Steve Bruce and Hull City did toward the end of the summer transfer window was mightily impressive, but that feeling didn't last for very long.
Hatem Ben Arfa isn't even there any more, Mohamed Diame has struggled with injuries and Gaston Ramirez has just plain struggled. After an encouraging start, however, it has been Uruguayan forward Abel Hernandez who has proven to be the most disappointing.
A highly rated, club-record signing, the £10 million 24-year-old started well following his arrival from Palermo, notching three times in his first five league games. He's scored just once since, as poor form, injuries and the performances of January arrival Dame N'Doye—himself an indictment of Hernandez's displays—have limited his chances.
Leicester City: Andrej Kramaric
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Hailed as the man who would act as Leicester City's saviour after joining them for a club-record fee in January, Andrej Kramaric has instead watched the remarkable revival of Nigel Pearson's team from the sidelines as the likes of Jamie Vardy and Leonardo Ulloa have impressed.
Indeed, Kramaric could currently be regarded as the fourth-choice forward behind those two and David Nugent following a run of just one goal in 11 Premier League displays—a far cry from his prolific form for NK Rijeka, which lead many to express their surprise that he was joining the Foxes and not a club with a greater reputation.
It could be that we see the best of him next season once he has got used to English football, but for now, the 23-year-old has got a lot of work to do.
Liverpool: Mario Balotelli
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It just had to be, didn't it?
Liverpool's underwhelming season has featured disappointing displays from the likes of Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana, but it is their headline summer acquisition who has taken the brunt of the criticism, and it is easy to see why.
Mario Balotelli has only scored one Premier League goal for the Reds this season—the winner against Tottenham Hotspur in February—as the Italian has struggled to get his head around Brendan Rodgers' game plan, to which he's looked ill-suited since he walked through Anfield's Shankly Gates in the summer.
It remains to be seen how much longer he'll last at the club, but you wouldn't bet on it being aeons.
Manchester City: Edin Dzeko
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It was a frustratingly meek Premier League title defence from Manchester City, who now look set to undergo something of an overhaul in the summer in a bid to put up a better challenge in 2015/16.
One player who must surely find his status at the club coming under threat is Edin Dzeko, who has seen his role as a bit-part player at the Etihad Stadium become even further established by the January arrival of Wilfried Bony from Swansea City. He's only started five league games since October.
The Bosnian is seemingly a favourite of boss Manuel Pellegrini, given how often the Chilean has been willing to give him a chance to impress, but with uncertainty surrounding the manager's position this summer, he must surely now admit that his time at City is up.
Manchester United: Radamel Falcao
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We could have gone for British football's most expensive player, Angel Di Maria, but the £59.7 million signing has still managed to create 10 Premier League goals for Manchester United this season, per ESPN FC—only Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas has more assists than him in the division.
You also suspect that the passage of time will be kinder to Di Maria, but not so to his United team-mate Radamel Falcao, who has floundered up front for Louis van Gaal's side and generally been a shadow of the player we saw scoring regularly for Porto and Atletico Madrid.
Indeed, with Robin van Persie also struggling this season and Wayne Rooney frequently pressed into service in midfield, United could do with overhauling their striking department in the summer. Making Falcao's loan move permanent shouldn't be high on their agenda.
Newcastle United: Emmanuel Riviere
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Plenty of Newcastle United players have been in the running for this recognition over the past few months, but it is French forward Emmanuel Riviere who takes the honours after failing to score in all 20 of his Premier League appearances this season.
The Magpies went through a period of picking up good, relatively cheap players from Ligue 1, such as Yohan Cabaye and Moussa Sissoko, but in ex-Monaco man Riviere, they have a forward who seems to have completely failed to adapt to English football.
His struggles in front of goal haven't prevented under-fire manager John Carver from picking Riviere to start the last two matches, although they naturally ended in defeats.
Queens Park Rangers: Adel Taarabt
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Relegation now appears a certainty for Queens Park Rangers, who look set to go down when they take on Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Every relegated team has its below-par performers and those who should have done better, but the fitness issues and form of Adel Taarabt has simply added another regret to what has been a season of them for the Rs.
Once so spectacular and capable of turning matches on their heads, Taarabt has barely been seen in the Premier League during the 2014/15 campaign, playing under 300 minutes as he continues to underperform and seemingly waste away a once-promising career.
Southampton: Eljero Elia
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It's difficult to pick anyone who has underperformed for Southampton during what has been an excellent season of defying expectations, but after initially impressing the supporters at St Mary's, on-loan Dutchman Eljero Elia has since flattered to deceive.
Elia—who was part of the Netherlands team that reached the World Cup final in 2010—started brilliantly, scoring two goals on just his second start for the club in a win at Newcastle in January, but he's failed to produce a goal or an assist in the league since and has only completed 90 minutes twice.
Given the high standards Ronald Koeman's side set for themselves in the first half of the season, the right addition could have propelled the Saints toward even better things, but Elia wasn't that, and it would be a surprise to see his temporary move turned into a permanent one.
Stoke City: Steve Sidwell
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Following Fulham's relegation last season, Steve Sidwell's free transfer to Stoke City looked to be a deal that suited all parties, as the hard-working, energetic midfielder set sail for that most hard-working, energetic of clubs. Instead, you'll find plenty of people who have forgotten he's even there.
Sidwell has made just five Premier League starts for the Potters, with his appearances more often than not coming in cup competitions.
He signed a two-year contract at Stoke, but a move away before the 2015/16 season must be on his mind now, with a handful of clubs surely willing to take him on.
Sunderland: Ricky Alvarez
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Hailed as the next great Argentinian superstar when he swapped Velez Sarsfield for Inter Milan in the summer of 2011, things haven't quite worked out for Ricky Alvarez in Europe or, indeed, at Sunderland.
In truth, neither the Italian giants nor the Mackems are an easy club to join at the moment, but Alvarez's impact during his loan spell at the latter has been negligible at best.
He's made just 13 Premier League appearances, failed to do anything of note and is now absent from the club's battle to avoid relegation because of a knee injury.
Swansea City: Nelson Oliveira
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With Wilfried Bony gone and Bafetimbi Gomis not proving a total success during his first campaign in English football, Swansea boss Garry Monk's attempts to add goals to his team during the January transfer window was one that was welcomed by Swans fans. In the event, he added one goal.
Nelson Oliveira has scored just once since his loan switch from Benfica, and although his link play dictates that he has been a fairly useful addition to the Swans' ranks, you get the impression his lack of goals would be more of a concern if the likes of Ki Sung-Yueng, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jonjo Shelvey weren't chipping in with vital strikes.
With the impressive Swans set for an equally impressive finish in the table, Monk won't be short of striking options to target in the summer, when Oliveira's loan move isn't likely to turn into a permanent deal.
Tottenham Hotspur: Roberto Soldado
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The rise, rise and rise again of Harry Kane has quite rightly been the story of Tottenham Hotspur's season, and it is one that has only deepened the gloom experienced by a forward who has been in the shade throughout his time in English football.
Roberto Soldado's name has become a staple on lists such as these. That he has scored just one Premier League goal all season and completed 90 minutes just twice would give you an indication as to why.
A move back to Spain simply has to happen for him sooner or later.
West Bromwich Albion: Silvestre Varela/Georgios Samaras
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It could be destined to become a quiz question for years to come: Which two players scored at the 2014 World Cup and played for West Bromwich Albion in the following season?
Silvestre Varela and Georgios Samaras were on the mark in Brazil last summer, but their Baggies careers lasted no longer than a few training sessions with new boss Tony Pulis, who breezed through the doors at the Hawthorns in January and decided the pair weren't up to the challenge of English football.
Portugal's Varela returned to parent club Porto before joining Parma on loan, while Greece's Samaras set off for Al-Hilal on a loan move from which he's never likely to return.
Neither has been sorely missed.
West Ham United: Mauro Zarate
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Hailed as a huge coup when he arrived in the summer, Mauro Zarate's West Ham United career rather fell flat as he was outshone by fellow summer recruits Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia.
The Argentinian managed to score goals against Crystal Palace and Everton, but he was out of Sam Allardyce's plans more than he was in them, and a loan move to Queens Park Rangers followed in January.
The fact that he came pretty close to being named their flop of the season too tells you how that's gone.
