The Premier League has been full of ups and downs in the last few years and this year has been no different. After an awful last season, Chelsea are now leading the table while defending champions Leicester City are struggling to avoid relegation.
Clubs like West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City have surprised with their limited ammunition while Manchester United have somehow failed to create the impact they were expected to after hiring a top class manager in Jose Mourinho. Although they have won the EFL Cup recently, United’s domestic season and their overall displays have failed to convince.
With the Premier League nearing its business end, for some teams, it is make or break time and all the players need to step up, especially the ones who have flattered to deceive till now.
Mesut Ozil
The German playmaker arrived at the Emirates with huge expectations but who would have thought that the German international’s graph would remain strictly average for most parts of his stay. He has all the necessary ingredients which a gifted playmaker should have. Visionary passes, the ability to dribble past two or three players and steer the game in the way he wants.
But his laidback attitude in the field is also one of the problems that Arsene Wenger has been dealing with this season. Alongside this, he is dismal when it comes to defensive contributions. In the 1st leg against Bayern Munich, Arjen Robben cut inside and curled the ball past David Ospina. Ozil could have stopped him from taking the shot but the ex-Real Madrid player instead decided to watch the goal from a distance. Ozil needs to improve his game as Arsenal still have a chance to finish in the Top 4.
Christian Benteke
The £33m signing from Liverpool has struggled to get into the groove. The Belgian has found the net only nine times in the Premier League which doesn’t match his price tag. Crystal palace are currently fighting in the Premier League to save relegation and for this, the striker has to pull up his socks and get at the end of the crosses and the passes.
Alvaro Negredo
The 31-year-old forward needs to fire as only 11 games are left and relegation threat is looming large for them. The Spaniard started the season well but gradually his form started to diminish. Middlesbrough are a defensive team and love to play on the counter but things just haven’t fallen into place up front. Negredo, with all his experience, needs to step up and be counted.
