As 2013 draws to a close and the Premier League approaches its halfway
point, ESPN FC picks out each team's most disappointing player so far.
Arsenal: Thomas Vermaelen
Dropping a player apparently wanted by Barcelona isn't the obvious
path to improvement, especially when he is the captain, but the seeds
of Arsenal's revival lay in Arsene Wenger's decision to pair Per
Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny in the centre of defence. Thomas
Vermaelen was the odd man out and the Belgian's few first-team starts
have been unhappy. He deputised for Mertesacker in the 1-0 defeat at
Manchester United and came on for Koscielny in the 6-3 thrashing at
Manchester City, when four goals were scored during his time on the
pitch as Arsenal descended into disarray. While that was not purely
Vermaelen's fault, he has an uphill task to ensure he stays in the
team when the Frenchman is fit again.
Aston Villa: Christian Benteke
The first month of the campaign rather resembled last season. Then
Christian Benteke went from flood to drought with no warning. The man
who couldn't stop scoring now can't start again. He has gone three
months, 10 games and 719 minutes of first-team football without
finding the net. The Belgian battering ram is no longer the destroyer
of defences and isn't playing with the same sense of bullishness and
bravado. Instead, there are some Aston Villa supporters who prefer to
see Libor Kozak in the side as Paul Lambert's team, like their star
striker, are finding goals a rarity.
Cardiff: Peter Odemwingie
On the plus side, Peter Odemwingie completed a transfer without
turning up in the car park of a club he wanted to sign before a deal
had been agreed. On the negative, a man who delivered 15 Premier
League goals in a season for West Bromwich Albion has mustered just
one so far for his new employers. Odemwingie has not been threatening
enough and, while he has mainly operated on the flanks, Cardiff are
likely to need more goals from their wingers if they are to survive.
Chelsea: Ashley Cole
A byword for consistency for many a year, Ashley Cole has had an
in-and-out season. Unusually, he has spent some of it out of the
Chelsea team. The left-back was dropped after the defeat at Newcastle
and has not been seen in the Premier League since, with the
right-footed Cesar Azpilicueta playing out of position in his stead.
It followed some indifferent performances from Cole and, while the
Chelsea strikers have come in for more criticism this season, it was
telling that the ever-analytical Jose Mourinho axed a man he bought
during his first spell in charge.
Crystal Palace: Adrian Mariappa
Adrian Mariappa's two previous seasons of Premier League football,
with Watford and Reading, culminated in relegation. Should he complete
an unfortunate hat trick, his early difficulties in a Crystal Palace
shirt will be a contributing factor. Mariappa was a particular culprit
for the dodgy defending in the defeats to Liverpool and Fulham. It was
unsurprising when Tony Pulis began his reign without Mariappa in the
side and, while an injury to Dean Moxey has handed him another chance,
it will be a feather in the new manager's cap if he can turn Mariappa
into a Premier League footballer. And not just for this season.
Fulham: Bryan Ruiz
Perhaps Fulham's failings under Martin Jol were encapsulated by one
man: Bryan Ruiz was one of the flair players the Dutchman favoured but
who neither used his quality to win enough games nor tracked back
enough to help the more prosaic talents. The familiar criticism of
Ruiz is that he doesn't score enough goals and, although the one he
has got, against Cardiff, was superb, the quality cannot compensate
for the shortfall in quantity. It was telling that Rene Meulensteen
began his reign by dropping the Costa Rican and bringing in the more
industrious and effective Giorgos Karagounis.
Everton: Nikica Jelavic
It is tempting to wonder how Everton's season would have developed had
they not signed Romelu Lukaku on deadline day. It is likely, given
that Arouna Kone has been first out of form and then injured, that
Nikica Jelavic would have been seen rather more often. And if the
Croatian seemed to suffer an acute case of second-season syndrome in
the previous campaign, there have been few signs of recovery in his
third year at Goodison Park. His goal drought has continued and he has
shown few signs of recapturing the sharpness he displayed immediately
after signing from Rangers.
Hull: Danny Graham
The punchline to many a bad joke, it is hard to question Danny
Graham's effort but easy to criticise him for his inability to do a
forward's principal job and put the ball in the back of the net. When
Graham finally scored to end a 342-day wait for a league goal, he
didn't celebrate, as it came against his former club Swansea, so Hull
still haven't seen him wheel away in delight. It isn't Graham's fault
that Steve Bruce's main striking targets eluded him in the summer but
the inability to find a goal scorer has been the difference
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