Liverpool: Iago Aspas
It is just as well for Liverpool that Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge
have proved so prolific. The other two senior strikers on their books
are Fabio Borini, on loan at Sunderland, and Iago Aspas, who arrived
with the tag of "the new Michu" after a breakthrough season in La Liga
but has resembled some of Liverpool's past forward failures rather
more. It hasn't helped that he has had to operate as a winger, and has
been less versatile than they expected, but a lightweight player seems
to lack the power required and the sense was that Brendan Rodgers
persevered with the 7.7 million-pound man for too long before dropping
him.
Manchester City: Joe Hart
The time came for Manuel Pellegrini to recall Joe Hart but memories of
his early-season errors are slow to fade. His mistakes came at a cost,
with City's defeats to Cardiff, Aston Villa and Chelsea -- all by one
goal -- including a Hart blunder. Fernando Torres' last-minute goal at
Stamford Bridge, which was Hart's fault, was a three-point swing in
the title race in itself. And while Pellegrini's faulty maths was a
factor as Bayern Munich won their Champions League group-stage tie, it
is worth remembering that the goalkeeper was culpable when Franck
Ribery and Arjen Robben scored at the Etihad Stadium.
PA PhotosMarouane Fellaini has proved a major disappointment since his
switch from Everton on deadline day.
Manchester United: Marouane Fellaini
Even without the burden of a sizeable price tag and commensurate
expectations, it would have been a season to forget for Marouane
Fellaini. Factor in a 27.5 million-pound fee that makes him one of the
most expensive players in Manchester United's history and it is both
disastrous and damning for David Moyes, who signed one of his former
Everton players and saw him flounder. The nadir for Fellaini came in
the Manchester derby demolition when Yaya Toure and Fernandinho, both
quicker than him, highlighted his shortcomings, and both Tom Cleverley
and Phil Jones leapfrogged him in the queue for midfield places even
before wrist and back injuries compounded a difficult start to life at
Old Trafford.
Newcastle: Papiss Cisse
It was a question of which Papiss Cisse Newcastle would see this
season: the goal machine who propelled them to fifth place in 2011-12
or the goal-shy striker whose struggles helped explain their
16th-place finish in May. The answer, sadly for United, has been the
latter. A forward who scored in both predatory and spectacular style
immediately after his arrival is still awaiting his first league goal
of the campaign and Cisse has deservedly lost his place in the team.
He has had a bit-part role at most in their memorable wins over
Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United.
Norwich: Sebastien Bassong
Norwich's defensive record was a major reason they survived last
season. It is also why they are imperilled in the current campaign.
Sebastien Bassong had a terrific debut campaign at Carrow Road but the
centre-back has failed to replicate that form. He was especially awful
in the 7-0 defeat at Manchester City but, as Norwich have been
subjected to several hammerings, Bassong has been found fallible more
generally. The hope must be that their recent improvement at the back
continues.
Southampton: Gaston Ramirez
Strange as it sounds now, when Mauricio Pochettino was appointed in
January, Gaston Ramirez was expected to be the beneficiary. The
ambitious, attacking style of one South American could have suited
another. Instead, the Uruguayan is yet to start a league game this
season and Adam Lallana, James Ward-Prowse and Steven Davis all seem
preferred in the No. 10 position now. Others are better suited to
Pochettino's high-energy pressing game but, when Ramirez has been
involved, he hasn't been as inventive or incisive as was expected.
Stoke: Kenwyne Jones
There can be few more frustrating footballers than Kenwyne Jones.
Compared to Didier Drogba on his emergence but lacking the same
significance to Stoke than the less gifted but more reliable Jonathan
Walters, the target man has spent far too much time flattering to
deceive. A hat trick -- albeit against Walsall in the Capital One Cup
-- was an indication of his ability but a subsequent spell in the team
was fruitless as Jones reverted to underachievement.
Sunderland: Emanuele Giaccherini
There is no shortage of disappointments at Sunderland, many of them
players recruited in the summer. Yet while Cabral represents
Wearside's vanishing man and Charis Mavrias, Valentin Roberge and
Modibo Diakite have been poor, little was expected of them. Emanuele
Giaccherini, in contrast, was the flagship signing, an Italy
international who had won back-to-back Serie A titles with Juventus.
Yet Sunderland's best result of a sorry season -- the Wear-Tyne derby
win over Newcastle -- occurred with him on the bench. A particularly
poor display in August's defeat at Crystal Palace set the tone as
Paolo Di Canio's regime unravelled.
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