The Premier League and the club football across the world has come to a halt due to the ongoing international break, which is the 2nd break in the 2021-22 season. International break often comes with rest for some players, while there are increased chances of injuries too. The current schedule in place makes it more hectic which sees players play a game every 3-4 days.
For clubs, international break is a chance to reassess the season so far and plan for the upcoming fixtures. It is fair to say that some clubs look forward to the international break as a chance to rejig things while it also comes in the form of momentum break to some.
Premier League is always known to be one of the most entertaining leagues for spectators and the most physical to play in for the players. Adding to it the 2 domestic competitions in England, the PL clubs have to face a difficult task of managing the competitions and the injuries which may come due to the international break.
With 11 gameweeks in, the Premier League table looks close as ever with Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool and a surprise package in West Ham completing the top 4. The early favourites have started well while there have been some teams performing below par their expectations.
Let us have a look at the 5 teams who have not been able to perform as expected in the season so far:
1. Leicester City
The Foxes have made their place into one of the top 6 teams in the Premier League, ever since their fairy-tale season, winning the Premier League in 2016. Ever since they have had finishes of 12th,9th,9th, 5th and 5th in the 5 following seasons. Under Brendan Rodgers, Leicester have slowly become one of the teams who will fight for the top 4 or atleast the top 6.
However, this season has been below far for the Foxes after a poor start to the season. They currently lie in 12th place with a difficult task at hand to climb places. Injuries have played a part for this slump, but inconsistency too. Many a times, Leicester have found it difficult to zero-in on their best formation having played in different shapes throughout the Premier League so far.
Leicester is also in Europa League where they are currently third in their group and need to win their last 2 matches to qualify for the round ahead. Rodgers has found it difficult to get results this time around and such has been the form of Leicester in the last 5 years, that a below 10 finish could be deemed unacceptable.
2. Aston Villa
Aston Villa, albeit a 11th place finish last season were one of the most exciting teams to watch. Jack Grealish spearheaded the side in their return to the top-flight in an impressive manner which also earned him the move to Manchester City this season. Under Dean Smith, Aston Villa were an attacking side who gave tough times to even the big names.
However, Villa have been under pressure this season. After quite a successful transfer window, it was expected that Villa would fight for the top 7 positions. Despite the new signings, Villa have found it difficult to gather momentum which led to the sacking of Dean Smith.
With the appointment of Steven Gerrard who is coming from a successful spell at Rangers, Villa will be looking for a swing in their tides and at least get a top 10 finish. The quality is there to succeed, it’s just about using the right players in the right manner.
3. Tottenham Hotspurs
Tottenham Hotspurs started the season under the new leadership of Nuno Espirito Santo. The appointment made people wonder the direction Tottenham was going or rather the failure in getting a ‘world class coach.’ Nuno for sure is a great coach but the vision of Spurs to fight for the top 4 was never going to be achieved with him. The start of the season also coupled with the Harry Kane transfer saga, but the Englishmen eventually stayed. However, he is yet to get back to his scoring form having disappointed so far.
Spurs started the season on a great note with a win against Manchester City but since then they have been poor. The team has failed to perform consistently and get results. Individual performances of Son-Heung Min, Ndombele, Cristian Romero have been the only bright sparks for them.
In the UEFA Conference League too, Spurs have struggled, having lost a game and drawing one. This poor start eventually led to Nuno being sacked and the appointment of Antonio Conte which should’ve been done at the start of the season. Under Conte, Spurs will be expected to perform a lot better and make a move from their 9th position in the league. Appointing a serial winner like Conte is a good move by Spurs, a club whose tagline can be “what could have been”, having missed out on getting trophies at multiple occasions.
4. Leeds United
Leeds United impressed everyone last season with their style of attacking football. The comeback of Leeds United to the top-flight after 16 years was long awaited and they made it a memorable season with a 9th place finish and more importantly as a side to watch out for. Marcelo Bielsa’s men were expected to carry on to that performance this season, but it looks like they have worn out.
Currently in 15th place, Leeds have only won 2 matches this season as they still look to find their old self. Injuries to key players throughout the season has troubled them but they still have the quality to get a top 10 finish. Teams this season have found it easy to catch Leeds and this is something Bielsa needs to work on to get a decent finish.
5. Manchester United
A surprising name given their current league position, but the problems of Manchester United lie deeper than it. The chants of ‘Ole out’ have been ringing ever since their humiliating defeat against Liverpool at Old Trafford. A squad at hand to win it all, United are hugely underperforming than everyone expected them to.
After a 2nd placed finish last time around, United started this season with the expectation of winning trophies and mainly the Premier League. The signing of Raphael Varane gave them the much-needed stability they needed in defence, but he has been injured in most of their crucial games. Cristiano Ronaldo too was a late signing which turned the world upside down. The Portuguese has been making the difference in some games but using him efficiently is something what United has been lacking.
Manchester United have lost every big game they have played till now which displays the difference between them and the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool. However, the problem is such that there should not be any difference in quality between the above sides, such is the quality available at Old Trafford. Solskjaer has been disappointing this year, unable to form a team which gets the best out of their attack and unable to employ Van De Beek in the midfield.
Manchester United will take this international break to analyse the problems and look forward to a better performance in the season ahead. Currently 9 points behind leaders Chelsea, it will take a consistent run of form and a much better performance against the top sides for United to win the title.
