The BIGGEST Premier League under-performers: Stats boffins rank Casemiro, Antony and one other Man United star alongside Enzo Fernandez… but which Liverpool stalwart topped all four of them?!
Manchester United’s recruitments over the past two years have come in for much criticism, and now three of their recent signings are among the Premier League’s top 20 underachievers.
A graph using data from Twenty First Group has compared the two-year average ratings of all Premier League players and plotted them against their current nine-month ratings.
The graph then calculates the difference in ratings and assigns the player a numerical value to indicate how far below the norm he played, comparing this to various rankings ranging from ‘League Two Average (300)’ to ‘Balloon ‘. d’Or contenders (1000+)’.
This result shows just how far each player falls short of what they are fully capable of, showcasing the biggest underachievers in this season’s top flight, with Man United stars making three appearances in the top 20.
Chief among these is Antony, who has a rating of -119, which means he is 119 rating points lower than what he has been capable of over the past 24 months with his underperformance so far this season.
Antony has scored just nine goals and provided four assists since his £85.5million move to United
Burnley’s Josh Cullen is currently playing below the average level of a Championship player according to the data
Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez is also proving to be underperforming despite his record-breaking £107 move last season
In fact, the Brazilian ranks as the sixth worst underachiever, with his performances rated at the level of a Premier League star in the bottom half, while Burnley’s Josh Cullen is top of the list and below the average level of a Championship star. player plays.
Second and third are Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (-160) and Harrison Reed (-152), while Andy Robertson (-122) may be a surprise entry in fourth.
The Scotland international may have fallen victim to his previous excellence and a long-term injury.
The data shows that he performed just under the 900 points that would earn him ‘World Class’ status, but now stands at around 770, making him an average top five player in the league.
Aston Villa’s Moussa Diaby has also dropped 122 points, having been ranked just below ‘World Class’ for his performances over the past two years, before Antony finished sixth and Emerson Royal seventh at -109.
Nottingham Forest’s Ibrahim Sangare is in ninth place, sandwiched by Man United stars Casemiro and Christian Eriksen, both of whom have fallen from their previous heights in the past two years.
Casemiro has dropped 106 points from a ‘Big Five Elite’ player to a ‘Big Five average’, while Eriksen’s drop of 97 points takes him towards the 600 points attributed to ‘Big Five Bottom Half’ players.
The next thing comes Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who may have scored a sensational free-kick in midweek, but appears to be 96 points worse off than his form of the past two years – not a great return on a £107 million investment.
Sven Botman, also sidelined for some time due to a long-term injury, is in 12th place (-90), Luton forward Carlton Morris in 13th (-89) and Callum Wilson in 14th (-88), although the two Magpies stars are in 12th place. still considered playing at ‘Big Five intermediate’ level.
Casemiro has fallen from the form that took him to the pinnacle of football at Real Madrid
Andy Robertson is the fourth biggest underachiever in the top flight over the past nine months
Callum Wilson is in fourteenth place and is playing 88 points below his two-year average at Newcastle
Lloyd Kelly (-88), Tim Ream (-87), Jeffrey Schlupp (-87), Phillip Billing (-83) and Gustavo Hamer (-81) are ranked 15-19 in the table, although none of them to the level of ‘Championship average’.
Last on the list is another Chelsea star, Marc Cucurella, who has dropped 79 points from his two-year average and is now rated as less than a ‘Big Five average’ player at the Blues.
The Blues have spent almost £1 billion since Todd Boehly’s arrival – the same summer as Ten Hag’s – and have even underperformed their top-flight rivals, but the list would highlight poor recruitment at both clubs and their players. make up 25 percent of the list.
Only Arsenal, Brentford, Manchester City, Brighton, West Ham, Everton and Wolves had no players in the top 20 biggest underachievers.