5 Premier League stars who have suffered a dip in form this season
The 2022-23 Premier League season has lived up to its billing so far. We've seen a lot of excitement, goals and some scintillating football.
Erling Haaland, Gabriel Jesus, Harry Kane and Aleksandar Mitrovic are some who have lit up the new season with their brilliant performances so far.
A few top stars, however, have suffered a slow start to the 2022-23 season. There has been a substantial drop in their performances from the previous season.
Without further ado, let's take a look at four Premier League stars who have suffered a dip in form this season.
#5 Jarrod Bowen
Jarrod Bowen was one of the standout performers of the 2021-22 Premier League season. The 25-year-old forward had one of his best seasons ever, helping West Ham United to a seventh-place finish.
Last term, Bowen registered 18 goals and 13 assists across all competitions for the Hammers. He became the first player since Paulo Di Canio in the 1999-2000 season to register double digits of goals and assists in a single season for the club.
The Englishman was so good that he also got nominated for the Premier League's 'Player of the Year'. As a result, his value rose to to €42m (as per Transfermrkt).
However, Bowen has not been able to replicate his last season form so far this year. He has yet to register a goal or an assist in the league.
Jarrod Bowen has only attempted one shot on target in the league this season
Patience or time to drop for Cornet?
West Ham have also suffered a poor start to the season. The Hammers currently sit 18th in the table. Bowen's only goal contributions this term have come in the continenetal competitions.
He scored against Danish side Viborg FF in the Europa Conference League qualifiers and scored another against FCSB in the first group stage fixture.
#4 Son Hueng-Min
Tottenham Hotspur have had a great start to the 2022-23 campaign so far. They currently sit third in the league and also kicked off their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 victory over Olympique Marseille.
However, the same cannot be said of Son Heung-Min. The South Korean won the Golden Boot last season with 23 league goals, but has struggled to reproduce that form so far this year.
Son is yet to register a single goal this season and can only boast of an assist after seven appearances.
#3 Virgil Van Dijk
Another Premier League star who has suffered a dip in form this season is Liverpool's Virgill Van Dijk. The Dutch centre-back has not had the best days at the office so far this season.
The club have only kept two clean sheets in seven games this season. They conceded four goals against Napoli in their first Champions League group stage match. Van Dijk has also looked shaky at the back, which is unlike him.
He has conceded two penalties in seven games this season. Interestingly, he has conceded the same number of penalties in his last 164 games for the Reds.
Virgil van Dijk has conceded as many penalties in seven games for Liverpool this season (2) as he did in his previous 164 Premier League and Champions League appearances for the club combined. 😲 https://t.co/R016TJscDZ
#2 Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah has suffered a stuttering start to the 2022-23 season just like the rest of his Liverpool teammates. The prolific goalscorer has struggled to find the back of the net this season, suffering one of his slowest starts to the season since joining Liverpool in 2017.
So far, the 30-year-old has managed just two goals and two assists in six Premier League games. At this stage last season, Salah had five goals and three assists.
His slow start to the campaign is one of the reasons why Liverpool currently sit seventh in the league, five points behind Manchester City and six behind table-toppers Arsenal.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is another top star in the English topflight who has had a slow start to the current campaign. After failing to secure a move away from Old Trafford this summer, the 37-year-old seems to have lost his flair and elegance on the pitch.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner, who scored 18 league goals last term, is yet to register a single goal or assist so far this season. His dip in form has also forced manager Erik Ten Hag to drop him to the bench.