5 Premier League stars who fizzled out after starting the season strongly
The 2020-21 Premier League season is nearing its end, with Manchester City sealing their third league title in four years.
The likes of Bruno Fernandes, Kevin De Bruyne, Harry Kane and Ruben Dias have been in sensational form during the season and have been instrumental in their respective team's success. Thanks to their performances, the trio is in contention for the PFA Player of the Year award.
However, there have been other players who enjoyed bright starts to their respective Premier League campaigns but couldn't sustain the same as the season wore on. On that note, let’s take a look at five such players.
#1 Raheem Sterling | Manchester City
Raheem Sterling featured in the 2020-21 Premier League season as one of the starters in Cityzens’ star-studded lineup. But his current form is such that he may not start the Champions League final.
After a decent start to his Premier League campaign, Sterling seemed to pick up the pace with a goal and an assist against Fulham. In his next 15 Premier League outings, Sterling notched up an impressive tally of six goals and four assists.
However, in his last seven Premier League appearances, the 26-year-old has managed a meagre output of one goal and an assist. That has seen Sterling rapidly slip down the pecking order at Manchester City. He saw just ten minutes of game time in City's Champions League knockout ties against Borussia Dortmund and PSG.
That was a sharp drop from his 89 minutes of action across two legs against Borussia Monchengladbach.
In 47 appearances across all competitions this season, the Englishman has been involved in 25 goals (14 goals, 11 assists).
#2 James Rodriguez | Everton
The 2014 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner enjoyed a stellar start to his Everton stint but has failed to sustain the same level of performance.
James Rodriguez moved to Goodison Park on a £29 million transfer ahead of the 2020-21 season. The Colombian adapted to the Premier League impressively, producing six goal contributions (three goals and three assists) in his first five appearances in the competition.
Rodriguez’s flying start to the season coincided with the Toffees' upturn in fortunes, with Carlo Ancelotti's men registering 13 points in their opening five Premier League fixtures. The Blues found themselves top of the table till game week six before Rodriguez and Everton's early-season form fizzled away.
After a fairy-tale start, Rodriguez managed just two goals and no assists in his next ten Premier League matches.
A nagging calf injury has hindered the Colombian throughout the season; he was ruled out of action for two weeks on multiple occasions due to the injury. Overall, Rodriguez has notched up a tally of six goals and five assists in the 2020-21 Premier League season.