5 stars who are back to their best this season (2021-22)
Football at the highest levels is a game of fine margins. It doesn't take much for a player to be thrown off his game. Mounting pressure, a loss of confidence or setbacks in their personal lives could all significantly affect their form.
But as we all know, form is temporary and class is permanent. World-class quality can't be kept dormant for a long time. Things will eventually fall into place and players will start performing when push comes to shove.
We have plenty of examples of the same in the 2021-22 season. This term, several players who had rather underwhelming outings in the 2020-21 campaign, have come to their own once again.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five stars who are back to their best this season.
#5 Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
After being one of the best players in the Premier League in the 2019-20 season, Sadio Mane couldn't replicate those heroics in the 2020-21 campaign. With all their primary options at centre-back sidelined with injury, Liverpool were not at their best. This affected their attack as well, with Mane and Roberto Firmino underperforming.
Mane scored 16 goals and provided nine assists in 48 appearances across all competitions for the Merseysiders last term. He wasn't at his best and his finishing and decision-making inside the final third was suspect.
But this season has been a different story altogether. Liverpool have fared well so far and have lost just a single game across all competitions so far. Mane has been quite effective alongside Salah, scoring nine goals and providing an assist in 17 appearances across all competitions.
Mo Salah and Sadio Mane stayed hot in Liverpool's 4-0 win over Arsenal 🔥 https://t.co/rWQHnhPlH4
#4 Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich)
Bayern Munich won the continental treble in the 2019-20 season. By those standards, they weren't at their very best last term and Leroy Sane is one of the players they would have wanted more out of.
Sane scored 10 goals and provided 12 assists in 44 appearances across all competitions. While they are not poor numbers for a winger, they are quite low for a player of Sane's quality.
However, the German international has bounced back with a vengeance this term. He has almost equalled his tally from the entirety of last campaign already and we're not even halfway through the season.
Sane has looked a lot more assured in the final third and is playing with a lot of confidence. He has scored eight goals and provided 10 assists in 20 appearances across all competitions so far this term.
Leroy Sané: "We are fully focused on our games and want to win each one of them regardless of what's happening off the pitch. Even if some players are missing, we still have a very good squad. We are FC Bayern and we want to win every game" #UCL https://t.co/PBEW1m7tzr