Three players who have underperformed thus far in the 2022-23 Premier League season

With the 2021-22 Premier League season at around the half-way point and taking an unprecedented six-week break for a never-before-seen winter/Middle Eastern World Cup in Qatar, now seems like the perfect time to take stock of some of the players who have underperformed thus far in the current campaign. Read on to find out more.

Son Heung-min

Mohamed Salah not had an uptick in form in the weeks building up to the World Cup hiatus, scoring against Leeds United and twice against Tottenham Hotspur to make it look he might have rediscovered some form and make us give him the benefit of the doubt for now, then both of last year’s Golden Boot winners might have featured on this list.

However, Son Heung-min hasn’t been let off the hook as easily. The Spurs forward has scored just three times in the Premier League this season — all three of which came against Leicester City in the 6-2 win over the Foxes in north London — while he also has just two scarce assists. A facial facture forced him to miss the last two league games before the break, and Antonio Conte will be hoping he can come back from the World Cup firing.

Raheem Sterling

Considering Raheem Sterling’s start to life at Chelsea, when he managed three goals and an assist in his first five Premier League games for the Blues, you wouldn’t have backed him to make a list like this by the time the season ground to a halt for the World Cup — but he hasn’t contributed to a single league goal since.

In Sterling’s defense, things haven’t exactly been straightforward for the England man. Thomas Tuchel has been fired and Graham Potter has been brought in, with the former Brighton manager playing the 27-year-old on the right and left flanks, as well as a center-forward, shadow striker and even a wing-back. Hopefully he can go away to the World Cup with the Three Lions and come back rejuvenated as Chelsea look to turn around their fortunes in the football betting.

He's not the only Englishman out of form though, with Harry Maguire, Jadon Sancho, Jack Grealish and Trent Alexander-Arnold all struggling to discover a bit of momentum at Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool respectively.

Lucas Paqueta

It’s always exciting when another Brazilian rocks up in the Premier League, and it was no different when Lucas Paqueta put pen-to-paper on a deal to join West Ham United for over £40 million from Lyon towards the end of the summer window.

A lot was expected of the 25-year-old, but aside from a couple of momentary glimpses of what we know he’s capable of and a couple of assists against Fulham and Crystal Palace, Paqueta has been mediocre at best — with his recent display in the 2-0 defeat home to Leicester City particularly disappointing.

He’s a key figure for Brazil, with 35 caps already to his name, so hopefully he can find that inner spark with the Selecao in Qatar and bring it back to the London Stadium with him.