The Sad Declines Of The Stars Of 2016-17’s Premier League

The Sad Declines Of The Stars Of 2016-17’s Premier League

 

By Jim James

 

To some it may seem like yesterday, to others it may seem like forever ago, but we can agree on one thing. There were a lot of good players in 2016-17’s Premier League. Even more so when you count every person’s opinion of what a “good player” is. However, if you look at some of these players, you’ll see that there have been many tragic declines of these once amazing players. From bad moves to falling outs with clubs to sudden career altering twists, all of the players you’ll see on this list were considered among the world’s best in 2016-17, but in one way or another, went from hero to zero. Without any further shilly-shallying, let’s begin!

 

Mesut Ozil

 

One of the simpler reasons for decline, once Arsene Wenger left Arsenal and Unai Emery took over, Mesut Ozil became out of favor, for his poor attitude and work rate. It also didnt help that once he noticed he was being dropped more and more, he threw a hissyfit. If I was Ozil, I would have looked at myself, readjusted my additude, worked harder, tryto get on Emery’s good side, but that’s not what he did. I guess that’s what happens when you pay a guy 300k per week. 

 

Sergio Aguero

 

The first retiree on the list, we all know what happened to Sergio Aguero, and it’s fresh in the memory. However, the decline started in the 20-21 season when Pep started to bench Aguero for Gabi Jesus up front. It worked, so Pep didn’t give it a second thought. Then in June 2021, he signed for Barca, however got a multi-month injury in the Joan Gamper trophy vs Juventus, so he didn’t debut until October. He scored his first goal in El Clasico, but in his 5th game, he couldn’t catch his breath and needed to be subbed off. He had an arrhythmia and was planned to be sidelined for 2-4 months, however, he decided to just call it a day and retire at the age of 33. He’s been offered a front office role at Man City, and I do hope he can continue to find a career in the beautiful game after this. As a Barca fan, I do feel some guilt on behalf of the club for his retirement. 

 

Petr Cech

 

Okay, we may be being a bit harsh here. However, since 2016-17, Cech was in free fall with Arsenal, and his last game, a 4-1 defeat to Chelsea in the 2019 Europa League final, was downright farcical. So I have to put him here. It’s not entirely his fault, he was 34 turning 35 in the 2016-17 season, but again, he was getting worse every season after this one, and was being dragged kicking and screaming into mediocrity.

 

Eden Hazard

 

Again, we all know about this one. Real Madrid’s most recent Galactico was only a Galactico in terms of his waistline. He’s been unfit, injury prone, and evern when he has played he’s seemed invisible, scoring less than 10 goals so far in all comps for Real, and he’s got in a lot of trouble as well, with his diet problems, his laugh with Chelsea players in the 2021 Champions League Semifinals to name a few. All of this has resulted in a tragic and premature decline when he should be in his prime.

 

Alexis Sanchez

 

This one is a mix of club fall out/bad transfer. He had a scuffle with Arsenal before leaving to Man U, already on the decline. He plummeted. He couldn’t salvage his form in the 2018-19 season, and got a loan move to Inter that turned permanent, which is where he is today. He has slightly turned around his career, but not nearly to where he once was.

 

Santi Carzola

 

Another tragic one, Santi Carzola had an awful 16-17 season, where he started declining, and then in a Champions League group stage game had a gruesome achilles injury where he may not have ever walked again, never mind played. That was the last game he ever played for Arsenal, he moved to Villarreal, where he had a minor career recovery. Would never go back to hwo he was, though.

 

Cesc Fabregas

 

Cesc had an odd last few years with Chelsea, after they won the title he fall out of favor with the Blues and moved to Monaco in 2018, where he’s been ever since. Since joining Monaco, Cesc Fiberglass has gone on the regular cycle of declination, and has become a fringe player for the side. 

 

Juan Mata

 

Believe it or not, even after being linked with a move every single window to some sort of Spanish team Juan Mata is STILL on Man U. He’s simply fallen out of favor, and has been dying a slow and painful death at the club. I bet some Man U supporters forget he’s at the club. It’s been a will he, won’t he leave scenario since at least 2019 for the Spaniard, and it’s always been won’t. Poor guy.

 

Willian

 

Willian’s decline has come in the last couple of years, since joining Arsenal. His debut showed bags of promise, getting a hat trick of assists in a 3-0 win vs Fulham on opening day. Since then however, he’s been the sign of bad form and wasting your money, as he’s on over 300k p/w. He’s probably getting a move away from the Emirates soon enough.

 

Laurent Koscielny

 

Again, he’s just gone all downhill consistently since 2016-17. Koscielny was at the top of the list when it comes to players hit by Arsenal’s downfall. It doesn’t help that when he left and signed for Bordeaux, he did THAT signing video. He was their captain, and he does that. The Arsenal captain curse strikes again.

 

Christian Eriksen

 

We all know what happened here. The most tragic one of all. He was on death’s doorstep, and so many of us were there watching a man die live before our eyes. He was technically gone for a couple minutes before he was revived. It is a miracle that he’s still alive. It was definitely not his fault, this one. Let’s move on.

 

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

 

Unfortunately, the Alexis Sanchez deal ruined the careers of 2 players, Alexis Sanchez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who went in the other direction in a player swap + cash deal. He went to Arsenal, but just couldn’t find good game time. He did of course score that goal vs Man U, but was unsuccessful at Arsenal, and now Roma. 

 

Phillipe Coutinho

 

One not at all dear to my heart, the signing of Phil Coutinho was a nightmare for Barca. He was played out of position, he kept being played out of position even when it wasn’t working, like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle that doesnt fit but you’ve had a bad day so you’re going to make it fit. We were forced to send him out on loan, and if having to get a 142 million euro signing out on loan isn’t embarrassing enough, we don’t put a clause saying that he can’t play vs us, and he scores twice and assisted once in a half hour cameo that saw us get humiliated beyond belief vs Bayern. A frustrating player, that’s for sure. 

 

Diego Costa

 

The last player we’re looking at today, Diego Costa has just fell off a cliff since 2020. He’s been a backup striker ever since Luis Suarez joined, and that forced him to join Atlético Mineiro for 2021. He teamed up with Brazilian teammate Hulk there, and won the Brazilian Serie A. However, he isn’t the player he once was.

 

This is a post I’ve wanted to do for a couple weeks, so I’m glad it’s finally done. This was another long post, I hope you enjoyed it, and until next time.