There are a few to choose from at Man City but the post-World Cup regression has been clear from previously sparkling forwards at Arsenal and Liverpool.
Some players improved on indifferent form after returning from Qatar. This lot did not.
Joao Cancelo
The five Manchester City players who are reportedly a little p*ssed off at Pep Guardiola almost all share something else in common: a hardly coincidental post-World Cup reimagining of their playing time. Ilkay Gundogan was used roughly as much as before the tournament but Joao Cancelo, Kyle Walker, Aymeric Laporte and even the once-unimpeachable Bernardo Silva seem to have lost an element of the manager’s previously unshakeable trust.
Guardiola has made no attempt to mask his frustration at a perceived drop in standards across parts of his squad, calling out a lack of “passion, fire, desire, to win from minute one” from players who have become “comfortable”. Yet more Cancelo culture in 2023 has seen the Portuguese full-back largely consigned to the bench as Rico Lewis and Nathan Ake have stepped up.
The 28-year-old’s club appearances in chronological order since returning from Qatar tell a story: 22 substitute minutes against Leeds; taken off at half-time against Chelsea; 31 substitute minutes in another game against Chelsea; a full 90 minutes in defeats to both Southampton and Man Utd. There had been a sustained drop-off for a few months but that is stark.
Thilo Kehrer
Perhaps ‘doing fine’ is a generous assessment of Thilo Kehrer’s first few months as a Premier League player. Thrown straight in at the deep end that is West Ham’s defence, the 26-year-old made high-profile mistakes in defeats to Everton, Man Utd and Crystal Palace, struggling to settle in a disorderly team. But there was at least an element of patience and understanding for a player asked to perform in difficult circumstances.
Any hope that a major international jaunt might engender some consistency, reliability or just general improvement was misplaced. Kehrer collected his 24th Germany cap at right-back in an engaging draw with Spain, picking up a booking before being substituted. Back under the wing of David Moyes earlier than he had anticipated, Kehrer started at centre-half in defeat to Arsenal and at left-back in a 2-2 draw with Leeds, watching the other four Hammers games from the bench despite being almost ever-present before the World Cup.
Has anyone seen Kehrer have a good game?
— Adam Crafton…
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