The 2024/25 Premier League season has seen a myriad of storylines emerge, including a high-flying Liverpool, a struggling Manchester City and an utterly woeful Manchester United.
On top of this, players considered as first-team mainstays and in some cases, superstars, have fallen by the wayside ands simply not lived up to levels expected of them this season
Here at The Deck, we thought we’d take a look at what a starting XI of the biggest Premier League flops of the current season would look like.
GK: Robert Sánchez
The Chelsea goalkeeper, despite being a commanding figure in his own box, has often let both teammates and fans down thanks to his tendency to make poor decisions.
RB: Kyle Walker-Peters
If one team were almost guaranteed to feature in this eleven, it would have to be 20th-placed Southampton. Kyle Walker-Peters has shown ability while on the ball, ranking in the 91st percentile of Premier League defenders for successful take-ons – but has been ineffective on the defensive end, an area Southampton so desperately need solidarity in.
CB: Matthijs de Ligt
Signed by Manchester United in July 2024 for over £40 million, Matthijs de Ligt came with big expectations. Instead, a season has transpired where Man United have struggled in the bottom half of the table, and De Ligt has not been the physical, imposing defender seen at his time with previous clubs.
CB: Manuel Akanji
Manchester United are not the only Mancunian club struggling this year. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City sit fifth in the league and have conceded 40 goals in 29 league games, a record high under Guardiola for this stage of the season. Manuel Akanji has failed to live up to the ability he has shown in previous years, achieving a disappointing SofaScore average rating of 6.94.
LB: Andy Robertson
Age catches up to everyone. This is most definitely the case for Andy Robertson, a modern Liverpool stalwart who has held down the position for almost a decade now. The 24/25 season has seen Robertson struggling to hit the levels of previous years, and transfer rumours swirling over who could replace him at Liverpool.
DM: Kalvin Philips
Ipswich’s Kalvin Philips has suffered a quick fall from grace. From being a crucial part of England’s EURO 2020 squad to becoming surplus to requirements at Manchester City, Philips’ career has gone south in a way many hadn’t expected. A loan to Ipswich this season could have revitalised him, but instead he has struggled even more – including being sent off vs. Leicester and being statistically one of the worst players in the league this campaign.
CM: Carlos Soler
When Carlos Soler joined West Ham from Paris Saint-Germain this summer, fans were optimistic over the big-name signing. Instead, Soler has struggled for form and looked thoroughly mediocre as a Hammer. One assist in over 1,000 minutes of playing time for a midfielder who is thought to be a solid creative outlet is a let down, and he is sure to return to PSG this summer with his stocks having drastically fallen.
CM: Daichi Kamada
Daichi Kamada was a standout star for underdogs Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga for years before taking his talents to Lazio, then Crystal Palace. Oliver Glasner would have hoped for a better start to life in South London for the Japanese midfielder, as he has more red cards than attacking contributions in the league this season. Palace might have regretted this one.
RW: Phil Foden
Perhaps Phil Foden’s form at EURO 2024 was telling of the campaign he was going to have, but even the most pessimistic Manchester City fan would have expected more from Foden this season. Last year saw 27 combined goals and assists in 35 league games for the City winger, but this year? 9 in 24. He has also been used less under Pep Guardiola this season, featuring in the starting lineup 72% of the time compared to 2023/24’s 89%.
ST: Rasmus Højlund
Spending almost £70 million on an inexperienced prospect will almost always cast more doubters on to them than ever before. Sadly for Rasmus Højlund, the concern Manchester United fans had over his signing seem to have been well placed. Only three goals in 24 PL games is a torrid return for such a high-stakes signing, and Højlund beats out fierce competition such as teammate Joshua Zirkzee and Liverpool’s Darwin Núñez for this spot.
LW: Gabriel Martinelli
Injuries might have finally taken their toll on Arsenal youngster Gabriel Martinelli. A fantastic season two years ago convinced Arsenal fans he was their left-winger of the future, but Martinelli seems to be significantly less confident than in years gone by. Six goals in 24 games isn’t terrible, but expectations for the Brazilian were higher and he has not yet reached that level. In a season where Arsenal are desperately needing their standout players to perform, Martinelli’s shortcomings have been put on full show.
