The Caf's "Past it or just out of form?" thread

Gazza · Dec 9, 2020

I'm not talking about an existing thread, this is the thread, right here.

I'll be honest, I didn't see Harry Kane pulling a season like this out of the bag after seeing his struggles with injuries and moving like a traffic cone on international duty. I was wrong there.

Plenty on here called Rooney's slump ~2014 as a terminal decline, others wanted to give him more time to find his form. Fair to say he was past it even then. Torres at Chelsea, similar story.

This thread is for people to nail their balls to the wall and talk about current players who may be out of form, and speculate if they will find their form again or not. I should say that the thread title says "past it" -- I should rein it in a bit, let's say whether a player has passed his best and has started a decline that is unlikely to be reversed.

I'll start with a nomination, perhaps it will be shot down: Pierre Emerick Aubameyang. 2 goals and 1 assist in almost 1000 minutes of PL football this season. Averaging 1.8 shots per game, according to WhoScored. In a rut, like the rest of his team, maybe. However, he is 31 years old and has just signed the last big contract of his career. Seems to be spending more time away from the penalty area than in it, but I might be wrong there and someone could correct me. What say you?

SambaBoy · Dec 10, 2020

De Gea

Lay · Dec 10, 2020

I remember being convinced Torres would come good again. Never happened.

Aubameyang to me is form and tactics.

Gazza · Dec 10, 2020

SambaBoy said:
De Gea

Great shout. In fact the “out of form or past it?” question has been asked of De Gea since at least summer 2018 and that World Cup disaster. If the question is still being asked two years later, the answer is probably the latter, sadly.

thatsme · Dec 10, 2020

Kepa. Can a Spanish international who cost 70 million really be so utterly shit?

Gazza · Dec 10, 2020

Lay said:
I remember being convinced Torres would come good again. Never happened.

Aubameyang to me is form and tactics.

My feeling with Aubameyang is he went all out last season to secure his last big deal, now without that pressure/incentive and with Arsenal basically playing out the string this season, will he have that inner mojo to get back to where he was? I’m not suggesting he is phoning it in, but I think there comes a point when a player and his club become similarly fated, like how pet owners end up resembling their pets, like. It seems like Arsenal need Aubameyang to drag them out of their doldrums, I don’t see the cavalry arriving to help any time soon.

Web of Bissaka · Dec 10, 2020

Zlatan, I didn't expect him to hit this top performances again this season. I'm not impress with him at LA, thought he's finish at the highest level if even there he couldn't bring LA Galaxy trophies.

Web of Bissaka · Dec 10, 2020

SambaBoy said:
De Gea

This.

Spiersey · Dec 10, 2020

Web of Bissaka said:
Zlatan, I didn't expect him to hit this top performances again this season. I'm not impress with him at LA, thought he's finish at the highest level if even there he couldn't bring LA Galaxy trophies.

His legs looked gone at LA, amazed how good he's been for Milan.

On a slightly similar note, Hulk is meant to be coming back to Europe but he's completely finished. Been awful for SIPG this season and will be abysmal if any decent level team takes him on.

Imran Mamdani · Dec 10, 2020

Half, if not more, of our squad.

DOTA · Dec 10, 2020

Freddy Adu can turn it around.

Isotope · Dec 10, 2020

Wan Bissaka.

Valencia Shin Crosses · Dec 10, 2020

Hazard. Feels like he got the move he's always wanted but it came a couple years too late for the side he was going to. Now he's constantly in and out of the side.

Gazza · Dec 10, 2020

Web of Bissaka said:
Zlatan, I didn't expect him to hit this top performances again this season. I'm not impress with him at LA, thought he's finish at the highest level if even there he couldn't bring LA Galaxy trophies.

Good call. How he came back from a year out at his age, I cannot fathom.

Gazza · Dec 10, 2020

Valencia Shin Crosses said:
Hazard. Feels like he got the move he's always wanted but it came a couple years too late for the side he was going to. Now he's constantly in and out of the side.

Are you ready to call Hazard’s race as run, at this point? I’ll have to press you on this, Valencia’s Shin Crosses

Gazza · Dec 10, 2020

thatsme said:
Kepa. Can a Spanish international who cost 70 million really be so utterly shit?

Good question - in the words of Sick Boy, did ‘e lose it or did he nae hav’it in the first place?

bosnian_red · Dec 10, 2020

Past it:

Griezmann
Hazard
Aubameyang
Pogba (relatively, started his decline)

Isotope · Dec 10, 2020

Maybe yes, maybe not (yet):

Christian Eriksen
Bale
Kroos
Varane

Gazza · Dec 10, 2020

Isotope said:
Maybe yes, maybe not (yet):

Christian Eriksen
Bale
Kroos
Varane

This is a no-fence zone, Isotope, which ones would you say are done?
I say Bale and Eriksen are past it, if pushing myself then I’d say Kroos will have an Indian summer and I think Varane will for sure bounce back like a Partridge.

Gazza · Dec 10, 2020

bosnian_red said:
Past it:

Griezmann

Hazard

Aubameyang

Pogba (relatively, started his decline)

agreed on Pogba, I think his body will begin to let him down as he gets older.

Isotope · Dec 10, 2020

Gazza said:
This is a no-fence zone, Isotope, which ones would you say are done?
I say Bale and Eriksen are past it, if pushing myself then I’d say Kroos will have an Indian summer and I think Varane will for sure bounce back like a Partridge.

I don't know. I wouldn't be against United signing any of them, as I think they all can still be great players. Kroos can still be a DLP ala Pirlo and Scholes at later age. He has those attributes.

I think Eriksen still has some mileage left in the tank. And Bale is just Bale, he can be impact player, like Henrik Larsson at Barca.

And agreed about Varane.

Lentwood · Dec 10, 2020

De Gea. Yet we persist when we have one of the best GKs in the PL sat on the bench

Bobcat · Dec 10, 2020

Matic. He had a couple of really good performances last year, but it seems age and a tight schedule has caught up to him

Gazza · Dec 10, 2020

Isotope said:
I don't know. I wouldn't be against United signing any of them, as I think they all can still be great players. Kroos can still be a DLP ala Pirlo and Scholes at later age. He has those attributes.

I think Eriksen still has some mileage left in the tank. And Bale is just Bale, he can be impact player, like Henrik Larsson at Barca.

And agreed about Varane.

Good man!

Eriksen I just wonder if he can't hack it in Italy what chance a faster paced league now that he's that bit older and grizzled. But then again he'll always have that sweet technique with hitting a ball, so he could still contribute somewhere, but I doubt at a top club.

Agreed on Kroos.

Withnail · Dec 10, 2020

Bobcat said:
Matic. He had a couple of really good performances last year, but it seems age and a tight schedule has caught up to him

Agreed he looked decent enough last year for a spell when he got into the side after a long rest. He needed replacing in the summer.

De Gea also.

pawanraj · Dec 10, 2020

Jose Mourinho - thought he was past it as a manager - turns out there's some life left in the old dog, yet.
On the flip side - Pep Guardiola - don't think we will see him hit the same heights as before.

Revaulx · Dec 10, 2020

Gazza said:
Great shout. In fact the “out of form or past it?” question has been asked of De Gea since at least summer 2018 and that World Cup disaster. If the question is still being asked two years later, the answer is probably the latter, sadly.

I’m absolutely certain the seeds of his decline were sown in summer 2016 when Franz Hoek was sacked, De Gea insisted the next goalkeeping coach be his own choice, and the club disastrously indulged him. While he still managed to play at a top level for a further couple of seasons, he stopped improving at that point and his weaknesses, which had been mitigated by good coaching, eventually came to the fore again.

Gio · Dec 10, 2020

I would back Aubameyang to rack up goals again if he was transferred to another team which created chances for him and played to his strengths. The problem is by the time that happens, or by the time Arsenal become a creative team again, he could be past it. I'd give him an 18-month window before age catches up with him.

Dozer · Dec 10, 2020

Bobcat said:
Matic. He had a couple of really good performances last year, but it seems age and a tight schedule has caught up to him

Being given a new 3 year deal probably has something to do with it as well. He dropped off a cliff the moment that happened. Quite why we saw fit to tie up an aging asset for quite so long, I've no idea. Its not as if the heavyweights of Europe were queuing up to pinch him on a free.

Gabagoo · Dec 10, 2020

Martial (although he was never prolific).

Oldyella · Dec 10, 2020

Hazard, definitely past it. We may see the odd burst now and again but hes well into his decline now. Closer to home, Matic, although that's been obvious a couple of years now.

P-Nut · Dec 10, 2020

Kante is nowhere near the player he was a few seasons ago. I wouldn't say he's finished, but I wouldn't be splashing big money on him now and expecting the same level of performance of 2 or 3 years ago

Idxomer · Dec 10, 2020

Messi.

12OunceEpilogue · Dec 10, 2020

Mark Noble

Also Auba will not have another great season, Matic is finished at the top level and I'd be surprised if Ashley Barnes hits the decent heights he's hit in the PL as recently as last season.

renandstimpyfan83 · Dec 10, 2020

Up until about a month ago John Stones looked done as a Premier League footballer but he’s quietly been in outstanding form for City and seemingly overtaken Laporte in Guardiola’s selection.

TheMagicFoolBus · Dec 10, 2020

P-Nut said:
Kante is nowhere near the player he was a few seasons ago. I wouldn't say he's finished, but I wouldn't be splashing big money on him now and expecting the same level of performance of 2 or 3 years ago

Don't think this is true at all actually - his performance levels have never dropped, he just struggled with injuries last year because he was rushed back to play the EL final under Sarri. He's playing as well as he ever has for Chelsea since being moved deeper to the 6 - currently leading the PL in tackles+interceptions. He's also significantly better at carrying the ball and passing now than he was a few years ago.

TheGame · Dec 10, 2020

I reckon this guy's still got it:

Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date

Denis' cuff · Dec 10, 2020

Past it

used to be a decent forum 15/20 years ago

bosnian_red · Dec 10, 2020

Isotope said:
Maybe yes, maybe not (yet):

Christian Eriksen
Bale
Kroos
Varane

Bale and Eriksen definitely declined (Bale a while ago)

bosnian_red · Dec 10, 2020

TheMagicFoolBus said:
Don't think this is true at all actually - his performance levels have never dropped, he just struggled with injuries last year because he was rushed back to play the EL final under Sarri. He's playing as well as he ever has for Chelsea since being moved deeper to the 6 - currently leading the PL in tackles+interceptions. He's also significantly better at carrying the ball and passing now than he was a few years ago.

Yeah he's a prime example of someone who bounced back after last 2 years imo

The Caf's "Past it or just out of form?" thread

Full Member

Full Member

Correctly predicted Italy to win Euro 2020

Full Member

New Member

Full Member

Full Member

Full Member

Full Member

New Member

wants Amber Rudd to call him a naughty boy

Ten Years a Cafite

Full Member

Full Member

Full Member

Full Member

Worst scout to ever exist

Ten Years a Cafite

Full Member

Full Member

Ten Years a Cafite

Full Member

Full Member

Full Member

Full Member

Full Member

Full Member

★★★★★★★★

New Member

New Member

Full Member

fan of well-known French footballer Fabinho

Full Member

In perfect harmony

Full Member

Full Member

Full Member

Full Member

Worst scout to ever exist

Worst scout to ever exist