Revealed: Europe's five biggest flops of the season so far

There have been some fantastic players on show this season, as well as some who have ought to have performed to a much higher standard for their respective clubs.

Here are five players throughout Europe that have considerably disappointed.

Tiemoue Bakayoko – Chelsea

When Chelsea signed Tiemoue Bakayoko from AS Monaco last summer for £36m, they were expecting a midfielder to complement their attack and allow the more advanced players to let go of their defensive duties.

However, given Bakayoko’s troubled first six months in England, Chelsea’s midfield has been completely vulnerable and susceptible to counter attacks.

It is why Bournemouth, who scored three against the Blues last week, easily bypassed Antonio Conte’s midfield and created an overlap in numbers to punish Chelsea time and time again. It was a lack of diligence in organising their midfield with Bakayoko being at the heart of the disorganisation.

Monaco excelled last season with a phenomenal team, but it was perhaps the players around Bakayoko that made the French international standout rather than he himself.

The midfielder has been on the receiving end of vast amounts of criticism for his performances this season, and getting sent off against Watford has not helped his reputation.

Bakayoko has a lot of convincing to do and will have to look to the Champions League in order to find redemption given his absence domestically.

Ander Herrera – Manchester United

José Mourinho trusted him to command the midfield for Manchester United throughout his first season in charge, but Ander Herrera has now lost his way under the Portuguese boss.

It has been a steep fall from where the Spaniard was 12 months ago, with little hope of returning to how he was once valued at the club. Herrera can barely secure a starting position in the team anymore as Mourinho opts for a two-man midfield of Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matić.

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Even when Herrera has played he looks incredibly timid on the ball and, more often than not, chooses the easy option. Mourinho has mentioned how he values bravery in his teams, but Herrera has shown no sign of that this season, instead portraying feeble performances against Huddersfield and Chelsea.

It is going to be a long road back for Herrera now after this year’s performances, but if anyone has shown it is possible, it is his teammate Luke Shaw. If the Spaniard has aspirations of becoming a key part of this Man United team, he has to raise the bar considerably.

Karim Benzema – Real Madrid

There have been various reports over the last few months regarding Real Madrid’s pursuit of a new number nine and it is clear to see why with Karim Benzema’s form dwindling.

The former France international might have struggled with fitness this season, but in the games he has played, he looks abject and off the pace completely.

Over the last few years, during Real Madrid’s period of unprecedented success, Benzema had been one of Los Blancos’ most instrumental and pivotal players. He did, however, not get the credit for the selfless work he would provide, and so it is surprising to see his overall influence on the pitch plummeting this year.

The centre forward is only managing to take an average of 2.41 shots per-game, compared to last year’s 3.22, and so it is clear to see that Benzema is not getting into the right areas of the pitch and demanding the ball enough. What is worrying for Madrid fans is Benzema’s current record of only two goals scored in La Liga.

Zinedine Zidane’s neck is on the line with the Champions League being his only hope of remaining in the job come next year, and he will need his compatriot to return to scoring ways before it is too late.

Alexandre Lacazette – Arsenal

In Alexandre Lacazette’s opening 25 appearances in the Premier League, the Frenchman has only managed to find the back of the net on nine occasions.

For all of the talk of Arsenal’s striker problems being resolved at the start of the season, Arsène Wenger had to delve back into the market in January and sign Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang for a new club-record fee to bolster their attacking force.

The former Lyon player has struggled to combat the physicality aspect of the Premier League with his expected goals per-90 taking nearly a 50% reduction in the space of six months. It has been clear to see that Lacazette fails to offer Arsenal a route out of defence, and really only comes alive when the play is in-and-around the box.

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Now that Aubameyang has been brought in, Lacazette is going to find it increasingly difficult to work his way back into the team and cement his position. Aubameyang has a turn of speed that the Frenchman does not possess and can stretch defences, creating space for the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to exploit.

Lacazette’s form and performances this season have not been to the required standard that a team of Arsenal should expect. For this reason, he has underwhelmed and might be inclined to move on this summer.

Leonardo Bonucci – AC Milan

What looked like one of the bargains of the summer at £35m quickly became too good to be true as Leonardo Bonucci’s form went down in flames after his move from Juventus to AC Milan.

The Italian had been one of Juventus’ stalwart defenders over the last seven years, but the Old Lady decided to sell him after a reported falling out with boss Massimiliano Allegri as well as with the players in the Champions League final.

Milan pounced and fended off competition from England, but Bonucci simply has not looked the same player. Perhaps some of the blame can be shifted on Milan’s new direction and the overhaul of the squad that took place.

It is a team of new players all trying to understand each other’s style of football, but that cannot excuse some of the woeful and lackadaisical defending that has taken place.

Bonucci has been known for his consistency over the years, but has seemingly gone out of the window as the Italian has made some incredibly rash tackles that has let down his team – especially when he was sent off against Genoa.

At 30-years-old Bonucci is coming towards the end of his career, but that pit stop has not arrived yet. Milan paid a good amount of money for him and will be expecting a sharp turnaround in form from their captain.