New Delhi: The Bundesliga is a treasure trove of talented players, with good standout performances coming through season after season. However, not every talent can blossom at the big stage. Many factors can contribute to a player’s form to decline or their inability to make a breakthrough season. Individual performance is affected by how their team is performing or if they have been prone to too many injuries.
Players who have played long tenures with teams are often threatened with being shown the exit door in every scenario of underwhelming performance. Fans, critics, and management lose confidence, and every error is scrutinised. It ultimately becomes a battle of mental conditioning, and those who survive the bad patch are the ones who can rebuild the loss of confidence.
5) Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich)
30 March 2024, Bavaria, Munich: Soccer: Bundesliga, Bayern Munich – Borussia Dortmund, Matchday 27, Allianz Arena. Munich’s Kingsley Coman in action. Photo: Tom Weller/dpa – IMPORTANT NOTE: In accordance with the regulations of the DFL German Football League and the DFB German Football Association, it is prohibited to utilize or have utilized photographs taken in the stadium and/or of the match in the form of sequential images and/or video-like photo series. (Photo by Tom Weller/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Kingsley Coman was highly rated from a young age. He was scouted by Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and later joined their youth academy. He made his senior team debut with the Ligue 1 giants in 2013 before moving to Juventus in 2014. He was sent on a two-year loan to Bayern Munich with an option to buy. After an impressive first year with the club, his second season saw him riddled with injuries and play very few games. At Bayern, his best performance was in the 2017-18 season, when he scored seven goals and made eight assists in 32 games across all competitions.
Despite Bayern reportedly looking to keep him in their setup, his injuries have made him inconsistent. Last season, he made only 27 appearances, scoring five times and three assists across all competitions. In Mathys Tel, they have an alternative to the 28-year-old, as he can play on the wings as well. This season, Coman will have to play to his strengths and get enough games to make an impact without sustaining injury.
4) Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Dortmund)
01 August 2024, Switzerland, Bad Ragaz: Soccer: Bundesliga, start of Borussia Dortmund’s training camp in Switzerland: Giovanni Reyna enters the training ground and laughs. Photo: David Inderlied/dpa (Photo by David Inderlied/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Giovanni Reyna was often compared with Christian Pulisic and has been perceived as someone who would have the same success at Borussia Dortmund. However, he could never make the same impact as one would have hoped. Last season, he made only one start for Dortmund and was loaned to Nottingham Forest. His performance remained underwhelming, and he failed to notch a single goal and made only one assist.
The 21-year-old might soon see the exit door, with the experienced Julian Brandt making a good impression last season and Kjell Watjen, though young, having been making some impressive performances. Reyna just hasn’t fit into the Dortmund mix well since his arrival, and another string of poor performances will surely get him axed.
3) Patrick Schick (Bayer Leverkusen)
ESSEN, GERMANY – JULY 26: Patrik Schick of Leverkusen reacts after scoring his teams second goal during the pre-season friendly match between Rot-Weiss Essen and Bayer 04 Leverkusen on July 26, 2024 in Essen, Germany. (Photo by Jörg Schüler/Bayer 04 Leverkusen via Getty Images)
Patrick Schick joined Bayer Leverkusen in 2020 on a five-year contract. After a decent first season with the side, Schick was at his peak during the 2021-22 season. He scored 24 goals and made five assists in 31 appearances across tournaments. However, he has looked a paler shadow of the season since, scoring only 17 goals from 56 appearances.
This season, his challenge will be at the ultimate level. Schick isn’t the type of striker Xabi Alonso prefers. The 28-year-old has been fighting to make a place in the starting XI. Critics have noted that he has looked less confident. Plus, Martin Terrier’s arrival has only made his place in the squad more doubtful. Injuries have only added to his rough patch. Schick just doesn’t fit in the mix.
2) Andre Silva (RB Leipzig)
HARRISON, NEW JERSEY – JULY 31: Andre Silva #19 of RB Leipzig looks on in the second half during a friendly match against Aston Villa at Red Bull Arena on July 31, 2024 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Vincent Carchietta/Getty Images)
Andre Silva entered RB Leipzig’s side in 2021 with a reputation of having already performed well in the German football league. In his previous season with Eintracht Frankfurt, the Portuguese international had scored 28 goals in 32 appearances in the Bundesliga. Silva’s promising performance never came in the jersey of RB Leipzig.
There were signs of his brilliance but never consistency in his performance. In the 2023-24 season, he was loaned to Real Sociedad, where his season wasn’t any better. In Spanish football, his season was marred with injuries. It is still uncertain if he has any future with the German football club, and if he does, he will be aware of the scrutiny he will be under.
1) Oliver Burke (Werder Bremen)
COLOGNE, GERMANY – AUGUST 12: Oliver Burke of SV Werder Bremen looks on during the DFB cup first round match between Viktoria Köln and Werder Bremen at Sportpark Hoehenberg on August 12, 2023 in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Oliver Kaelke/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
One of the constant criticisms Oliver Burke has faced is his inconsistency. Having moved around in European football, he was expected to make a difference for Werder Bremen. On top of that, he had prior experience playing in the Bundesliga for RB Leipzig in the 2016-17 era.
After arriving at the club in 2022, he has been on two loan spells, once to his former club, Millwall and then to Birmingham City in the 2023-24 season. His loan spells have been labelled as a waste of time. Having played in top tiers of Germany, Spain, England and Scotland, Burke has the talent and the experience of playing in the big leagues. He has, however, just never found the right destination where his skills can be properly utilised.
Despite coming into clubs with great expectation, some players have never been able to hit the purple patch. Here are some of the players in the Bundesliga who are fighting competitions to stay at their clubs. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
