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We are six gameweeks into the 2022-23 Premier League season and true to its nature, the English top flight has surprised us a lot already. While the reigning champions Manchester City have got off to a decent start to the new campaign, it's Arsenal who are currently sitting at the top of the table.
Chelsea and Liverpool have endured rather slow starts to the new season. The Blues are sixth in the table and are far from their free-flowing best. Jurgen Klopp's side have struggled with injuries and are yet to hit their stride this term, winning just two of their six games so far.
After suffering back-to-back losses in their first two games of the new campaign, Manchester United have managed to register four successive wins.
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Some top players are yet to come into their own this season. Without further ado, let's take a look at five top stars who have endured a slow start to the new Premier League season.
#5 Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)
Riyad Mahrez was one of Manchester City's best players in the Premier League last term. He wreaked havoc down the right flank for City with his nimble feet and technical brilliance. The Algeria international scored 11 goals and provided five assists in 27 Premier League appearances last season.
He was expected to pick up where he left off last term but Mahrez hasn't had any sort of impact for City yet. The 31-year-old is yet to score a goal or provide an assist in the new season after five league appearances.
Except for the game against Bournemouth, Mahrez was rather lackluster in all four of his outings and seems to be out of form right now. If it goes on like this, it won't be long before Julian Alavarez replaces him in the lineup.
#4 Andy Robertson (Liverpool)
Liverpool are known to rely on their full-backs to do much of the playmaking. It has been Klopp's most effective strategy and it has worked wonders for them thanks to their world-class full-backs Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
In 29 appearances in the league last season, Robertson scored three goals and provided 10 assists. He has registered just a single assist so far this term after six matches. Liverpool's injury crisis has definitely placed the burden of creating chances on the likes of Robertson and Alexander-Arnold.
They have struggled to shoulder the load and Klopp seems to have understood that perhaps both players need to be cut some slack too. That's possibly why Robertson started on the bench in last weekend's Merseyside derby against Everton, which ended 1-1.
#3 Fabinho (Liverpool)
Yet another player whose form is starting to become a major source of concern for Klopp is Fabinho. The Brazilian is one of the best defensive midfielders in the world. But he has been nowhere near his best so far this term.
In all fairness, he has been left exposed in midfield due to injuries to players like Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jordan Henderson.
He hasn't really stamped his authority in midfield in any of the games except the one against Bournemouth.
His defensive work so far this season has been nothing to write home about and the Merseysiders have conceded six goals so far this term. It's worth noting because they only conceded 26 goals in 38 matches last season.
#2 Mason Mount (Chelsea)
Mason Mount was Chelsea's main man last season. He works his socks off every game and is quite a creative presence in and around the final third. Not only does he create plenty of chances for his teammates, but he also chips in with important goals.
The 23-year-old scored 11 goals and provided 10 assists in 32 Premier League appearances last season. However, he is yet to get off the mark this term. After a decent performance against Tottenham Hotspur, Mount was found to be nowhere near his best in his last four Premier League appearances.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Manchester United's fanbase's faith in the Erik ten Hag regime ought to have been restored over the past few weeks. After conceding back-to-back losses in their first two games of the season, the Red Devils have picked up four wins on the trot. Better yet, that run includes victories over rivals Liverpool and Arsenal.
That's great news for everyone belonging to the red side of Manchester except maybe Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese icon wasn't available for pre-season and was reportedly trying to engineer an exit from Old Trafford.
Ten Hag has started Ronaldo just once in the Premier League this campaign. Except in the game against Arsenal, the 37-year-old looked like a shadow of his former self. He is yet to score or assist a single goal this season.
