Depay, Isco and the 10 La Liga players to crash the last six months

Stefan Bienkowski

• 22 Feb 2022 21:24 GMT
• 11 min read

There are a number of exciting players in La Liga this season that have dazzled and gone from strength to strength with their respective clubs.

Unfortunately, that also means that a number of players simply haven’t matched expectations or have succumbed to injury or poor form and seen their season slip through their fingers.

Using data from SciSports, we have calculated which 10 players in the Spanish top flight have regressed the most.

Jan Oblak - Atletico Madrid

Considered one of the best shot stoppers in Europe over the past 10 years, this season has begun to suggest that Jan Oblak may be on the decline at Atletico Madrid.

In his last five league games alone, Oblak has conceded 10 goals and while much of that is down to the team’s overall performances there’s no denying that the goalkeeper isn’t quite what he once was.

Mario Hermoso - Atletico Madrid

It wasn’t so long ago that much was expected of Mario Hermoso when he arrived at Atleti from Espanyol for a little less than €25 million.

However, after making his name at his former club as an accomplished La Liga central defender, Hermoso has found himself pegged as a jack of all trades in Diego Simeone’s team and at times been forced to play at left-back. And that certainly hasn’t helped him establish himself at the capital club.

Ruben Vezo - Levante

There’s little doubt that Ruben Vezo was a valuable and somewhat indispensable member of Levante’s team last season but that hasn’t exactly worked out the same way this time around.

Indeed the 27-year-old has found himself on the bench or not in the squad at all this season and with the team shipping goals left, right and centre in the league campaign Vezo was dropped from the matchday squad entirely for Levante’s last two games.

Lucas Olaza - Elche

Although Lucas Olaza is still only 27 years of age, the full-back has struggled to impose himself on La Liga.

After a lacklustre campaign with Elche last season, Olaza was sent on loan to Real Valladoid but has struggled there too and spent much of this season on the bench for the Spanish club.

Jonathan Silva - Getafe

There’s no doubt that Jonathan Silva would have been hoping to make the next step in his career when he made his €3 million move from Leganes to Getafe last summer, but that hasn’t exactly worked out for the Argentine defender.

So far this season Silva has only made nine appearances for his new club in La Liga and has amassed just 219 minutes of game time along the way.

Memphis Depay - Barcelona

Whether or not Memphis Depay was ever good enough to pull Barcelona out of their rut this season is up for debate but there’s no denying that he’s been entirely underwhelming over the course of this season.

The Netherlands international has so far managed just eight goals and two assists for his new club in 23 games, prior to a serious injury ruling him out for two or three months.

Isco - Real Madrid

It remains to be seen whether Isco will sign a new contract with Real Madrid or leave the club at the end of the season but based on his form for this club over the past six months it probably wouldn’t be advised.

Over the course of this season, Isco has managed just 14 appearances for Carlo Ancelottis’s side and a grand total of two goals. Which is certainly not good enough for any attacking midfielder at Madrid.

Mikel Oyarzabal - Real Sociedad

Few young players had as good a season last time around as Real Sociedad winger Mikel Oyarzabal, who bagged no less than 13 goals and 10 assists for the Basque club in 43 games.

This season has undoubtedly been more frustrating for the young forward. Although he’s already on 14 goals and two assists in all competitions, Oyarzabal picked up a nasty muscle tear in mid October and went almost two months without scoring a league goal for his club.

Clement Lenglet - Barcelona

It wasn’t so long ago that Clement Lenglet was considered the answer to all of Barca’s defensive problems, following his €35m move from Sevilla in 2018. However, a lot has changed since then.

So far for Xavi’s side this season, the French central defender has managed just 445 minutes of game time in La Liga and 12 appearances from a possible 25, due to poor performances and a hamstring injury picked up in early February.

Serge Aurier - Villarreal

Few could deny that Serge Aurier has had a difficult career to date, with many of his stints at some of Europe’s biggest clubs ending in tears. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as though his current spell at Villarreal is going to work out either.

To date, the full-back has missed a number of games through international duty and a hip problem and as such has started just four games in La Liga for his new club this season.