Does second season syndrome really exist?
The long-standing debate regarding second season syndrome is a constant topic of discussion in football, and will probably remain as such. This is probably down to the fact that for some reason, there are always players falling to its whim. Another close example is transfer syndrome, when a player could stay in the same league, upgrade in terms of the team he plays for, but fall short of their own expectations. It’s always sad to see giants fall, but for some reason, we can’t help but watch.
Starting with a very recent case looks appropriate, so our attentions will turn to Fernando Torres. Prolific in front of goal, the Spaniard made his name at Atletico Madrid before moving on to pastures new at Liverpool F.C. Improving on an already impressive goal ratio, managing 81 goals in only 142 appearances for the Merseyside outfit. It seemed like a no-brainer when a last ditch £50 million transfer went through on January 31st 2011 to bring the striker to London-based club Chelsea.
To claim the striker is suffering from second season syndrome may be jumping the gun slightly. However, considering his failure to score in seven appearances for the club and that he’d already netted a hat-trick for Liverpool by this time, stage-fright might just be a culprit. In recent years, Chelsea ascended above Liverpool in the standings across all tournaments and it’s just that type of promotion in standards that can have the ‘second season’ affect. For now, we’ll put a hold on our judgement and give the World Cup winner the benefit of the doubt, but if ‘El Nino’ can’t find his shooting boots soon, Mr. Ancelotti may be forced to play someone who can.
Finally, extravagant spenders Manchester City were always bound to feature in a story concentrating on underwhelming players. When you don’t take time and consideration in your purchases, you don’t get what you pay for, no more so than at Eastlands. Right at the beginning of the Arab money injection, we saw Robinho have an inspirational debut season in English football, but fell short of the mark in his second. In ten appearances, one goal just didn’t seem proportionate to £32.5 million.
Other victims to the bug at Manchester City are Roque Santa Cruz ad Emmanuel Adebayor. Both strikers arrived in the summer of 2009 in a cash-fuelled transfer window with high expectations. Adebayor got off to a bright start scoring consecutively in his first four games but after a managerial shift, Roberto Mancini resorted to playing the likes of Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli instead.
A similar story is that of Paraguayan international Santa Cruz who suffered from a series of injuries but altogether it was a lack of form that erased him from the squad. With big names arriving by the shipload, he is currently on loan at Blackburn Rovers, with a view to a permanent summer move. It’s probably safe to say we shouldn’t hold our breath when it comes to Manchester City forwards.
Needles to say, signings don’t always go to plan. Examples of players falling in terms of consistency are numerous. Liverpool’s Christian Poulsen, Stephen Ireland’s failure to impress at Villa and Jermaine Beckford perhaps not being able to perform for the Toffees at Premier League standard, are all examples we could talk about over the past two seasons. However, I don’t feel a ‘syndrome’ is a good enough reason for failing to perform. It’s simply too easy to say ‘I was nervous’ or ‘I’ll take some time fitting in’. In the cutthroat business of football, you’re either good enough, or you’re not. It may be sinister, but the higher you make it in this game, the better you’ve got to be, and it’s as simple as that. Like I said, it’s sad to watch giants fall, but we love it nonetheless.
