Antoine Griezmann, Eden Hazard and Joao Felix were the names on everyone's lips during the summer, but none of the three have provided much magic in the opening two months of the season.
The phase of adaptation, youth and the lack of physical preparation are the main reasons behind all three's slump in form and it's no coincidence that all three were substituted this weekend.
Griezmann became Barcelona's first change in the 74th minute of their game with Getafe, Felix was taken off after 70 minutes of the Madrid derby and Hazard left the field a few minutes later after another quiet display.
Over 300 million euros were spent on these three and, so far, the players aren't paying it back.
In Griezmann's case, he has proved his worth during wins over Real Betis and Villarreal at the Camp Nou, but little else besides. Fans believe Griezemann will show his worth as the season undergoes as it is often hard for a player to come into a new club and settle so soon under a new manager. He is believed to prove himself better than Coutinho who came up with a great reputation but failed to live up to the expectation of any Barcelona fans. The Frenchman turned down Barcelona last summer, and when he did finally make the move to the Camp Nou. He has scored 3 goals and provided 2 assists till now. Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid launched a complaint about negotiating with Griezmann whilst he was still under contract with Atletico, at which point his release clause was 200 million euros rather than 120 million euros.
Hazard's situation is more complicated. His thigh injury has prevented him from coming into the season with full fitness and this certainly hasn't helped his performances on the pitch. He could've done a lot more in his three appearances so far. Eden Hazard is still waiting to explode. He's lacking pace, form and is still being afforded excuses. A player who cost 100 million euros needs to do more or, at the very least, something. He never showed up at the Wanda Metropolitano. But as things are, Madrid is missing a player who can decide a game. Namely, they're missing Eden Hazard. The Belgian was highlighted before the game in Seville for recovering possession, but against Atletico, he didn't do that, nor did he create any danger. More is expected of Hazard at Real Madrid. He's still far from his best and both Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema have been more decisive than him so far. His talent is needed but he has neither assisted not scored any goals till now. He came to La Liga Santander to enjoy big games like this, but he didn't show anything near his best at the Wanda.Los Blancos offensive improvements will rely on Hazard. He needs to get back to the form that got him into FIFA's Best XI. There's time, but he has to do more.
As for Felix, he made a promising start to life in Spain but there's been little end product. He had a wonderful pre-season where he enjoyed a 7-2 win over Real Madrid. He has shown dribbling skills and clinical finishing in pre-season but could bring any of those once the season started. Moreover, he is known as the future of Portugal national team and fans believe that he will fill the void of Cristiano Rolando once he hangs up his boots. His age has something to do with his lack of consistency, that's natural, and Diego Simeone doesn't like to give him the full 90 minutes very often. He showed sparks, but not consistency. No one doubts his talent or ability and it's a question of time before he morphs into the leader that this Atletico side is crying out for.
