Chelsea vice-captain (and weak link) Branislav Ivanovic. Photograph: Matthew Childs/Reuters

The Premier League's underperforming (but undropped) players

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Best XIs from the big leagues in Europe, plus analysis of Memphis Depay, Branislav Ivanovic, Wes Morgan, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fabricio Coloccini

By Martin Laurence for WhoScored?, part of the Guardian Sport Network

There were a number of curious and costly tactical decisions made in the Premier League over the weekend. Tim Sherwood lined up his struggling Aston Villa side in a 3-5-2 formation against Stoke City, bemoaning their lack of spark despite leaving both Jack Grealish and Carles Gil on the bench. Louis van Gaal’s decision to field the ageing legs of Michael Carrick and Bastian Schweinsteiger in midfield against an Arsenal side more than capable of going from defence to attack in devastating fashion was also widely criticised.

José Mourinho’s decision to drop Nemanja Matic yet keep faith in the hapless Branislav Ivanovic was equally bemusing. The right-back has had a torrid season but is one of only two Chelsea players – along with Eden Hazard – to have played every minute of their league campaign so far. Ivanovic isn’t the only player that continues to be selected despite a poor start to the season. Here are the five lowest rated outfield players to have started all eight of their side’s league matches thus far.

While Wayne Rooney has taken much of the criticism targeted at Manchester United players this season, the England captain hasn’t been the club’s only disappointing player. In fact, summer signing Memphis Depay has the lowest rating of any United player to have started more than two matches (6.62). The Holland international has started every league game since his arrival from PSV, though it’s telling that he has completed 90 minutes just three times and has been withdrawn at half-time in crucial matches against Liverpool and Arsenal.

Big things were expected of the 21-year-old, although the anticipation surrounding his signing – and the spectacular emergence of 19-year-old Anthony Martial – perhaps clouded the fact that Memphis is still young and will take time to adapt. That said, his flicks and tricks aren’t coming off at present. He has surrendered possession more often than any player with more than three starts this season (every 3.7 minutes on average). His link-up play has also been found wanting at times – he has created just four chances in the Premier League.

Elsewhere, with an identical rating of 6.62, Leicester skipper Wes Morgan has contributed little to their fantastic start to the season. The club may be sitting in fifth in the league but that is largely because of their attacking players – only league leaders Manchester City (19) have scored more goals. Claudio Ranieri’s men have conceded 15 to date – only the bottom two and Chelsea have shipped more – with Morgan struggling to organise his defence.

Leicester are one of only three teams – along with Sunderland and Norwich – that have not kept a clean sheet in the Premier League, with Morgan’s figures for tackles, interceptions, aerial duels and clearances all dropping from last season. Only two players have committed more errors that have led to shots for opposing teams, with the centre-back’s howler against Stoke last month the lowlight of a tough campaign.

Next up, and perhaps a surprising inclusion to many, is Gylfi Sigurdsson, who is struggling to recapture the form that saw him become an instant hit at the Liberty Stadium in each of his two stints at Swansea. While André Ayew, Jonjo Shelvey, Jefferson Montero and Bafétimbi Gomis have all drawn plaudits this season, the Icelandic playmaker has had a far more subdued start.

A rating of 6.60 is the lowest of any Swansea player with more than three starts and is a significant drop from a score of 7.18 last season, when he scored seven goals and registering 10 assists. His place in the side could come under threat as a result, with his figures from last season dropping across the board, including his pass accuracy, which has dipped from 84.9% last season – his highest in England – to just 79.3%.

Another club captain failing to inspire any great confidence at present is Fabricio Coloccini, whose form has been on a downward spiral for some time now. The Argentinian is so rarely consistent over 90 minutes nowadays – let alone a run of matches – and his rating is the second lowest of all outfielders to start all eight matches this season (6.58).

No side has conceded more shots in the Premier League this season than Newcastle (144), while only local rivals Sunderland have let in more goals (17). The 33-year-old is too easily beaten, having been dribbled past more times (10) than any other centre-back in the league thus far, though McClaren might not want to drop his captain given that his other defensive options are so weak.

And finally, propping up the pile is another experienced defender, the recently appointed Chelsea vice-captain Branislav Ivanovic. He has been wearing the armband in the three matches as the equally disappointing John Terry has missed, but the responsibility has not improved his form. While questions marks have lingered over his defensive positioning in recent seasons – with Ivanovic spending much of his time in the final third – there was still an aura of intimidation about the burly defender.

The sense that Ivanovic was to be feared has turned on its head, with opponents now clearly targeting the 31-year-old as a weak link to be exploited. Coupled with the four times he was beaten in the Champions League at Porto, Ivanovic has been dribbled past on 15 occasions in nine appearances this season - just two fewer than in 45 outings in the league and Champions League in 2014-15. He has committed 1.8 fouls per game this season – up from each of the last five seasons in the Premier League – to leave him with a very poor rating of 6.56.