West Ham journalist Roshane Thomas is worried that Jarrod Bowen will miss out on an England call-up because of injury.
The lowdown
The 25-year-old limped off 53 minutes into West Ham’s 1-0 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday evening.
The winger, who looked in ‘clear distress’ according to The Daily Mail’s Joe Bernstein, will have a scan on his heel to determine the severity of the problem.
England are due to face Switzerland on 26 March and Ivory Coast three days later in a pair of friendlies at the end of this month.
The latest
Thomas, who is West Ham correspondent for The Athletic, took to Twitter during the game to express his hope that the injury to Bowen is not serious enough to prevent him from earning a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the upcoming England games.
The journalist tweeted: “Really hope it’s nothing serious. Would be a great shame if injury prevented Bowen from earning an England call-up.”
The verdict
Bowen is more than deserving of a call-up for the Three Lions.
Only two English players – Jamie Vardy (10) and Emile Smith Rowe (nine) – have scored more non-penalty goals than Bowen (eight) in the Premier League this season (via FBRef), while only one – Trent Alexander-Arnold (11) – has provided more assists than Bowen’s eight (BBC Sport).
Missing out for fitness reasons would perhaps be tough to take for the 25-year-old, but he’d still hope to use subsequent international windows to convince Southgate that he’s worthy of a place in the squad for the World Cup in November.
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West Ham’s bigger concern, of course, is potentially being without Bowen for a run of games which includes a Europa League round of 16 tie against Sevilla and a London derby against Tottenham Hotspur. Given his aforementioned goal contributions, he would be a big loss for those crunch fixtures.
In other news, a West Ham insider has shared this update on Jesse Lingard
Aston Villa have seen numerous players leave the Midlands club over the past few years such as Jack Grealish, Ally Samatta and Bjorn Engels among many others.
With the upcoming summer transfer window on the horizon, it seems as though the Villans could be set to wave goodbye to another one of their players.
According to a recent report from Italy (via Sport Witness) Serie A club are still interested in signing Douglas Luiz in the summer after previously being linked with the Brazilian.
Should the former Manchester City midfielder call an end to his time with the Villans in the summer, this may not be a big disaster for Steven Gerrard as he already has a potential replacement for Luiz.
Signed during the previous summer transfer window from fellow Midlands club West Bromwich Albion, 18-year-old midfielder Tim Iroegbunam has made 19 appearances for Villa’s U23 side.
In those appearances, the Englishman has scored one goal and provided one assist in the process.
Since December, the teenager has been involved in Villa’s senior matchday squads, making his Premier League debut during their 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion back in February.
This shows that he is on the fringes of becoming a fairly regular first-team player for the Villans and is trusted by Gerrard to be in and amongst the senior squad.
Labelled as a “super impressive” person by Michael Beale as well as a “top young footballer” who has a “very bright future ahead” of him, the 18-year-old could find his pathway to regular senior minutes at Villa Park made clearer should Luiz find himself on the move in the summer.
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Even though the Midlands club have not been shy when it comes to spending money on bringing new players to the club over the past few years, giving Iroegbunam the chance to show what he’s capable of in Luiz’s potential absence could be the way forward and save them millions.
Having done this with Jacob Ramsey, who has now scored six goals in 28 league appearances this season after working his way through the youth ranks, the club know what benefits can arise from giving young players the chance to shine on the main stage.
In other news: £8.1m down the drain: Sherwood’s “menacing” £28k-p/w flop rinsed AVFC dry for 523 days
Rangers will be looking to progress through to the next round of the competition as Gio van Bronckhorst’s side return to Europa League action on Thursday.
The Gers hold a 4-2 lead over German giants Borussia Dortmund heading into the match after their win away to the Bundesliga outfit last week.
Alfredo Morelos, James Tavernier and John Lundstram, aided by a Dan-Axel Zagadou own goal, scored to secure a memorable win for the club.
However, they did struggle at the weekend as they were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw away at Dundee United in the Premiership.
Axe him
One player who may have played his way out of a start against Dortmund is wide midfielder Scott Arfield after a disappointing display on Sunday.
He was unable to be a difference-maker against United as he let a lot to be desired with his performance before being hauled off in the 58th minute.
Off the ball, he was a lightweight for the Gers. As per SofaScore, he lost a whopping 85.7% (6/7) of his individual battles and failed to make a single tackle or interception, whilst being dribbled past once.
Van Bronckhorst was surely fuming with this as the midfielder allowed himself to be bullied out of possession and that meant the Canadian was taken out of the game.
His weak play may have had an impact on his display on the ball. Via SofaScore, the winger provided a key pass for one of the club’s 30 efforts on goal in the match and had two shots himself, with neither of them testing Benjamin Siegrist between the sticks, which shows that he offered no quality in the final third.
In the reverse clash with Dortmund, he received a SofaScore rating of 6.6 – with Borna Barisic the only player with a lower rating than him in the XI.
He only completed eight passes in 66 minutes on the pitch as he failed to register a single key pass or shot on goal.
This suggests that van Bronckhorst could benefit from dropping him down to the bench for this clash at Ibrox, as his recent performances have been underwhelming and he is not deserving of a start on merit.
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He was once dubbed a “manager’s dream” by Dunfermline boss John Hughes, but his last few displays have been closer to nightmares than dreams.
He could be of more use off the bench as either an impact substitute to change the game or as an experienced head to see out the final ten minutes.
AND in other news, GVB must brutally axe £13k-p/w “out of this world” Rangers dud, he’s been replaced…
While central midfield is not exactly an area of Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic squad which is in desperate need of reinforcement, with the 56-year-old currently possessing nine senior options in the middle of the park, it would not be surprising to see some of these move onto pastures new this summer.
Indeed, the likes of Ismaila Soro, Nir Bitton and James McCarthy have not enjoyed a great deal of game-time under the Hoops coach so far this season, while the trio are also reportedly earning a combined £36.1k-p/w in wages.
Furthermore, while Callum McGregor and Yosuke Ideguchi are the two standout options in the more defensive role of Postecoglou’s three-man midfield following the departure of Scott Brown last summer, the Bhoys are somewhat lacking in a tough-tackling, play-disrupting option in that area of the pitch.
However, with the club having recently been linked with a move for Coventry City’s Gustavo Hamer in the summer transfer window, that could soon be about to change.
Celtic’s next Scott Brown
Making a £1.5m move to Coventry in 2020, Hamer arrived in England with a reputation of being something of a terrier in the middle of the park, with Dutch football expert and FootballOranje founder Michael Bell stating of the 24-year-old prior to his switch:
“He is a controlling midfielder. Has been through the Feyenoord academy, at Dordrecht and at PEC Zwolle too.
“He definitely loves a tackle and that’s why he has eight yellow cards this season in the Eredivisie, more than most in the league.
“However, he is so much more than a terrier and has a lot of technique and skill on the ball. He can spread passes around the pitch with ease and is an excellent set-piece taker. He is a strong player and fans will like his creativity and ability on the ball. He is still young too so has plenty of time to improve and grow as a player.”
These are all traits that the £2.25m-rated midfielder has demonstrated in abundance for the Sky Blues, with Hamer averaging 1.4 interceptions and 1.3 tackles and winning 2.9 duels per game over his 42 Championship appearances last season.
However, it was not only in a defensive capacity in which the former Netherlands under-20 international impressed. He also bagged five goals, registered three assists and created five big chances for his teammates, enjoying 57.7 touches of the ball, taking 1.8 shots and making 1.5 key passes per match.
These returns saw the player who Marko Marosi dubbed “unbelievable” earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.97, ranking him as Coventry’s best performer in the second tier of English football last term.
It has been a similar story over Hamer’s 29 Championship outings so far this season, with the £3.2k-per-week midfielder scoring three goals, providing six assists and creating nine big chances for his teammates. He has also averaged 1.5 key passes, 1.2 interceptions, 1.6 tackles and 1.6 shots and won three duels per game.
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These metrics have seen the Dutchman average an even more impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.15, ranking him as Mark Robins’ second-best player in the league.
As such, while the 24-year-old would undoubtedly replace Brown’s hardman presence in the Celtic midfield, it is clear to see that Hamer would also add an extra bow to the Bhoys’ creativity from the middle of the park. That leads us to believe that the Coventry City ace would make an exceptional addition to Postecoglou’s current options in the midfield engine room.
In other news: Celtic handed fresh injury boost as footage emerges, Postecoglou will be buzzing
West Ham United returned to winning ways on Sunday afternoon as the Hammers beat relegation-threatened Everton 2-1 at the London Stadium thanks to goals from Aaron Cresswell and Jarrod Bowen.
The former opened the scoring with an excellent free-kick before half-time but saw his side lose their lead when Toffees defender Mason Holgate saw a volley deflect into the back of the net early in the second half.
However, the Irons soon regained their lead as Bowen, back from injury after a month out, tapped the ball into an empty net after Michail Antonio saw a shot parried by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Despite the victory for his side, it was another tricky afternoon for Antonio, who now hasn’t scored a Premier League goal since New Year’s Day.
According to SofaScore, the Jamaica international missed two big chances whilst also having just 43 touches all game. Furthermore, the 32-year-old lost the ball on 13 occasions, an average of every 3.3 touches.
The striker was able to get shots away against a leaky Everton defence that had to deal with being down to ten men in the second half when Michael Keane was shown a second yellow card.
However, none of them were too troublesome with one hitting the target, one going off target and the other blocked.
In fairness to Antonio, the striker did work hard, winning 11 ground duels out of an attempted 17 at a 64.7% success rate whilst also winning half of his aerial duels (two out of four).
Moreover, the 32-year-old provided three key passes, although he failed to complete more than three-quarters of his passes with a passing accuracy of 74%.
There was little defensive contribution either with zero tackles, interceptions, blocks and clearances as well as committing two fouls.
Being David Moyes’ side’s only senior striker certainly comes with baggage and the 32-year-old is carrying high expectations upon his shoulders, with the East London side competing for both European qualification and the Europa League title.
The Jamaica international had started the season in stellar fashion, scoring four goals in his opening three Premier League outings. However, those four goals currently make up half of his league goal tally for the season in April.
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There’s no doubt that Moyes will be looking to add at least one striker to his squad in the summer, regardless of how his side finish the campaign.
Whether or not Antonio is going to be in the Scotsman’s plans is still yet to be revealed after another afternoon where the striker let his manager down.
AND in other news: Forget Bowen: West Ham “explosion” with 95 touches showed he’s a “revelation” today
Leeds United centre-back Diego Llorente is expected to miss the upcoming international break after picking up an injury in the stunning 3-2 win over Wolves last night.
The Lowdown: Llorente injured in Molineux win
The Whites secured arguably their most important victory of the season on Friday night, winning 3-2 at Molineux in a thrilling Premier League clash. However, it was another crazy night on the injury front for Leeds, who lost Patrick Bamford early on and then Mateusz Klich just before half-time.
Llorente was another Whites player who was forced off through injury after hurting his back, being replaced by Robin Koch shortly before Klich left the field, as fitness issues continue to be problematic throughout the squad.
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The Latest: Hay provides injury update on Llorente
Taking to Twitter after the match, Hay claimed that Llorente is not expected to play for Spain during the international break taking place over the next few weeks.
Posting an update on the multitude of aforementioned injuries, the journalist said of the 28-year-old: “Back spasm, likely to miss Spain duty.”
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The Verdict: Hopefully back next month
The hope is that Llorente’s injury is only a short-term issue which isn’t worth risking for Spain, as his injury-plagued Whites career shows little sign of changing.
Jesse Marsch needs as many players as possible available to him during the remainder of the season in what promises to be a nerve-shredding relegation battle if last night’s dramatics are anything to go by.
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Llorente’s experience could be crucial in these remaining eight league matches – he has won eight caps for Spain, which is no mean feat – as he looks to help steer the Whites to safety.
Based on Hay’s update, the saving grace is that it may have come at the best possible time for Leeds, with the two-week international break possibly encompassing most, if not all, of the Spaniard’s enforced absence.
In other news, one Leeds player has claimed he will stay at the club this summer. Find out who it is here.
Crystal Palace have shown that they are capable of spending substantial amounts of money to bring new players to Selhurst Park who can strengthen their squad, particularly during last summer’s transfer window.
However, one of the Eagles’ most valuable assets at this moment in time is a player on whom they didn’t need to spend a penny to bring to the club.
Following in the footsteps of players like Gareth Southgate and Wayne Routledge in graduating from the club’s youth academy, Wilfried Zaha made his senior debut for the south London club back in March 2010 during a 2-1 defeat against Cardiff City in the Championship under former Eagles manager Paul Hart.
Since then, the Ivory Coast international has gone on to make 420 appearances for Palace across all competitions, scoring 78 goals and providing 73 assists along the way, showing how important a figure he has been for the club.
This season has seen the winger score nine goals and provide one assist in 24 Premier League appearances, racking up a higher average of shots per game (1.9) than any other Palace player, showing that he has been one of Patrick Vieira’s deadliest figures and a real handful for opponents.
The 29-year-old – who is currently earning £130k-per-week according to Salary Sport – has also made 10 successful dribbles which have led to a shot at goal, putting him in the top 10 of players in the Premier League for that statistic ahead of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho and Raheem Sterling among many others.
In October 2010, just a few months after he burst onto the scene at Palace with his senior breakthrough, Transfermarkt had Zaha’s market value listed as £675k. It now stands at £36m, highlighting a vast increase of 5,233%, making him by far the most valuable player at Selhurst Park and among the top 50 most valuable players in the Premier League.
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Described as a “game-changer” for Palace by former Eagles manager Roy Hodgson, Zaha has undoubtedly made himself an icon for the club and a crucial figure for the team in terms of his consistent goals and assists. The south London outfit certainly hit the jackpot by unearthing and developing him from a young prospect to a fully-fledged Premier League figure.
In other news: Palace could’ve had their own Yaya Toure in “special” 26-year-old whose value has rocketed 300%
Leeds United have turned their Premier League season around dramatically.
At one point, with Daniel Farke at the helm, the Whites looked like being dismissed as nervy relegation fodder, with an abysmal five defeats across October and November very much troubling his position at Elland Road.
Now, the West Yorkshire outfit is deep in a four-game unbeaten streak, with wins against Chelsea and Crystal Palace seeing Farke’s men confidently power home seven goals. Subsequently, the Whites have now opened a six-point gap between themselves and 18th place in the difficult division, as Leeds continue to look up the table, rather than down.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin continues to stick out as an absolute gem of a summer signing, with the one-time free agent striker now up to seven goals for the Premier League season, after another lethal showing against the bewildered Eagles.
Why Calvert-Lewin is important to Leeds
Match of the Day pundit Joe Hart has even suggested that the ex-Everton marksman would be a “great option” for Thomas Tuchel to have in the England set-up, and it’s not the wildest shout from the former Three Lions stopper.
Indeed, the 11-time England international looks a man reborn at the moment in Farke’s set-up, with six goals collected from his last five games, making him a vital figure as Leeds continue to push up the standings.
Consistently finding himself in the perfect possible space to fire home chances, the 28-year-old is looking like an unbelievable masterstroke of a signing, with £0 spent on a transfer fee, for a striker who did have a strong 57 Premier League strikes next to his name, before leaving the Toffees behind.
Of course, the concern will be whether he does fall victim to a prolonged spell on the sidelines through injury, but at the moment, he will be considered one of the standout bargains in the entire division.
He isn’t the only sublime bargain Leeds managed to acquire in the summer, though, with an Ao Tanaka-style deal going under the radar at the moment, while Calvert-Lewin steals the limelight.
The star who is one of Leeds' best bargains since Tanaka
It will be hard to top the free transfer signing of the Sheffield-born goal machine, but he does boast a high £100k-per-week wage, which does mean he’s costing the West Yorkshire side a pretty penny in salary costs alone.
On the contrary, Gabriel Gudmundsson only takes home a slim £40k-per-week pay packet, despite also sticking out as a “crucial” – per Farke – first team presence this season, much like his aforementioned Japanese teammate.
Gudmundsson’s PL numbers for Leeds
Stat
Gudmundsson
Games played
17
Games started
16
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Touches
56.4
Accurate passes
24.4 (78%)
Big chances created
2
Ball recoveries
3.6
Total duels won
5.7
Stats by Sofascore
Ao Tanaka only earns a £25k-per-week wage himself. Still, with two goals this Premier League season already from just seven starts, it’s clear that the former Fortuna Düsseldorf man is another golden bargain pulled off by the top-flight newcomers, having cost just £3.5m to bring in last summer.
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Looking at the table above, too, the £10m dropped on Gudmundsson’s services also feels like a fair amount to splash on a star who is now Leeds’ guaranteed starter in the left-back spot, with the energetic Swede winning himself a high 5.7 duels on average this season as a battler for his lowly team’s cause.
It was a risky move on Leeds’ end to drop that amount of money on an unproven Premier League talent, with Gudmundsson only being exposed to major top-flight action in the Eredivisie and Ligue 1.
But, he has made that transition look effortless – much like Tanaka instantly getting up to speed with the Championhip and Premier League – with Gudmundsson even being hailed as Leeds’ “best player” by The Athletic’s Beren Cross back in September, which is an assessment which has only grown stronger, after winning a combined 17 duels against Chelsea and Palace to steer Farke’s men to two memorable victories.
Leeds’ shrewd summer transfer activity is really paying off now, with Farke hopeful his team can continue picking up wins, knowing he has the likes of fan favourite Gudmundsson in defence, but also a reinvigorated Calvert-Lewin leading the line.
56 touches, 5 key passes: 8/10 Leeds star was better than Calvert-Lewin
This Leeds United star was even better than Dominic Calvert-Lewin against Crystal Palace as Daniel Farke’s men romped home to a huge 4-1 win.
I love the Premier League. In spite of the constant bickering between managers, the weekly supplement of controversy and the infuriating cases of ‘gamesmanship’, it still remains an infinitely superior spectacle over its European counterparts. Every fixture boasts a gruelling physical intensity that epitomises the ‘English bulldog’ spirit, which we as fans seem to thrive on.
However, with the end of the season in sight I would argue that the demanding nature of the English game is taking its toll. The excitement of the title race appears to have fizzled out, with United limping over the line as City continue to collapse in an expensive heap. Spurs are no longer the free-flowing attacking threat they once were whilst all of the relegation candidates appear to take two steps back with every step they take forward.
Alongside Gareth Bale, Manchester City’s pint-sized magician David Silva is perhaps enduring the most-publicised slump in form. His manager Roberto Mancini has expressed his concern over the player’s recent performances, in amongst reports that he has been nursing a series of niggling injuries.
“I don’t know how many games David has played for us in the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, Carling Cup, FA Cup plus internationals. David always plays here [indicates high level with hand] and now maybe he is here [drops hand lower to chest]. This is normal, but I hope he can recover.” (Sky Sports)
As the Premier League’s elite emerges from another congested fixture pile-up, the resulting damage is evident. Uninspiring performances have meant dropped points and with lengthy queues outside treatment rooms, a growing number of managers are calling for a winter break. Former England manager Fabio Capello frequently implied the disastrous World Cup campaign was down to his players’ increased levels of fatigue, a fair point when you look at the success of both Germany and Spain who enjoy considerable respite during their league campaigns.
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Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill has also previously highlighted his desire for such an initiative to be implemented in the football league.
“I would love to see it happen, even for a week or two because psychologically, I believe when you start off the season, it’s pretty long and it gives you something to think about during that time.” (Eurosport)
A winter break would certainly allow for a necessary regeneration period after the customary hectic festive calendar. It could even help contribute to a resurgence in the popularity of the FA Cup, with teams heading straight into third round ties after a fortnight of anticipation.
The main obstacle to overcome surrounds the harsh reality that the current fixture schedule cannot accommodate such a lengthy vacation. The Premier League would almost certainly have to start earlier in the summer, which wouldn’t go down well and definitely wouldn’t be feasible with events like the Olympic Games this summer. The FA has also highlighted concerns that clubs would take advantage of this opportunity to arrange prestigious friendlies but that seems beside the point, given that none of the first-team would feature in any such game. In addition to this, with the English weather being notoriously unpredictable, imagine the nightmare situation that would arise should teams surface from a winter break only to have further matches postponed.
This season saw another heavy burden placed on players in the form of the African Cup of Nations, which Manchester City’s leading football administrator Brian Marwood identified as a reason for individuals suffering burnout.
“I think we need to think very carefully about the calendar, in terms of how we’re scheduling games. For instance, you had the African Cup of Nations, which is a bizarre situation in which you lose players midway through the season for up to five to six weeks. That’s wrong, that’s completely wrong.” (BBC)
Statistics would seem to support the detrimental effect of such international competitions, especially when you consider that since Papiss Cisse netted his first Newcastle goal, Demba Ba has gone 707 minutes without scoring. Did Pardew foresee this apparent demise and sign his compatriot as a replacement rather than a partner?
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Whenever the prospect of a reduced fixture schedule has been suggested in the past, supporters have been eager to lament the already ‘pampered lifestyle’ of the modern day footballer. However considering the recent health problems that are affecting a growing number of stars, perhaps the general public and mass media will be more forgiving, and start to realise that they’re only human after all.
Come find me on Twitter @theunusedsub where I’m deliberating whether it’s acceptable to feel happy for Andy Carroll after his match winner last night.
Rangers are enjoying a fine season so far under Gio van Bronckhorst as the Ibrox club remain in contention to win three trophies between now and the end of the campaign.
The Gers are three points behind their arch-rivals at the top of the Premiership and face them in their next league outing, which means that they have the chance to draw level with them heading into the final few weeks of the campaign.
The Gers are also in the quarter-finals of the Europa League and the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup, with a number of players in the squad consistently delivering across multiple competitions.
Forget Morelos
Whilst Alfredo Morelos has been banging in the goals and showing that he can find the net on a regular basis domestically and in Europe, one man has been unplayable for Van Bronckhorst – and also Steven Gerrard earlier in the 2021/22 campaign – and that is Ryan Kent.
The ex-Liverpool winger has been phenomenal and is crucial to the club’s hopes of lifting silverware this year, having proven himself to be an exceptional attacking talent.
Speaking on Sky Sports, via the Daily Record, one of the channel’s social media pundits – Specs Gonzalez – dubbed him the “Kylian Mbappe of Scottish football” as he tipped the 25-year-old to be called up by England this month.
Kent may not be on the same level as the France and PSG star in terms of quality, but their style of play is similar in the sense that they are both right-footed forwards who typically play off the left but can also be deployed down the middle whilst possessing lightning-quick pace.
Whilst he may not be scoring in World Cup finals and firing in hat-tricks at the Nou Camp like Mbappe, Kent has nonetheless been setting the pitch alight for the Gers in the Premiership and Europa League.
As shown in the graphic above, Kent has delivered superb statistics across both competitions – via SofaScore and Transfermarkt – and has been, in the recent words of Andrew Dickson, “completely unplayable” for the Gers.
The Englishman has produced three goals and a whopping 13 assists across the two competitions, averaging a direct goal contribution just over once every two matches. Kent has also averaged SofaScore ratings of 7.16 and 7.00 in the Premiership and Europa League respectively, showing that he has been consistently delivering with his overall performances.
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He is a constant threat to the opposition with his trickery on the wing, forcing defences to drop deeper in fear of him. Defenders move back five or 10 yards to give him less room in which to work, as otherwise they could be done for pace on the outside and leave him with acres of grass to get a delivery into the box, or to cut inside and shoot with either foot to score himself.
However, he has still been able to work his magic with an excellent record of assists in Europe and the Premiership, showing that he is just unplayable at his best for Van Bronckhorst’s side.
AND in other news, Wilson had a Rangers disaster on 6 foot 4 “monster” who’s “one of the best in the country”