Welcome to The DebriefSki Sports column in which Adam Bathe uses a mix of data and opinion to reflect on some of the key storylines from recent Premier League games. this week:
- Bradley’s overlap runs
- Gonzalez pass forward
- Kadioglu’s unusual flexibility
Bradley links up with Salah
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from the Premier League match between Liverpool and Aston Villa
Conor Bradley produced his best performance of the season for Liverpool their 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Anfield on Saturday night. No one on the pitch has won the ball more times than the tenacious Northern Ireland international.
But even more encouraging than his defensive display were the signs, albeit belatedly, of a partnership between Bradley and Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian winger has missed out on Trent Alexander-Arnold, but perhaps this link-up can work as well.
Bradley makes different moves, but there are a lot of them. No defender made more runs at the back than he did at the weekend in the Premier League. Unlike Bradley, the next two defensive backs on the list actually made more overlapping runs. It is a specific tactic.
Conor Bradley move for Liverpool vs Aston Villa
Conor Bradley’s attacking movement was designed to create space for Mohamed Salah
The run comes straight from the training ground and is not necessarily designed to receive the ball himself, but to create space for Salah. It worked against Villa. They exchanged 12 passes, but Bradley’s runs gave his teammate time to shine.
Asking Arne Slott about it in the press conference afterwards, the Liverpool head coach explained: “The more players play together, the better. You can’t compare Trent to Conor, but Conor played an outstanding game like so many others.”
He added: “I think it was the team performance that made the difference today. Everyone really fought to win over the line, throwing themselves in front of the shots. There were a lot of positives today and from individual performances like Conor.”
“The challenge for him now will be to get ready because he’s not used to 90 minutes this season. After two days rest, the next one comes, so we have to think about that. But your question was, did he play well? Yes, he played well today.”
A reunion with Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe follows. Bradley’s match against Mbappe last season led to one of the great roars at Anfield and was the highlight of the defender’s career so far. His performance against Villa suggests there are more highlights to come.
Gonzalez pass forward
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Man City’s Premier League win over Bournemouth
“At the moment, the first option when Rodri can’t play is absolutely Nico Gonzalez. Those were the words of Pep Guardiola ahead of Manchester City’s game against Bournemouth on Saturday, a view that was confirmed by the Spaniard’s excellent performance.
Gonzalez was instrumental in that 3-1 City wininvolved in the moves that led to both of Erling Haaland’s first-half goals. What was particularly impressive about his work was that Gonzalez was not content to just keep the ball, but often looked to pass forward.
Nico Gonzalez centers his pass forward for Man City against Bournemouth
His passing stats reveal that. The player who received the most passes from him during the match against Bournemouth was Phil Foden. The next two players on the list were Ryan Cherky and Bernardo Silva. It was a conscious effort to look for the ball’s progress.
Nico Gonzalez passed the ball to creatives for Man City against Bournemouth
Guardiola often insists that the tenets of possession remain the same, but Bournemouth had more of the ball than City at the weekend and his team’s total possession is down more than 10 percentage points on five seasons ago.
However, the importance of Rodrigo’s role remains. Speaking to Pau Marti, Gonzalez’s former coach at Barcelona, he recently explained why the player is so resistant to pressure in midfield. “I think it’s the way he moves the ball so quickly,” he said Ski Sports.
“For his size, that’s not normal. He’s so confident and so calm with the ball, he protects the ball with his body.” Pau compared him to Sergio Busquets. “Because he’s so big but good with his feet, I think he’s very similar. He’s very strong, he can read the game.”
That was certainly evident against Bournemouth in a remarkably mature performance from the 23-year-old midfielder who takes over in Rodri’s absence for Guardiola, but also looks set to enter the 2025/26 Premier League season.
Kadioglu in a starring role for Brighton
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from the Premier League match between Brighton and Leeds
And finally, a quick word about Brighton because their win over Leeds it was only the fifth time this season that a Premier League team had recorded an expected goal total of more than three. The forwards took the plaudits, but it was a complete performance.
Brighton also kept their first clean sheet of the Premier League season and someone who contributed in both aspects of the game was Ferdi Kadioglu. Quietly, the Turkey international has been one of their most impressive players since returning from injury.
His defensive work has been aggressive, with only Mats Wieffer making more moves, and his attacking play is enterprising – as expected from a player who can operate as a winger as well as in the back line. Now used at left back.
Ferdi Kadioglu’s minutes per position for Brighton show his remarkable versatility
Fabian Hürzeler believes that Kadioglu can play anywhere at full-back or on the wing. “These four positions are not a problem for him. So it’s great to have a player who has that flexibility. He’s very good at making decisions, very good at understanding the game.”
Now 26, bought from Fenerbahce the summer before last for £25m, Kadioglu may not be the typical youngster for Brighton. But that flexibility is emblematic of the club’s approach and his quality on the ball marks him out as a special player.