Article is in a pdf file. The link to the page where you can get it is here:
-- http://frenchfootballweekly.com/2015/04/02/le50-2015-the-best-prospects-in-french-football/
Here are the writeups for Ilori and Origi. There are 50 names in the list (yeah, that's a big list).
Not much in terms of new information actually, but I suppose it's a good summary of how things have gone for both the youngsters there.
TIAGO ILORI
In his first job as a club head coach, Willy Sagnol was quick to make numerous changes to the Girondins de Bordeaux side this summer. One of his moves was to bring Portuguese defender Tiago Ilori in on loan from Premier League side Liverpool, but it has been a move that has frustrated more than it has excited.
In his second loan spell from the English club, the former Sporting Lisbon youngster has shown enough in the 10 games that he has played in the league to illustrate why Sagnol wanted him at the club. However, the fact that he has yet to play four consecutive games in Ligue 1 gives an indication of the type of season Ilori has had to endure.
Ilori is something of a curiosity to supporters of parent club Liverpool. The 22-year-old is yet to feature in a senior match for Brendan Rodgers’ side and only appeared intermittently on loan at La Liga outfit Granada CF last year.
There is a reason for that. Ilori is frustratingly injury-prone and often sits out large chunks of the season, with his time at formative club Sporting Clube de Portugal no exception. The sad fact in Ilori’s young career is that the defender is actually on course to make a record number of league appearances this campaign. His previous best was 11 with Sporting, which was the only time he has hit double figures in three seasons of senior football.
His time in France didn’t get off to the best start and the Portuguese under-21 international had to wait until the fifth game to make his Girondins debut, but the Hampstead-born defender followed that up with a back-post header to secure a 1-1 draw away at Saint-Etienne the next week.
Sadly, in October, Ilori lasted less than half an hour in Bordeaux’s 1-0 loss at Reims, coming off with a muscle injury that would keep him out for over two months. Ligue 1 is one of the most physical leagues in Europe and Ilori has certainly experienced the rougher side of the campaign. It is the ideal training ground for players who want to play in England, and it will come as a concern that his body has struggled.
Ilori has played almost exclusively as the right-sided central defender, aside from one rogue appearance at left-back during a Coupe de la Ligue clash away at Lille. Frustratingly, when he has been able to play, Ilori has has fared well. Tall and relatively slim, unlike most other Ligue 1 defenders he doesn’t rely on brute strength. His style is more cerebral, calling upon his vision and ability to read the game in order to win the ball before he has to rely on a physical battle.
The defender has shown good pace along the ground, plus excellent technical ability when he has stepped out of defence. In Sagnol’s back four, Ilori has often been the one to play the ball out from the back and is definitely comfortable in possession.
While Ilori clearly has an abundance of talent, it is impossible for Bordeaux to rely on the loanee and Sagnol has admitted this is a problem over the course of the season. There is a chance that he may go back to Liverpool, leave his injury troubles behind him and eventually partner French international Mamadou Sakho in the Anfield defence, but at his current level, that is more of a hope than a possibility.
Had the youngster been fully fit all season, he would no doubt have played a key role, especially with the Africa Cup of Nations affecting Sagnol’s squad more than most in France’s top-flight. Ilori was limited to just two Coupe de France appearances in January, however, and it was not until February that he really stepped up his recovery. The defender’s injuries are not likely to just go away but perhaps if managed intelligently by Liverpool, they might be able to get the best out of him on a more consistent basis. If someone can find a way to keep Ilori on the pitch, there is a good chance they can benefit from an excellent young defender.
DIVOCK ORIGI
As senior debuts go, coming off the bench to score an equaliser is a good way to announce yourself to the league. Divock Origi had been on the pitch only minutes against Troyes in the 2012/13 season when he crashed home a header at the far post, setting up a run of substitute appearances in the run-in.
He moved up to being a regular first-team player with 35 appearances in 2013/14 (15 starts), scoring six goals and laying on two assists, supporting Salomon Kalou and Nolan Roux. With Kalou sold in summer 2014, a place opened up in the selection and Origi stepped right in.
That summer there was another, more surprising, opportunity for the young centre-forward. After scoring 10 in 19 for Belgium’s under-19s, he played once for the under-21s before being called up to the senior squad. He played in all their World Cup matches in Brazil, scored the winner against Russia, laid on the assist for the winner against South Korea, and started both knock-out games. He has held onto his place in the squad since, with three starts and a substitute appearance in Belgium’s qualifiers for France 2016.
If 2013/14 was impressive, his showing at the World Cup meant that the cat was well and truly out of the bag, and another opportunity arose. Liverpool came in with a £10m offer, but in a positive move for Origi’s development, he was loaned back to Lille to continue his progression before making the move to the Premier League.
Now one of the players expected to lead the line, things have been more difficult this season. After scoring three in the first eight games, Origi went into March against Rennes having not found the net since October – a penalty against Wolfsburg in the Europa League. Rumours in January that Liverpool might call in his loan early may have unsettled him, but problems were apparent well before that.
This is not entirely Origi’s fault. Lille don’t score much, and often aren’t really set up to do so; despite the best efforts of Rony Lopes and now Sofiane Boufal, the midfield can be more concerned with holding than attacking, with sporadic service to the front line. This means that efficiency is key, which takes experience – Rene Girard was making noises about needing a proven striker, an older head, in January, but nobody came in (Kalou played that role last season), and it must be remembered that Origi is still only 19.
The hat-trick in that game against Rennes when Lille did play more expansively shows that he is capable of spearheading the attack, but whether he can do it consistently – and the set-up will maximise his chances of doing it – is the question. One gets the feeling that he will flourish with a new challenge in a new league, in a team full of creative players and with a more attack-minded manager.
When looking at his goals, the phrase ‘edge of the area’ often springs to mind – Origi has a fine shot on him, and favours low lashing strikes from a distance, often catching defenders off-guard before they can get organised. There are also a couple of headers in the mix, including against Sochaux last season where he went for it despite nearly being kicked in the head by Simon Kjaer, and close-range finishes where he evades defenders to pounce. He has speed and agility, and presence, particularly in the air.
Origi is also very comfortable playing the ball on the ground, is fond of a long solo run, and has good balance. Against Valenciennes last season, a cross from Kalou came in just behind him – he somehow managed to not fall over as he slammed on the brakes to retrieve the ball and score with a shot from…guess where?
The prognosis is good for his move to Liverpool, where if he gets a run of games with more service than at present, this will improve both his goal tally and shooting efficiency.
-- http://frenchfootballweekly.com/2015/04/02/le50-2015-the-best-prospects-in-french-football/
Here are the writeups for Ilori and Origi. There are 50 names in the list (yeah, that's a big list).
Not much in terms of new information actually, but I suppose it's a good summary of how things have gone for both the youngsters there.
TIAGO ILORI
In his first job as a club head coach, Willy Sagnol was quick to make numerous changes to the Girondins de Bordeaux side this summer. One of his moves was to bring Portuguese defender Tiago Ilori in on loan from Premier League side Liverpool, but it has been a move that has frustrated more than it has excited.
In his second loan spell from the English club, the former Sporting Lisbon youngster has shown enough in the 10 games that he has played in the league to illustrate why Sagnol wanted him at the club. However, the fact that he has yet to play four consecutive games in Ligue 1 gives an indication of the type of season Ilori has had to endure.
Ilori is something of a curiosity to supporters of parent club Liverpool. The 22-year-old is yet to feature in a senior match for Brendan Rodgers’ side and only appeared intermittently on loan at La Liga outfit Granada CF last year.
There is a reason for that. Ilori is frustratingly injury-prone and often sits out large chunks of the season, with his time at formative club Sporting Clube de Portugal no exception. The sad fact in Ilori’s young career is that the defender is actually on course to make a record number of league appearances this campaign. His previous best was 11 with Sporting, which was the only time he has hit double figures in three seasons of senior football.
His time in France didn’t get off to the best start and the Portuguese under-21 international had to wait until the fifth game to make his Girondins debut, but the Hampstead-born defender followed that up with a back-post header to secure a 1-1 draw away at Saint-Etienne the next week.
Sadly, in October, Ilori lasted less than half an hour in Bordeaux’s 1-0 loss at Reims, coming off with a muscle injury that would keep him out for over two months. Ligue 1 is one of the most physical leagues in Europe and Ilori has certainly experienced the rougher side of the campaign. It is the ideal training ground for players who want to play in England, and it will come as a concern that his body has struggled.
Ilori has played almost exclusively as the right-sided central defender, aside from one rogue appearance at left-back during a Coupe de la Ligue clash away at Lille. Frustratingly, when he has been able to play, Ilori has has fared well. Tall and relatively slim, unlike most other Ligue 1 defenders he doesn’t rely on brute strength. His style is more cerebral, calling upon his vision and ability to read the game in order to win the ball before he has to rely on a physical battle.
The defender has shown good pace along the ground, plus excellent technical ability when he has stepped out of defence. In Sagnol’s back four, Ilori has often been the one to play the ball out from the back and is definitely comfortable in possession.
While Ilori clearly has an abundance of talent, it is impossible for Bordeaux to rely on the loanee and Sagnol has admitted this is a problem over the course of the season. There is a chance that he may go back to Liverpool, leave his injury troubles behind him and eventually partner French international Mamadou Sakho in the Anfield defence, but at his current level, that is more of a hope than a possibility.
Had the youngster been fully fit all season, he would no doubt have played a key role, especially with the Africa Cup of Nations affecting Sagnol’s squad more than most in France’s top-flight. Ilori was limited to just two Coupe de France appearances in January, however, and it was not until February that he really stepped up his recovery. The defender’s injuries are not likely to just go away but perhaps if managed intelligently by Liverpool, they might be able to get the best out of him on a more consistent basis. If someone can find a way to keep Ilori on the pitch, there is a good chance they can benefit from an excellent young defender.
DIVOCK ORIGI
As senior debuts go, coming off the bench to score an equaliser is a good way to announce yourself to the league. Divock Origi had been on the pitch only minutes against Troyes in the 2012/13 season when he crashed home a header at the far post, setting up a run of substitute appearances in the run-in.
He moved up to being a regular first-team player with 35 appearances in 2013/14 (15 starts), scoring six goals and laying on two assists, supporting Salomon Kalou and Nolan Roux. With Kalou sold in summer 2014, a place opened up in the selection and Origi stepped right in.
That summer there was another, more surprising, opportunity for the young centre-forward. After scoring 10 in 19 for Belgium’s under-19s, he played once for the under-21s before being called up to the senior squad. He played in all their World Cup matches in Brazil, scored the winner against Russia, laid on the assist for the winner against South Korea, and started both knock-out games. He has held onto his place in the squad since, with three starts and a substitute appearance in Belgium’s qualifiers for France 2016.
If 2013/14 was impressive, his showing at the World Cup meant that the cat was well and truly out of the bag, and another opportunity arose. Liverpool came in with a £10m offer, but in a positive move for Origi’s development, he was loaned back to Lille to continue his progression before making the move to the Premier League.
Now one of the players expected to lead the line, things have been more difficult this season. After scoring three in the first eight games, Origi went into March against Rennes having not found the net since October – a penalty against Wolfsburg in the Europa League. Rumours in January that Liverpool might call in his loan early may have unsettled him, but problems were apparent well before that.
This is not entirely Origi’s fault. Lille don’t score much, and often aren’t really set up to do so; despite the best efforts of Rony Lopes and now Sofiane Boufal, the midfield can be more concerned with holding than attacking, with sporadic service to the front line. This means that efficiency is key, which takes experience – Rene Girard was making noises about needing a proven striker, an older head, in January, but nobody came in (Kalou played that role last season), and it must be remembered that Origi is still only 19.
The hat-trick in that game against Rennes when Lille did play more expansively shows that he is capable of spearheading the attack, but whether he can do it consistently – and the set-up will maximise his chances of doing it – is the question. One gets the feeling that he will flourish with a new challenge in a new league, in a team full of creative players and with a more attack-minded manager.
When looking at his goals, the phrase ‘edge of the area’ often springs to mind – Origi has a fine shot on him, and favours low lashing strikes from a distance, often catching defenders off-guard before they can get organised. There are also a couple of headers in the mix, including against Sochaux last season where he went for it despite nearly being kicked in the head by Simon Kjaer, and close-range finishes where he evades defenders to pounce. He has speed and agility, and presence, particularly in the air.
Origi is also very comfortable playing the ball on the ground, is fond of a long solo run, and has good balance. Against Valenciennes last season, a cross from Kalou came in just behind him – he somehow managed to not fall over as he slammed on the brakes to retrieve the ball and score with a shot from…guess where?
The prognosis is good for his move to Liverpool, where if he gets a run of games with more service than at present, this will improve both his goal tally and shooting efficiency.
