Young players watch
- Thread starter rurikbird
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Not half as many rolls as he’d be doing after Luke Ayling’s wiped him out.
Forgot about that part of the game...
View: https://x.com/OptaAnalyst/status/1859214881599221984
There’s a wonderful certainty about players like Ben Doak. When they get the ball on the wing, you know a full-back is about to have their backtracking ability and balance tested.
Doak terrorised left-backs with regularity at youth level for Celtic before making the move to Liverpool in 2022. He has seen some first-team football at Anfield already, but was sent to Middlesbrough this summer by Arne Slot for some regular senior games, and it’s paying off.
He has a goal and three assists for Michael Carrick’s men in the Championship, while only five players in the division have created more than his 20 chances from open play. Of players to have played at least 540 minutes, Doak has the most attacking sequence involvements per 90 of anyone in England’s second tier (7.3), while nobody can match his 2.8 chances created per 90.
The 19-year-old also starred for Scotland in the last week, having more touches in the opposition box and creating more chances than any of his teammates in both UEFA Nations League wins over Croatia and Poland, also providing an assist for John McGinn against the latter.
Slot has already semi-joked about bringing him back from Middlesbrough early. With question marks about Mohamed Salah’s future, who knows? Next season could be an even bigger one for Doak back on Merseyside.
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It's been exactly what was needed for Doak after a frustrating spell with injuries. Fair play to Carrick for backing him and playing him. He's proving to himself as a manager the right way. Ut will be interesting to see what we do next year with Doak. Salah will get sorted so it will likely depend on what's going on with Chiesa in terms of how many minutes we can gift him.
The best case scenario is Boro get promoted and they back him in the PL.
The best case scenario is Boro get promoted and they back him in the PL.
Should we recall him in Jan?
Pity about Danns' injury - could've benefitted from regular games - not at the originally linked Plymouth though. 😏
He does all the things well your typical old school winger would've done, if he can refine his game so he's not spending so much time out wide and getting involved more centrally (which is where goals more likely to come) then he'll become a real player.
I was thinking in relation to a January return. A pl club next season would be grand if he gets the minutes
The way Slot uses players, he'd play about 5 games for the rest of the season if he's recalled. It's best if he stays put.
Which was my point
My initial post wasn't actually a reply to your post, but good, were on the same page.
honestly i’m wondering whether we should let him go another season at middlesbrough, especially if they get promoted.
i thought it was a big mistake with carvalho. on one hand Mo rarely misses games and hates being rested but on the other we need depth and he’ll have to compromise that stance slightly with age.
doak doesn’t improve on 5 starts and another handful of late sub appearances next season
i thought it was a big mistake with carvalho. on one hand Mo rarely misses games and hates being rested but on the other we need depth and he’ll have to compromise that stance slightly with age.
doak doesn’t improve on 5 starts and another handful of late sub appearances next season
Nah.
Unless he learns when to release the ball early and not think hes maradona, he's ngmi.
He won't be afforded that amount of time against top opposition.
Unless he learns when to release the ball early and not think hes maradona, he's ngmi.
He won't be afforded that amount of time against top opposition.
20M and i'll bite.
pfft better slap a 35% sell-on on that one too.
1 goal and 5 assists in 15 games.
I wouldn’t write him off - he’s clearly improving
Fabio’s stats were on fire in comparison and brought him here too soon - not sure why he didn’t develop as he was clearly a high level talent.
But as a Liverpool loanee in the Championship, if you’re gonna be a contender you would need to be at say 5 goals and 10 assists to be considered a starter in waiting
More time might do it
I wouldn’t write him off - he’s clearly improving
Fabio’s stats were on fire in comparison and brought him here too soon - not sure why he didn’t develop as he was clearly a high level talent.
But as a Liverpool loanee in the Championship, if you’re gonna be a contender you would need to be at say 5 goals and 10 assists to be considered a starter in waiting
More time might do it
