Ryan’s sharp football brain makes him Mr Versatile
HASSELBAINK’S PRAISE FOR AUSSIE MIDFIELDER
RYAN Edwards’ acute football brain makes him the ideal candidate to be Burton Albion’s Mr Versatile, according to manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
Edwards, the Australian midfielder in his second season with the club, has put a pre-season injury and a stuttering start to the campaign behind him and is again turning in the all-action, hard-working displays that made him a firm favourite last season.
Quite clearly, Hasselbaink’s demanding style, which involves his team pressing the opposition relentlessly, suits Edwards’ ability to keep going at full pace throughout matches.
That was most obvious when he ran from just outside his own penalty area in stoppage time to score a killer second goal for Burton away to Northampton Town.
But in recent games he has often been the player harrying the opposition as they try to build attacks from deep late in games.
He continues to return statistics which show he runs further than any other player – but not always, now, since Hasselbaink has subtly changed his role a few times, sitting him further back, having him support the forwards with runs into the box or even playing wide.
He was further forward than ever in Saturday’s 3-0 win against Crewe Alexandra, so much so he was the first player in the match to be caught offside.
All the variations still come under the title of midfielder, yet are notably different roles.
Hasselbaink says Edwards has no trouble understanding the differences.
“Ryan is very versatile and one thing he does not get enough credit for, he is tactically very good in different positions,” said Hasselbaink. “He understands the job we are asking of him and that’s why I can move him around. “He starts in the middle of the park but in some games I have moved him wide to the left or to the right to close games off. He’s been doing really well.” Hasselbaink spoke last week of the balance between what the scientific data on player performance was telling him and the evidence of his own eyes.
The manager’s eyes come first but the data remains an important tool. “It’s about what you are doing with the information,” said Hasselbaink. “For instance, Ryan, for the last three or four matches, his lowest would be 10.8km.
“Maybe, in that game, I’ve asked him to sit a little bit more, be a bit more disciplined for the counterattack against us.
“You have to look at the job you’re asking of the player. If he has been in a more advanced area and you’re asking him to break the line and make runs forward, then Ryan has sometimes been over 11.5km, sometimes close to 12.
“When you have players doing that much, you have to be careful with them in the recovery, to give them the best chance to go again and be themselves in the next game.”
It certainly seems to be an area in which the manager does not have to worry about Edwards, although he was able to bring him off with 10 minutes left when Burton were cruising to victory against Crewe Alexandra.
Ryan is very versatile and one thing he does not get enough credit for, he is tactically very good in different positions. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink