On-song dynamo proves smash hit
DURING a loan spell at Bradford City last year, Lewis O’Brien would entertain his team-mates by standing on a chair and belting out a few hits.
Superstition by Stevie Wonder. Ben E. King’s Stand by Me. “I wouldn’t even say I’m a good singer,” he told the Guardian in January. “I just put a lot of effort into it.”
As Huddersfield fans will attest, his approach to playing football is informed by exactly the same ethos.
“Lewis covered every blade of grass out there,” said Terriers boss Danny Cowley after watching O’Brien produce a manof-the-match display in last weekend’s 3-0 victory over Hull City. “I can’t wait to see his GPS stats - at least if he hasn’t blown the machine up!”
After two years of hidings, a loss of identity and a parade of players neither fit for the top flight nor connected to the fans, it is little wonder O’Brien - who turns 21 tomorrow - is a crowd favourite just seven games into his Huddersfield career.
More importantly, his attributes suit the Cowley brothers’ blueprint. Enthusiastic and outgoing. Energetic and athletic. Tactically disciplined.
“He is a really good kid and a good learner and you only have to tell him once,” said Danny last Saturday. “He just wants to add to his game and improve and is very humble. He is at a working-class club and is a working-class kid.”
Indeed, if O’Brien grew a few inches and put a bit of meat on his young bones, he would represent the identikit Cowley footballer. But is there more to the midfielder’s game than good lungs, strong legs and an affinity with the punters?
One aspect that clearly stands out is personality. On arrival at Bradford last August, O’Brien was subjected to a twitter storm of derision from Bantams supporters who viewed the signing of an untried teenager as dull and unambitious.
Yet O’Brien shrugged off not just the scepticism, but the perpetual off-field chaos that ultimately led to relegation from League One.
In a season of relentless misery that visibly drained the confidence of several senior pros, there were times when O’Brien - in his first full campaign - al
most single-handedly led the fight.
It was a similar story against Hull. At kick-off, Huddersfield hadn’t won at home in sevenand-a-half months. A win felt vital to capitalise on the momentum built by a scratchy first victory of the season at Stoke.
Versatile
O’Brien was unfazed by the stakes, playing with an intensity and assurance that set the standard for players of far greater experience.
From a tactical standpoint, O’Brien is also versatile. Against Hull, he excelled as the most advanced midfielder in a 4-2-3-1/4-1-4-1 hybrid, assisting Town’s third goal with an unselfish cross for Elias Kachunga, frequently bursting into the box and making a string of excellent decisions in possession.
It is a position he will likely cede to Alex Pritchard when the former Brentford playmaker returns to fitness, but O’Brien’s pace, energy and tactical intelligence are ideally suited to one of the deeper-lying roles currently occupied by Trevoh Chalobah and Jonathan Hogg.
Even as a No.10, he tracked runners and made a string of tackles and interceptions.
Claudio Ranieri once laughed when he was asked about playing just two men in Leicester’s midfield.
“No, no,” he told the puzzled reporter. “I have three. On the right, Kante. In the middle, Drinkwater. And on the left, Kante.”
He has a long way to go, and plenty to prove. But, right now, O’Brien is a player who can make Huddersfield feel like they have an extra man, too.