STARS OF THE SHOW
Chris Dunlavy looks at the race to be the Championship’s top man
BEFORE too long, managers across the Championship will be presented with a ballot-paper and asked to name their top five opposing players.
Five points will be awarded to the player at the top of every list. One for the man at the bottom. A bout of basic maths will follow and whoever gets the highest score will, in April, replace Anthony Knockaert as EFL player of the year.
With no runaway top-scorer and no dazzling virtuoso like Knockaert, this year promises to be one of the most open and unpredictable contests in the award’s 13-year history – and means anyone hitting form now is in with a shout.
Here, then, are the runners and riders – and how we think they’ll fare.
MATEJ VYDRA – DERBY
SINCE its inauguration in 2006, no player has ever won the Championship player of the year award twice. Could Vydra be the first?
The Czech striker’s first gong came in 2013, when 20 goals in 41 games powered Watford all the way to a play-off final.
Now, after difficult first season at Pride Park, the whippet-quick 25-yearold has rediscovered his mojo. In a season devoid of truly prolific strikers, Vydra leads the charts with 17, two clear of Sheffield United’s Leon Clarke.
Traditionally played as an out-andout striker, Gary Rowett has turned Vydra into a No.10 – and reaped the rewards. “He’s a more rounded player said the Rams boss. “When he goes and closes people down, when he sprints and steps on the gas, he makes things happen.”
For: Hard to ignore the division’s top scorer and strikers always poll well. Of the last ten winners, seven played up top and one – Kevin Nolan at Newcastle in 2009 – was a No.10.
Against: A golden boot is no guarantee – just ask Chris Wood, Daryl Murphy and Glenn Murray, who were al overlooked in recent years. And despite Rowett’s praise, Vydra is still viewed as a pure goalscorer, meaning he may need a monster total to triumph.
Verdict: Only if he scores another ten between now and May
RUBEN NEVES – WOLVES
“WHEN Wolves broke the Championship transfer record to sign Ruben Neves from Porto, we all wondered if he’d perform like a £15m pound player,” said FLP pundit Adam Virgo.
“Well you know what? The midfielder looks like a £30m player. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen a better footballer in the second tier.”
Has anyone? Others have scored more goals, made more assists or dazzled with tricks and turns. But has any exhibited such complete mastery of midfield, that innate ability to see passes lesser players don’t dream of ?
Neves playing in the Championship is like Babe Ruth playing rounders. Little wonder, then, that Manchester United are eyeing the 20-year-old Portuguese international as a replacement for Michael Carrick. He really is that good.
For: Like Zlatan and that four-goal salvo against England, Neves has made a mockery of doubts over his ability to adapt to the Championship. His vision and technical ability are a cut above any other player in the divinow,” sion – and he can get stuck in too. Against: Not much – though his stats (four goals, no assists) could be better. Verdict: If not nailed on, then a heavy favourite
RYAN SESSEGNON – FULHAM
STATS released this week show that Fulham’s teenage tyro is the most clinical finisher in England.
With 13 goals from 44 efforts, the wingback has scored with 29.5 percent of his shots – making him twice as deadly as Harry Kane.
That’s impressive enough before you consider Sessegnon is already one of the Championship’s best players before he’s even old enough to buy a pint. Fast, fearless and more versatile than a Swiss Army Knife, the 17-yearold has a talent and temperament far beyond his years and is set to attract bids north of £30m this summer.
For: Like the Oscars, timing is every-
thing when it comes to EFL awards. Only Sergio Aguero has hit more goals than Sessegnon in 2018 and all those headlines are sure to catch the eye.
Against: No player from outside the top four has ever won the prize, so Fulham will need to maintain their form. Managers may give him the Young Player of the Year award (for which he should be a shoo-in) instead.
Verdict: May have to settle for the lesser award (and a move to Spurs, so hey)
DIOGO JOTA – WOLVES
SEVERAL Wolves players deserve a mention, not least Barry Douglas. With ten assists, four goals and a left foot like a silk glove, the Scot has been majestic at full-back.
Defenders, though, traditionally fair badly – not since Phil Jagielka snagged the inaugural award in 2006 has anyone been recognised for keeping the back door shut.
Ivan Cavaleiro has also glistened, but Jota is the man who really makes Wolves tick. Having likened himself to Antoine Griezmann on his arrival from Atletico Madrid, the 21-year-old set a treacherously high bar.
He sailed clear. The Portuguese forward is skilful, inventive and as comfortable creating chances as finishing them off. “He has been incredible,” said team-mate Conor Coady. “He has taken to it like a duck to water. He gets kicked but he just gets up. We are lucky to have him.”
For: Twelve goals, four assists and a string of match-changing displays. Jota’s unplayability is regularly mentioned by opposing managers he has clearly left an imprint.
Against: Jota was, without doubt, the best player in the Championship during Autumn and early winter. Though hardly struggling, his form has certainly tailed off.
Verdict: In the running – especially if he finishes the season as he started it.
ROBERT SNODGRASS – ASTON VILLA
A class act who shouldn’t be anywhere near the Championship, it is no surprise that Villa’s mid-season resurrection coincided with Snodgrass hitting top gear.
Since the end of November, the Scot’s laser-guided left foot has created nine goals, more than any other player in the same period.
Described by Steve Bruce as an “old-fashioned” winger, Snodgrass makes up for his lack of searing pace with guile, graft and delivery to die for.
Quite why Slaven Bilic loaned him to Villa is a mystery. David Moyes was desperate to bring the 30year-old back into the fold, but – thankfully for Villa – the seasonlong deal agreed in August was watertight. As demonstrated by his match-winning display against Sheffield Wednesday last weekend, that could prove crucial.
For: Timing again. Villa’s form. Most importantly, managers don’t need to be won over. After a decade in England, much of it at the highest level, they already know Snodgrass is a consummate technician.
Against: Like Sessegnon, he isn’t a striker. Unlike Neves, he isn’t an exotic name. Critical as he has been to Villa, Snodgrass may just be seen as part of the furniture. After all, nobody waxes lyrical about their fridge, but they’d be knackered without it. Verdict: Rank outsider