Use Mitro right and he can shine in Prem
STRIKER NEEDS A CHANCE
NEWCASTLE United were beaten 2-1 by York City on the day Aleksandar Mitrovic made his debut in English football. It was not a glorious occasion. The £12m man was overshadowed by an anonymous York trialist, whose spectacular winner left Steve McClaren, decked in an unfortunate club coat, looking like a miserable waiter.
Mitrovic slogged away as the rain battered Bootham Crescent, but he had about as much luck as the travelling Mags I encountered trying to find an open nightclub on a Wednesday night.
“Mitro will improve, no question,” insisted McClaren. Except he didn’t. McClaren left. Rafa Benitez arrived.
The Spaniard had absolutely zero tolerance for a player he regarded as incompatible with his tactical demands and, after 17 goals in 72 increasingly rare appearances, Mitrovic was gone.
Insane
“A nice lad,” said Benitez. “But for us, he was not the kind of player we were looking for. That’s it.”
From the vantage point of the current season, that assessment seems insane. Mitrovic has already scored 35 times for a Fulham side steaming to promotion and is on course to set a Championship benchmark that may never be beaten. Who isn’t looking for a player like that?
Admirably, Mitrovic and Benitez never fell out, with each acknowledging the other’s point of view.
Benitez wanted the striker to drop deep, pick up opposition midfielders and generally defend from the front. Mitrovic argued that he was wasting energy that could otherwise be expended in the act of scoring goals.
Both men were probably justified, but there is no doubt that the way Benitez treated Mitrovic has left a stain on the 27-year-old’s reputation.
Despite a welter of stats that suggest otherwise, Mitrovic is widely regarded as a player in purgatory; too good for the Championship, too bad for the Premier League.
It’s nonsense, of course. A centre-forward of his obvious quality, with 44 international goals for Serbia, is demonstrably good enough to thrive in the top flight. Like any footballer, he just needs to be used properly.
Take Romelu Lukaku, Chelsea’s £98m summer signing. The Belgian has scored 262 career goals, finished third in a World Cup and last season won a Serie A title with Inter.
Nobody would suggest the Belgian is deficient at the highest level, yet in Thomas Tuchel’s safety-first Chelsea side, he looks like a pub player.
“We demand a lot from our strikers in terms of defending,” said the German. “We want to be a physical and hard-working group, one that’s not shy to make it a physical game and not only a skilful game. That maybe plays a part.”
Difference
Sound familiar? The difference, of course, is that Lukaku has had a chance to prove himself elsewhere. Who is to say that Mitrovic, too, wouldn’t have scored 24 goals in Serie A last season? If you don’t give someone a shot, you never know.
And the sad thing is, we probably never will. Under Marco Silva, Fulham do exactly what Mitrovic needs.
They cross regularly, surround the striker with willing runners and skilful technicians and, most importantly, dominate possession. Like Lukaku at Inter, Mitrovic doesn’t need to defend.
Next year - certainly if history is any barometer - it will be all hands to the pump. Fulham will create fewer chances, see less of the ball, and spend a lot of time defending their own box.
Like Scott Parker before him, Silva will almost certainly end up dropping Mitrovic in favour of a less potent forward who can chase, harry and press.
Mitrovic has come a long way since that sodden night at York in 2015, maturing into arguably the greatest striker the Championship has ever seen. But he should – and could – be so much more.
EVERY penny counts in the Championship, especially in the aftermath of a pandemic that decimated finances. So credit to Huddersfield Town on making every ticket a tenner for next weekend’s visit from Bournemouth. Of course, the aim atmosphere is to create a ripping against But a promotion rival. initiatives like that open the doors to so many families couldn’t who otherwise afford to watch can turn football, and young kids into life. As fans for the saying goes, get out you what you put in.