This is the final part of a series of articles looking at Town’s squad ahead of the Premier League season opener against Chelsea tomorrow. I’ve already gone through the goalkeepers, defenders, central midfielders, and wingers.
This article looks at the strikers and number tens within the squad…
Numer tens
Alex Pritchard
Town looked an awful lot better when Pritchard arrived in January. Kasey Palmer and Tom Ince had played in the number ten role in the first half of the season, but neither was able to do the job properly. Pritchard’s quality on the ball, ability to pick a pass, and energy make him perfect for the role.
Pritchard has now had time to adjust to David Wagner’s system, and has a full preseason under his belt, so he could be even better this season. Town’s new wingers are likely to get a lot of attention, but Pritchard could be at key part of Town creating more chances.
Elias Kachunga
Kachunga was unlucky with injuries last season but he’s fit and ready to go now. He came to the club as an out-and-out striker, but quickly adapted to playing on the right-wing. This preseaon he’s played mostly as a number ten, so I think he’ll be the main backup to Pritchard.
Kachunga plays the number ten role in a different way to Pritchard. He plays closer to the main striker and frequently makes runs beyond them. He doesn’t have the same level as skill on the ball, so it makes sense for him to hold it up less. I can see him being more effective in games where we’re behind and looking for a more direct threat to the goal.
Abdelhamid Sabiri
I was a bit disappointed we didn’t see more of Sabiri last season. He started off being on the bench and making occasional appearances, but then he drifted out of contention and rarely played. It may be that his form dipped in training, his attitude wasn’t right, or any number of off the field issues could have been a problem.
Sabiri has looked sharp in preseason and played the best football I’ve seen him play in a Town shirt. He was deployed further back in central midfield, but still managed to make positive runs into the box and looked a real threat. I’m not sure if he’ll get much chance this season, but I’m hopeful we’ll at least see him come off the bench from time to time.
Strikers
Steve Mounié
Now rebranded “Air Mounié” by many, because of his ability to soar through the air and score headed goals, Mounié is likely to be a our first-choice striker this season. He had an up and down first year at Town, but I think he’ll be better this time out because of his experience last season.
He’s a natural and clinical finisher that’s incredibly strong in the air. While he isn’t likely to create goals out of nowhere, he’s the person I most want to be on the end of chances, because he’s most likely to stick them in the net.
I think the challenge for Mounié this season will be to find a way to make a nuisance of himself in games where there’s not a lot of support around him. Against the top teams we’ll often have to sit quite deep, and Mounié would often drift out of games when he didn’t receive any support from his teammates.
Laurent Depoitre
Depoitre is another of the growing list of careers that David Wagner has rehabilitated after taking a wrong turn at their previous club. Depoitre failed in his year at Porto, came to Town for a modest transfer fee (in current terms at least), and proved himself to be a valuable and capable member of Town’s survival campaign.
The goal Depoitre scored against Chelsea away showed off the reasons I really like watching him play for Town. A fairly speculative punt up field was turned into a goal through Depoitre’s sheer determination, strength, and cool finishing. He absolutely battered Willy Caballero when he challanged for the ball, but then delicately guided the ball home to score the goal that confirmed our Premier League survival.
Being brutally honest, I think Mounié has a bit more class in front of goal than Depoitre, but the big Belgian brings other qualities to the team which make him an excellent alternative. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him preferred against Mounié for our toughest opposition, as he’s a more capable lone striker.