While it feels like it just started, the new season is well underway, and while we have heard so much about the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Mikel Oyarzabal who have been outstanding at the start of this campaign, I have decided to take a look at a few players who have shined, and gone hugely under the radar this season.
André-Frank Zambo Anguissa
Those reading this probably don’t know that I am a Fulham fan, so I naturally jumped at any opportunity to write about our star man André-Frank Zambo Anguissa. I have already waxed lyrical about his exploits at Villarreal last season, and having managed to fend off interest from the vultures Fulham have managed to keep hold of the Cameroon international, and are now taking advantage of this.
While Fulham haven’t looked great this season – dangling precariously above the relegation zone at the time of writing – Anguissa has been nothing short of brilliant. As he showed last season in La Liga, Zambo is one of the most technically gifted midfielders on the planet without exaggeration. His 3.1 dribbles per 90 puts him in the top 5 in the Premier League, and top among players in his position, showing how vital he is in carrying the ball for Fulham. 2.5 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per 90 are very impressive too, and when you watch him, especially in the impressive 2-1 victory over high-flying Leicester, there is no questioning how vital he is for Fulham when it comes to carrying the ball forward. He has 2 assists this season, and no player has carried the ball forward more than him in a Fulham shirt this season. As a Fulham fan, I take huge joy in watching Anguissa play for us, knowing he could do much better, and he’s proved me right so far this season, and if he continues in the form he has shown so far this season, I have no doubt that Fulham’s survival chances will improve sizeably.
Daichi Kamada
This should be a name familiar to those who followed the Europa League avidly last season, it took a while for Frankfurt’s Japan international to start getting regular Bundesliga minutes, but now he is proving to be one of their most important forwards, and in just 9 appearances this season, he has already matched his goal involvements from last season, and has shown how much he can really offer Frankfurt.
Frankfurt seem likely to be resigned to mid-table mediocrity this season, with them currently in 9th place in the Bundesliga. Kamada, however has really impressed. Only Thomas Müller betters Kamada’s 3.1 key passes per 90 at the time of writing, and similarly the Bayern man is the only player with more assists than Kamada’s 5, and while Kamada does have the impressive André Silva to create for, he’s hardly the Robert Lewandowski whom Thomas Müller has, with 1 goal on top of the 5 assists, Kamada has had a hand in just under half of Die Adler’s goals, showing just how important he has become. He has also created a huge 28 chances this season, Thomas Müller, once again is the only player in the Bundesliga to better that total this season. While he may be 24, this feels like Daichi Kamada’s breakout season, he is a bit of a late bloomer in this regard, but he seems to be on the verge of stardom, and he’s definitely someone Bundesliga watchers should keep their eyes on this season.
Boulaye Dia
It’s fair to say that Stade De Reims are significantly weaker this season than they were last season. Whereas last season they achieved European football through their dogged defensive style of play, this season looks a very different story, and they sit just above the relegation play-off spot in 17th and look in for a difficult season, one man who has been extremely impressive this season, is 24 year old Frenchman Boulaye Dia.
Dia has been absolutely integral for Reims this season, having scored 8 goals, 50% of their total for the season, and this season there is more pressure on Reims’ attack as their defence has suffered hugely from the extremely tight back line that they had last season with only Strasbourg conceding more than their 22 this season. His 2.5 shots per 90 is the best in the Reims side, and a vast improvement on his 1.6 last season, and he has already bettered his total of 7 from last season, he has really stepped up, with only Mbappe scoring more than him so far this season in Ligue 1. His finishing has been superb this season too, while his xG per 90 of 0.72 is indeed impressive, he should only have around 6 goals this season, so he is overperforming, but if he can keep up his impressive goalscoring rate this season, that will be huge if Reims are to stay up.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Serie A has looked hyper competitive this season, with several teams battling it out at the top of the table, as AC Milan hold top spot, one of the teams who have looked good this season is AS Roma, who will be looking to improve on their distinctly average campaign last season. If they are to do so, it’s fair to say that if Henrikh Mkhitaryan continues the form he has shown at the start of this season, he will be owed a debt of gratitude by the Romans as the 31 year old Armenian has been absolutely stellar at the start of this campaign.
Mkhitaryan is starting to prove the doubters he gained from his time in England wrong this season so far, with 5 goals and 4 assists in 10 Serie A games this season as well as a goal and an assist in 2 Europa League starts for i Giallorossi. The most impressive thing about him this season is that he isn’t even over performing his xG, by xG he should actually probably have 1 more goal, which is a scary prospect for Serie A defences, his combined xG and xA of 1.04 is up there with the world’s elite, and the only question I’m asking is what they’re putting in his cereal in Rome, as he has turned into one of Serie A’s most dangerous attackers. Unsurprisingly all of his numbers are excellent, with 3.3 shots per 90 the best of his career, even dating back to his Borussia Dortmund days and 1.8 key passes at its’ best for years too, and with 1.3 dribbles per 90 on top of that we’re all left wondering what more Paulo Fonseca could possibly ask of the Armenia international as he seems to get better with every game, with his hat trick in a 3-1 win over Genoa really showing off not just his quality, but also his importance to this Roma side, I hesitate to even wonder what his numbers will look like come the end of the season if he keeps this up, as Mkhytaryan turning into nothing short of one of Europe’s top forwards, like he was in his Dortmund days.
Marcos Llorente
This may be a name that still makes Liverpool fans shudder, but it is fair to say that Marcos Llorente has been one of the surprise packages of the season so far. Atlético Madrid currently sit top of La Liga, with 2 games in hand on second placed Real Sociedad, and for the first time in many years it looks as if Atléti could finally win another La Liga title, and the bizarre but impressive transformation of Marcos Llorente is one of the key reasons for this.
Last season, Llorente played reasonably well for Atlético, but seemed really to be little more than a relatively immobile, limited defensive midfielder, this season, however he has exploded to life, looking one of the most exciting box to box midfielders in Spain. The 25 year old has already chipped in with 4 goals and 2 assists in 10 La Liga games this season, already the same number of goal involvements as he managed in 29 La Liga games last season. Despite this new lease of life in his game in an attacking sense, Llorente has not neglected his defensive duties, his 1.7 combined tackles and interceptions this season are up on his 1.5 last season, Llorente really is a completely different beast this season, he also takes 1.3 shots per 90 this season, which is more than double what he achieved last season, he also seems far fitter and more ready to take on a key role in Atléti’s title charge this season, especially with Thomas Partey’s departure to Arsenal, while Lucas Torreira may seem the most obvious replacement for him, it seems that it is Marcos Llorente who is taking on that responsibility, and he’s doing that far better then I could have imagined he would, La Liga fans, this is a man who is really worth getting excited about.
Football 37 