46
Another game, another scoreless display, another loss, but with a lone bright spot this time.
Eyebrows were raised when 19-year-old Willy Kambwala was thrown at the deep end against West Ham United due to Raphael Varane’s injury.
The Frenchman making senior debut against the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Mohamed Kudus gave United fans nervous times.
However, by the time he was subbed off, he was the only player to have come off the game with his reputation enhanced.
Kambwala partnered with Jonny Evans expertly in the middle, regularly sniffing out attacks to engage with the opposition higher up the pitch.
Even on the odd occasion, West Ham ran at United, he positioned himself well to shepherd the attackers away from the United goal, giving his teammates time to regroup.
In possession, it must be said that David Moyes’ team were happy to let him have the ball instead of pressing.
Still, he took care of the ball perfectly and wasn’t afraid to show for it if the situation demanded it.
Overall, he had 92 touches of the ball, joint second in the team alongside his defensive partner and behind only Luke Shaw, who had 105.
He finished with a passing accuracy of 89%, completing 75 of his 84 passes, although most of those were sideways just intended to keep possession. (Stats courtesy of sofascore)
However, there were a few raking passes too which showed the potential in him to become a premier ball-playing defender in the future.
With three clearances, a blocked shot, and never getting dribbled past, it was a complete display in the defensive sense as well since none of the goals came from his mistakes.
Kambwala will undoubtedly face sterner opposition in his senior career in the future, those who will target him and press him but for now, it was a great introduction to senior football for him.
Amidst the barrage of injuries, at least Mainoo and Kambwala’s emergence is the bright point in this wretched season.
This website aggregates and curates news articles, blog posts, and other content from a variety of external sources. While we aim to link back to the original source, this site does not own or claim ownership of any articles, posts, or other content indexed on this site. The views, opinions, and factual statements expressed in each piece of aggregated content belong solely to its respective author and publisher. We make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of aggregated content. Visitors are advised to verify facts and claims through the original source before reuse or redistribution.
