2011/12 Player Focus: Nani
Last season saw Nani finally realise the potential that persuaded Sir Alex Ferguson to shell out €25.5m for his services back in June 2007. In his fourth season at Old Trafford, the former Sporting CP winger developed a consistency previously missing in his game, and was a pivotal figure in Man United’s march to the 2010/11 title.
Sunday’s two-goal Man of the Match performance against Man City in the Community Shield merely served as a reminder of the Portuguese player’s sumptuous skills, and with the new Premier League season only two days away, we look at what the season ahead may hold.
The Upcoming Season
A broken ankle for Antonio Valencia last September was a huge factor in Nani’s previous campaign. With little competition for a first-team place, he was finally given the game time to establish himself as a United regular- Nani made a total of 33 appearances, the most of any season so far in his career in England.
Valencia’s return from injury at the tail end of 2010/11 saw Nani drift slightly out of the picture and the Ecuadorian capped his comeback at Nani’s expense with a slot on the right in the Champions League Final with Barcelona. Sir Alex Ferguson opted for the industry of Valencia and Ji Sung Park on the flanks but with Barca at their brilliant best, Valencia, in particular, cut a despondent figure with a thoroughly inept performance.
This summer has seen Ashley Young arrive from Aston Villa in a deal rumoured to be in the region of £20m and, although the battle for a first-team slot has intensified, it’s a challenge Nani is relishing:
Already this close season he has bagged 4 goals, with the Wembley brace over Roberto Mancini’s side a continuation of his form so far. With the mooted arrival of Wesley Sneijder becoming more likely as August progresses, Sir Alex Ferguson will clearly have a balancing act on his hands. The United boss will need to ensure each player gets a fair quota of game time during 2011/11, though the adaptability of both Nani and Young may offer the pair a distinct advantage, with their respective games suited to either flank.
Nani’s Character Strengths
A look at Nani’s stats from last season back up the strengths highlighted by WhoScored.com’s character profile:
Distribution
While Sneijder leads the way on 2.9 Key Passes per game, the other three’s stats are still impressive- indeed, Nani‘s are ranked “Very Strong”, as shown above. Nani and Valencia are tied on 2.4 and with Young on 2.3 per game, it’s clear just how much creativity is on offer from the Old Trafford wide men. A comparison with other Premier League players reveals Rafael Van der Vaart also averaged 2.4 while Cesc Fabregas offered 2.9 per game- an indication of what Sneijder would bring.
Nani’s set-piece delivery and accurate balls from out wide helped him pick up 14 assists- more than Young (10) and Valencia (2) combined, though the latter did only turn out 10 times for United.
When it comes to pass accuracy, Valencia leads the way, with 86%. Nani’s 80%, while lower, indicates a tendency to take risks more often and his 14 assists are indicative of his success, in this respect. Young lags behind the others on 72%.
Shooting
Nani is also rated “Very Strong” for Long Shots and his shots per game is indicative of that; averaging 3.1, it’s the equivalent of a forward, with Sneijder’s 3.0 boosted by set-piece duties at Inter. Valencia -with a mere 0.3 shots per game- is always likely to look for a team mate rather than take a shot himself. This is backed up by his pass accuracy, and perhaps explains why Sir Alex Ferguson sees him as more of a team player than Nani, despite being less explosive when on the ball.
Valencia’s ratio of 1 goal for every 3 shots is slightly misleading overall- he only had 3 shots in his 10 games. Sneijder’s finishing was poor, in comparison, though; just 4 goals from 75 shots is 1 goal for every 18.7. Nani’s eye for goal saw him take an incredible 102 shots and with 9 goals, average 1 every 11.3 while Young grabbed 1 goal per 10.1 attempts.
Dribbling and Crossing
Nani made more crosses than any player in England’s top-flight bar Leighton Baines; with 2.3 successful deliveries per game, he just edges Young and Valencia on 2.2 and 2.1 respectively. Playing from a central position means Sneijder’s stats are never likely to be as high; his 1.2 per game reflects this.
Nani’s character reveals he ranks Very Strong for Dribbles- averaging 2.5 per game, he was second only to Charles N’Zogbia in the Premier League. Valencia -next best on 1.5- shows just how superior the Portuguese winger was. Young’s surprisingly low 0.5 indicates a tendency to cross before taking a man on, but with more time and space on the ball at United as opponents sit deeper, this should increase.
It’s of little surprise that Nani has the highest overall rating of the quartet, with 7.58 per game in WhoScored ratings summing up what proved an exceptional season. With Sir Alex Ferguson already promising him a starting place for United’s trip to West Brom on Sunday, more of the same can be expected.
