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What a difference a year makes – Alex Mowatt

It’s amazing what can happen in the space of little under a calendar year, or over the course of one season to the next in football. Fortunes of teams can rise and fall, often plummeting and spiralling downwards much to the dismay of die-hard fans. At times there can be an upturn in fortunes over a season, a team nailed-on for relegation escapes the clutches of the lower division and somehow survive when all was seemingly lost. The pattern is the same for individual players too, their fortunes and peaks and troughs mirror that of football teams in general. This is true for Alex Mowatt.

Little under a year ago, Alex Mowatt was picked by Neil Redfearn for his first game of the 2014/15 Championship campaign. This was after David Hockaday had been sacked by Leeds United’s owner Massimo Cellino on the back of a disastrous 4-1 loss to Watford and an inept capitulation in the Capital One Cup to local Legue One neighbours Bradford City. In that year, Mowatt rose to be one of the shining gems of Leeds’ 2014/15 campaign, scoring nine-goals and looking every part the next player to roll off Leeds’ impressive Academy production line. That we all now, but how was his first game this season different to his first game last season?

Alex Mowatt – 2014/15 Championship
First game – 1-0 victory vs Bolton August 30, 2015

  • touches 57 (15% team total)
  • passes – 50 attempts
  • 86.7% passing accuracy
  • final third passes – 18
  • final third passing % – 36%
  • shots – 1

Alex Mowatt – 2015/16 Championship
First game – 1-1 draw vs Burnley August 08, 2015

  • touches 49 (9% team total)
  • passes – 43 attempts
  • 86.5% passing accuracy
  • final third passes – 24
  • final third passing % – 56%
  • shots – 2

Verdict

The difference in Alex Mowatt in under a season is clear, clear and for all to see. Whilst taking less touches in this season’s opener against Burnley (49 as opposed to 57 vs Bolton last season – 9% vs 15% of team touches), his passing was much more effective. Whilst being pretty much on the button with accuracy of passes attempted (86.7% vs Bolton in 2014, 86.5% vs Burnley 2015) and also volume of passes (50 vs Bolton, 43 vs Burnley), it’s the type of passes that shows the improvement in Alex Mowatt. Against Burnley he tried significantly more ‘final third passes’ (passes into the Leeds attacking/opponent defensive third of the field) with 56% (24 passes) of his 43 passes being of this type, as opposed to 36% (18 passes) vs Bolton in 2014.

Whilst only one part of his passing mechanic, it does show that Alex Mowatt’s passing is adapting to Uwe Rösler’s demand for a more focused attacking brand of football. As the games pass, should Mowatt be able to keep up this tempo and accuracy, it will be interesting to see just what further effect it has on his season.

 

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