Since joining Blackpool in the summer, Josh Bowler has quickly become a fan favourite with the Bloomfield Road faithful.
Despite serious interest from Nottingham Forest, Bowler remained with Blackpool in the January transfer window, and since then, he has continued to go from strength to strength.
But what exactly has he brought to Neil Critchley’s side? With help from WhoScored’s stats, we take a look here…
Directness
The young winger does exactly what people expect – he runs at people.
Bowler is top in the squad for dribbles per game on 2.6, the next best is Keshi Anderson on 1.7, making them the only players in the squad who average over one. This marks a huge improvement on last season when CJ Hamilton topped the squad with one per game.
Bowler’s directness has helped break down sitting defences and open up tight games.
Issues for defences
Following on from his directness, Bowler causes serious headaches for opposition defences.
Like his dribbling, his shooting and passing are crucial to the team. With 1.6 shots and one key pass per game highlights his involvement in the final third. His 2.6 shot-creating actions per game ranks second in the squad to the aforementioned Anderson. This shows that he makes it difficult for defenders as they can’t get too close as he’ll dribble past them, but if they give him space, then he’ll create a shooting opportunity.
Goal Involvements
Quite simply, Bowler loves goal involvements. He is equal 2nd in the squad for goals on seven, and is tied 2nd in the squad for assists on three, one-off spot. This has put him equal top in the squad for direct goal involvements with 10, alongside Jerry Yates – this would have ranked 4th in the squad last season.
All in all, Bowler has had a highly influential role this season and, hopefully, will be a key player for Blackpool for many years to come.
