Barnsley’s about-turn over the course of one season has been nothing short of stunning. Over the course of this season, they have gone from nearly relegated at the end of 2020 to a solid play-off place.
The Tykes have really shaken it up this season and one man has stood out at the centre of that improvement – club captain Alex Mowatt.
He’s certainly been catching the eye for the South Yorkshire outfit which led to the following tongue-in-cheek tweet:
Chances created this season:
Mbappe & Ronaldo combined: 62
Alex Mowatt: 63That is all. #YouReds | #BarnsleyFC 🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/Y20fTUBU3x
— CLUB (@clubgame_app) April 23, 2021
Whilst that is firmly leaning on the comical, it is still a tweet that bears an element of truth as to just how vital former Leeds United youngster Mowatt has been for Valerian Ismael’s outfit.
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Mowatt helping to push Barnsley onward this season
It would be easy to dismiss the above tweet as clickbait – it is, indeed, just that. However, it is much harder to dismiss just how vital Alex Mowatt has been to the Barnsley cause this 2020/21 campaign.
The above tweet ranking him above a combined Mbappe/Ronaldo for chances created has to be taken at its tongue-in-cheek face value – even though it is true.
According to WhoScored data, Mowatt does have 63 ‘chances’ to his name through ‘key passes’ – passes where a teammate is presented with a goal-scoring chance.
Those 63 chances might place him in front of the much more illustrious duo of Mbappe and Ronaldo but are only good enough to place him 9th in the Sky Bet Championship – Norwich City’s Emiliano Buendia leads the way with 116 key passes/chances created over the season.
Yet, Mowatt has been a driving force behind the Tykes success this season. That much is clear to see from the 8 goals and 7 assists that he has picked up over his 42 Championship appearances this season.
The Comment
Since breaking through as a youngster at Leeds United, Alex Mowatt has always been a player seen as having a degree of potential and promise. He didn’t really fulfil that at Elland Road.
Indeed, he struggled in his first season or so at Oakwell as he adapted to football in a new place and with different expectations.
All that hard work has been done and is definitely behind him now. That is clear from how he is playing for the South Yorkshire side this season. Alongside the likes of Cauley Woodrow and Daryl Dike, Alex Mowatt is driving the Tykes towards what is hoped to be a Premier League promotion.
