Angel Gomes starred for England in their win over Finland and it has become clear over the last month that he will have a role to play in the future of the Three Lions.
In many ways, Angel Gomes wasn’t meant to be where he is right now and that is what made his appearances against Ireland and Finland rather pleasing. He put on a show against Finland yesterday, weeks after doing the same against the same opponent.
About four years ago, this would have seemed unimaginable for the then 20-year-old Gomes, who was leaving Manchester United after the expiry of his contract and then linking up with Lille on a free transfer.
This came after years of promise for United, where he showed glimpses of his talent in the first-team and also made a mark in the youth sides, famously making his club debut while coming on for the legendary Wayne Rooney. In the process, as a 16-year-old midfielder, Gomes became United’s youngest player ever since Duncan Edwards, something that essentially put a huge amount of expectation on his shoulders.
Towards the end of his stint at Old Trafford, a perception had developed that his stature was too diminutive to play in an attacking midfield role and despite United’s issues in that position before the arrival of Bruno Fernandes, Gomes never really played in the number ten spot. Often, it was felt that there was a lack of trust from United’s side, which led to his exit and the eventual move to Lille.
After impressing in a loan stint at Boavista, the midfielder became a squad player for Les Douges. Progress was slow, as he adapted to a new league, playing less than 1000 minutes in his first season in Ligue 1 and that is when he was used closer to goal by manager Jocelyn Gourvennec.
In the 2022/23 season, Paulo Fonseca arrived after his stint at Roma. The club lost Amadou Onana, Sven Botman and Renato Sanches but it didn’t discourage the new Portuguese boss at all.
That is when Gomes’ position changed, as Fonseca began to use the London-born player in a deeper role to make the most of his ability to play against a press, operate between the lines, and break them with his range of passing.
He got six assists in the 2022/23 season, taking the tally to ten in the 2023/24 season. While it was a drop in goal contributions from how he scored six and assisted three at Boavista, it was perhaps a better use of his strengths as a player and it negated his weakness.
His numbers from last season showed that he is so much more involved in build-up than an advanced midfielder would be. He is constantly carrying the ball forward, linking up play, taking about 70 touches per 90 minutes and playing 54 accurate passes per 90 minutes as well.
That is quite a transition for someone who started as a number ten and while coming through at United, the expectation was that Gomes would develop into the player who plays that final killer pass. He still does supply that, creating 2.35 chances per 90 minutes this season, and generating an Expected Assists per 90 minutes tally of 0.24 but there is clearly more involvement in the dictating of play as well.
His ability in deeper midfield is also helped by the fact that Gomes wins a majority of his duels too.
This season, he has won 60 percent of his duels and has won 57 percent of his aerial duels too, showing that he isn’t just someone who does on-the-ball work. He does benefit from a smaller frame, allowing him to be quite fleet footed in his approach when he is on the ball.
England’s recognition of his talent was probably a bit late as despite having a press-resistant and versatile midfielder in their pool, they largely ignored him until Lee Carsley’s temporary arrival at the helm.
But now, England are blessed with options like Gomes, Adam Wharton and Kobbie Mainoo, with Declan Rice being the more established player in the heart of the park. It would be unlikely to see Mainoo and Gomes play together at the same time due to the similarity in their profile and height, and that is why the Lille star’s first start came alongside Rice, against Finland at Wembley in September.
In that game, Gomes played 86 forward zone passes – more than anyone else on the pitch. In total, he played 123 passes and that was the most in the game and an incredibly high figure.
It was against a side that stayed deep, allowing Gomes the room to play those passes but even against a side that presses high, the midfielder has the skill set to play between the lines, beat a man and break presses. That is similar to what Mainoo does but Gomes also provides a bit more versatility due to his background of being an attacking midfielder.
Yesterday, again against Finland, Gomes started alongside Rice, grabbing a beautiful assist for Jack Grealish’s opening goal and he played a total of 100 passes, behind only two other England players.
He was also more involved in the final third than he was in the first game against Finland, showcasing his versatility in the heart of the park.
While more challenges are yet to come, England now have someone who can dictate play really well against a side that sits deep. Gomes can carve them open, shift their block from side to side, and find gaps to make an impact.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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