ThewolfEverton FC news: The attacker has been a real bright spark for Sean Dyche’s side – and he ranks as one of Europe’s best.
Fans at Everton have been sorely missing one type of player over the years and the signing of Iliman Ndiaye has gone some way to correcting that.
The summer arrival from Marseille was an inspired signing – something which has been in short supply across the past five or so years. Bringing in someone capable of beating a man in one versus one situations was paramount for Everton, whose overall goal tallies in recent years and overall chances created were consistently among the lowest in the Premier League.
Without him, they were forced to rely on set-pieces and winning games narrowly and it wasn’t a sustainable plan. Ndiaye was a significant step in the right direction and fans and pundits have been impressed with his quick feet and attacking play.
“With Iliman, he loves the ball at his feet. He’s like a futsal player. I played with Iliman, he’s so comfortable. He plays like he’s in a school playground, he wants the ball.” Former Blue Phil Jagielka described him as a very natural player and most players who rank highly for take-ons are exactly that. They feel the game and react on instinct in moments.
His ability to beat players is actually better than he’s been given credit for; the latest report from the CIES Football Observatory, who regularly compile brilliant statistical football analysis, have revealed that Ndiaye has been ranked second in Europe’s top five leagues in their ‘take-on index’.
The score was compiled from the frequency of successful dribbles achieved by players, corrected by their success rate (Wyscout data). Topping the list ahead of him was West Ham United’s Mohamed Kudus with a score of 92.6 – with Ndiaye behind on 87.3. Ndiaye’s position sees him ahead of the likes of AC Milan’s Rafael Leao, Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior which only elevates the level he is playing at in regards to this part of his game.
While it is an impressive stat, it must be stressed that the emphasis should be on Everton feeding him the ball as often as possible in areas where he can do some real damage – similar to his goal against Leicester City that saw him pick up the ball around the box which allowed him to skip inside a few players before scoring the opener. Otherwise all those skills and take-ons will mean little.
If they can find him in those position more often, then he will certainly affect games at a more regular rate. Everton need a spark in attack and adding another threat in the future on the opposite wing should be the focus to ensure he isn’t just ‘man-marked’ out of games. However, given the results of their findings, that could prove to be a thankless task for whoever tries.
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