Anyone think he'll make it? Just stumbled upon this informative piece..
It is impossible not to notice Michael Ngoo. During games he sticks out as an adult playing with a bunch of kids would, such is the gap in height between the 6 ft 4 tall striker and the rest of the players. The difference is so marked that it is difficult not to presume, even if fleetingly, that his inclusion might be purely to leverage on his height and get the team some easy goals.
Watch Ngoo play, however, and such notions would quickly disappear. His height is an obvious advantage but what he truly brings to the side is the ability to run with the ball, to get past people and create goals just as much as score them
When Ngoo joined Liverpool from Southend midway through last season, such instances were sporadic. There would be one or two moves hinting that the player had something about him but there would also be miscontrolled passes or instances where possession was lost far too cheaply. It was as if his eagerness to prove that he was a player with the technique worthy of playing for Liverpool, and not someone who was only good enough to act as a target man, was getting in the way of him showing what he really could do.
It is easy to understand Ngoo’s state of mind. The previous summer, he had been invited for a trial by Manchester United where he had joined their academy side for a tournament in Ireland. There he had done well enough to be judged as one of the best players on show and United were interested in making the deal permanent. Yet there was also some reluctance from their part to pay what Southend were asking and ultimately nothing came out of it.
Mentally it must have been tough on him to get over such a disappointment and, when the chance to play for Liverpool came about, the pressure to justify his place must have been immense.
With games and time, his confidence started to grow and so it is that this season we are seeing an almost completely different player, one who is a menace every time he gets the ball at his feet.
Yet there is more to Ngoo’s progress than just belief. Over the summer he seems to have bulked up a fair bit which has made him not only more imposing as a player but also much more difficult to bully physically. From a player who struggled to handle a full game last season, he now looks more than ready to take on the next challenge which is that of showing his ability with the reserves.
In truth, that this hasn’t happened already because of his call ups to the England U19s. It would be easy to view the frequency and timing of those games as a hindrance but they are anything but. Tactically, he is learning by facing different styles of players and also by coming across different systems to those that he is used to at Liverpool. Noel Blake, who is the English U19s manager, has experimented with Ngoo playing him both in a central role and as a support striker in a three man attack.
His ability has shone through in both roles yet it would appear that his impact is much more significant in the latter system. Defenders quite simply aren’t expecting such a big player to be so good with the ball at his feet. And, even when they know what to expect, they often can’t deal with it.
It is impossible not to notice Michael Ngoo. During games he sticks out as an adult playing with a bunch of kids would, such is the gap in height between the 6 ft 4 tall striker and the rest of the players. The difference is so marked that it is difficult not to presume, even if fleetingly, that his inclusion might be purely to leverage on his height and get the team some easy goals.
Watch Ngoo play, however, and such notions would quickly disappear. His height is an obvious advantage but what he truly brings to the side is the ability to run with the ball, to get past people and create goals just as much as score them
When Ngoo joined Liverpool from Southend midway through last season, such instances were sporadic. There would be one or two moves hinting that the player had something about him but there would also be miscontrolled passes or instances where possession was lost far too cheaply. It was as if his eagerness to prove that he was a player with the technique worthy of playing for Liverpool, and not someone who was only good enough to act as a target man, was getting in the way of him showing what he really could do.
It is easy to understand Ngoo’s state of mind. The previous summer, he had been invited for a trial by Manchester United where he had joined their academy side for a tournament in Ireland. There he had done well enough to be judged as one of the best players on show and United were interested in making the deal permanent. Yet there was also some reluctance from their part to pay what Southend were asking and ultimately nothing came out of it.
Mentally it must have been tough on him to get over such a disappointment and, when the chance to play for Liverpool came about, the pressure to justify his place must have been immense.
With games and time, his confidence started to grow and so it is that this season we are seeing an almost completely different player, one who is a menace every time he gets the ball at his feet.
Yet there is more to Ngoo’s progress than just belief. Over the summer he seems to have bulked up a fair bit which has made him not only more imposing as a player but also much more difficult to bully physically. From a player who struggled to handle a full game last season, he now looks more than ready to take on the next challenge which is that of showing his ability with the reserves.
In truth, that this hasn’t happened already because of his call ups to the England U19s. It would be easy to view the frequency and timing of those games as a hindrance but they are anything but. Tactically, he is learning by facing different styles of players and also by coming across different systems to those that he is used to at Liverpool. Noel Blake, who is the English U19s manager, has experimented with Ngoo playing him both in a central role and as a support striker in a three man attack.
His ability has shone through in both roles yet it would appear that his impact is much more significant in the latter system. Defenders quite simply aren’t expecting such a big player to be so good with the ball at his feet. And, even when they know what to expect, they often can’t deal with it.
