There’s more to the game than scoring free-kicks – though its not a bad weapon to have in your armoury.
Christian Eriksen may fancy himself as something of a free-kick specialist but, chances are, he wouldn’t even be on dead ball duty had Tottenham Hotspur turned the speculation concerning Sandro Ramirez into something more concrete in the summer.
According to The Sun, Spurs had held an interest in the £15 million-rated former Barcelona youngster during three separate transfer windows before eventually deciding to make their move for AZ Alkmaar plunderer Vincent Janssen instead.
And while Mauricio Pochettino has been largely lauded for his impressive work in the transfer market, he could be accused of dropping the ball on this one.
Because, while all three of Janssen’s Spurs strikes have come from the penalty spot, Sandro Ramirez has scored the same number from direct free kicks in 2016/17 alone.
The 21-year-old whipped in what Andrea Pirlo would describe as a ‘geometric gem’ in Malaga’s 4-1 defeat to Sevilla on Saturday, his third set piece goal since arriving at La Rosaleda from Barca in the summer.
For all you statisticians out there, that is more than Tottenham have scored as a team since the beginning of the 2015/16 season.
And, yes, there is more to his game than a Beckham-esque aura from 25 yards. His excellent hold-up play, ability to drift out wide or into a number ten role would surely have made him an ideal fit for Pochettino’s interchanging attack.
On the upside, Malaga don’t tend to hang on to their prized assets very long and if Sandro continues on his current rate of progression if will be no surprise if Pochettino sends a few scouts to the Costa Del Sol in the New Year.
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