Conor Bradley’s runs serving to Mo Salah, Nico Gonzalez’s passing for Man Metropolis and versatile Ferdi Kadioglu in The Debrief

Welcome to The Debrief, a Sky Sports activities column during which Adam Bate makes use of a mix of information and opinion to mirror on a number of the key tales from the newest Premier League matches. This week:

• Bradley’s underlapping runs
• Gonzalez’s ahead passing
• Kadioglu’s uncommon flexibility

Bradley hyperlinks up with Salah

Conor Bradley produced his finest efficiency of the season for Liverpool in their 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Anfield on Saturday night. No one on the pitch gained possession of the ball extra instances than the tenacious Northern Eire worldwide.

However much more encouraging than his defensive show have been the indicators, albeit belatedly, of a partnership growing between Bradley and Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian winger has missed Trent Alexander-Arnold however maybe this connection can work too.

Bradley makes totally different actions however there are many them. No defender made extra underlapping runs than he did over the Premier League weekend. In contrast to Bradley, the subsequent two defenders on the listing really made extra overlapping runs. It’s a particular tactic.

The run comes straight from the coaching floor and isn’t essentially designed to obtain the ball himself however to create area for Salah. Towards Villa, it labored. They exchanged 12 passes however Bradley’s runs purchased his team-mate the time to shine.

Asking Arne Slot about that within the press convention afterwards, the Liverpool head coach defined: “The more players play together the better it will be. You cannot compare Trent with Conor, but Conor played an outstanding game like many others.”

He added: “I think the team performance is what made the difference today. Everyone was really fighting to get that win over the line, throwing themselves in front of shots. There were a lot of positives today also from individual performances like Conor’s.

“The problem for him now will likely be to make himself prepared as a result of he is not been used to 90 minutes so much this season. After two days of relaxation the subsequent one is developing so now we have to consider that. However your query was, did he play nicely? Sure, he performed nicely as we speak.”

Subsequent up is a reunion with Actual Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe. Bradley’s sort out on Mbappe final season produced one of many nice Anfield roars and was a spotlight of the defender’s profession up to now. His displaying in opposition to Villa suggests there will likely be extra highlights to come back.

Gonzalez’s ahead passing

“Right now, the first option when Rodri cannot play is absolutely Nico Gonzalez.” These have been the phrases of Pep Guardiola on the eve of Manchester Metropolis’s sport in opposition to Bournemouth on Saturday, a view vindicated by the Spaniard’s glorious efficiency.

Gonzalez was instrumental in Metropolis’s 3-1 win, concerned within the strikes that led to each of Erling Haaland’s first-half objectives. What was significantly spectacular about his work was that Gonzalez was not content material simply to maintain the ball, he so usually appeared to cross ahead.

His passing statistics reveal that. The participant to obtain essentially the most passes from him in the course of the match in opposition to Bournemouth was Phil Foden. The following two gamers on the listing have been Rayan Cherki and Bernardo Silva. It was a aware effort to look to progress the ball.

Guardiola usually insists that the possession ideas stay the identical however Bournemouth had extra of the ball than Metropolis on the weekend and his workforce’s general possession numbers are down greater than 10 proportion factors on 5 seasons in the past.

The significance of the Rodri function stays, nevertheless. Talking to Pau Marti, Gonzalez’s former coach at Barcelona, not way back, he defined what makes the participant so press resistant in midfield. “I think it is how he moves the ball so quickly,” he informed Sky Sports activities.

“For his size, that is not usual. He is so confident and so calm with the ball, protecting the ball using his body.” Pau in contrast him to Sergio Busquets. “Being so big but good with his feet, I think he is very similar. He is very strong, able to read the game.”

That was definitely evident in opposition to Bournemouth in what was a notably mature efficiency from the 23-year-old midfielder who’s taking the duty in Rodri’s absence for Guardiola, but additionally placing a 2025/26 Premier League season spin on the function.

Kadioglu starring for Brighton

And eventually, a fast phrase on Brighton as a result of their win over Leeds was solely the fifth time this season {that a} Premier League workforce has registered an expected-goals whole in extra of three. The attackers took the plaudits but it surely was an entire efficiency.

Brighton saved their first clear sheet of the Premier League season too and somebody who contributed to each facets of the sport was Ferdi Kadioglu. Quietly, the Turkey worldwide has been certainly one of their most spectacular gamers since coming back from harm.

His defensive work was aggressive, solely Mats Wieffer making extra tackles, and his attacking play is enterprising – as one would possibly anticipate from a participant who can function as an out-and-out winger in addition to within the again line. It’s at left-back that he’s getting used now.

Fabian Hurzeler believes that Kadioglu can play in any of the full-back or wing slots. “These four positions are no problem for him. So it’s great to have a player who has that flexibility. He’s very good at decision-making, very good at understanding the game.”

At 26 years outdated now, acquired from Fenerbahce in the summertime earlier than final for £25m, Kadioglu may not be a typical younger discover for Brighton. However that flexibility is emblematic of the membership’s strategy and his high quality on the ball marks him out as a particular participant.