The Midfield Answer Is Already at Anfield
While Rio Ngumoha grabs the headlines, Trey Nyoni is quietly proving he could be Liverpool’s next breakout star
Nyoni’s Rise Is Flying Under the Radar
Rightfully, there’s a lot of hype around Rio Ngumoha at the moment. But quietly in the background another superstar is ready to explode on the scene at Liverpool.
Over the last month or so, Trey Nyoni has received a little bit more exposure in the first team environment.
Brief but impressive cameos against Wolverhampton in the FA Cup, Tottenham in the Premier League and Galatasaray in the Champions League have gone under the radar.
While everyone appreciates the delightful impact Rio Ngumoha has had on those games, Nyoni’s contributions although on a smaller scale have been just as exciting.
Composure, Intelligence and Elite Passing
His numbers are proof that he is ready for more first-team football, especially because he is exactly what Liverpool have lacked in the middle of the park.
Nyoni brings energy and composure on the ball. He is an intelligent midfielder with a really high level game IQ for a player who is still only 18-years-old. It’s why Arne Slot trusted him to play in a number of roles, even as a centre-back against Athletic Bilbao in pre-season. It’s also why England’s U19 manager has deployed him as a full-back. Nyoni’s understanding and reading of the game is elite.
As a midfielder, the thing that you like about him the most is that he rarely loses the ball. He’s attempted 153 passes for Liverpool’s first-team this season and has completed 140, roughly 91.5%.
What’s even more impressive is that of these passes that have been played into the final third, Nyoni has not misplaced a single one, completing 13 of his 13 attempts.
He constantly makes the right decisions on the ball, and crucially he makes them quickly.
Movement, Pressing and Tactical Awareness
This pass here to break lines against Galatasaray is one example. Nyoni plays it through to Curtis Jones and instigates a counter attack, while simultaneously taking five opposition players out of the game.
In this moment here, Nyoni receives the ball under pressure against Wolves. He’s scanned and read the situation and plays a very clever first time pass into Ryan Gravenberch which evades pressure and takes out several opposition players.
Because of Nyoni’s constant movement and scanning, he is able to be not only progressive with his actions but also rarely runs into trouble or gets dispossessed.
In the build-up, he’s excellent at running into space and helping out the centre-backs.
This here is one example of Nyoni’s clever movement.
Van Dijk is trying to build out from the back and Nyoni goes to move to the outside of him. The opposition player follows to cover him.
But this is a clever feint. In a heartbeat he actually turns his body, deceives the opponent and runs into space on the inside.
Van Dijk plays it into him and Nyoni receives with acres of space and is able to break lines again playing the ball into Dominik Szoboszlai.
Liverpool’s midfielders have struggled with playing out from the back all season. Nyoni brings an increased level of movement and security to the back four.
Another element where Liverpool have struggled is the intensity in every area of the pitch.
Nyoni brings that in abundance. He is a high energy midfielder who is excellent in his press.
Recently for the U21s, he helped force two goals just through his relentless pressing. Including this one against Wolverhampton.
Here Nyoni presses up high, anticipating a loose ball while Mo Salah closes down the opposition defender.
The loose ball happens, Nyoni wins the header and sets Liverpool up into a potential two vs two situation.
Another example here, the opposition player plays the ball back to his defender and Nyoni quickly closes in on him.
He’s so quick, he wins the ball back and regain possession of the ball in a dangerous territory of the opposition’s final third.
Nyoni uses his speed and his intelligence really effectively when it comes to his press. He might not be the most physically strong or bulky midfielder (yet), but he’s quick and he’s smart and he uses that to his advantage.
It’s also why he wins such a high rate of his duels. From 16 defensive duels for the first-team this season Nyoni has won 13 of them, which is an 81.3% success rate.
Why Nyoni Deserves His Chance Now
Obviously, this is a small sample size of just 300 minutes or so. But there is a lot to like.
Nyoni has showcased at U21 level, that he is far too good for that level.
He has four assists and one goal in his last four matches. In that same period, he’s come on and he’s shown his quality for the first-team.
Now, obviously he’s still young and he shouldn’t be relied upon in every game but as time passes, Nyoni, like Ngumoha, is starting to stake a claim for a regular spot in the team and maybe even more than that.
Given Alexis Mac Allister’s struggles, Nyoni has definitely warranted an opportunity to at least start one Premier League game from now until the end of the season.
Games are going to be coming thick and fast now and a player like Nyoni is coming onto the scene at the perfect time.
The 18-year-old is the kind of player who could save you a lot of money in the transfer market.