Manchester United have signed Alex Telles for his besieged defense, but can the Brazilian call for himself at the other end of the field?
This has long been connected with a season in the Premier League, appearing on Chelsea’s radar for the first time in 2015 when he was a promising young man at Galatasaray, but in recent years he has been busy impressing in the Iberian Peninsula, scoring 21 goals in five left-back seasons for Porto.
United nevertheless were given to their boy after a long war to get his signing, and the rest of the length of his contract at Porto – which expires next June – has supposedly played his part.
Now entering the top of his career at age 27, can Telles realize the prediction by club legend Ryan Giggs that the left-back can provide a quality point that Manchester United has “lost” in recent years, starting with Saturday night’s clash in front of Chelsea, in Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event?
It is no secret to anyone that Telles’ strength lies in his offensive power, no one has scored more goals since Porto moved to The Stadium of Dragao in 2003 than the Brazilian, whose legacy gives more than a nod to his taste for the game.
Roberto Carlos, Marcelo, Dani Alves and countless other compatriots have taken the match to opposition from behind in recent years, while prominent personalities, such as Danilo and Alex Sandro, have done so in the blue of Porto. It’s a little different, racking up 11 goals and eight assists in Primeira Liga last season.
Now that the red is turning for Manchester United, there is indeed a strong argument for how the Brazilian can make his bottom line, whether it is when he has the ball and when he does not have it.
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“You look at Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson and the goals and assists they provide,” Giggs, one of the most productive attacking problems of all time, told Webby and O’Neill’s podcast. “At Telles, I think sí. es something we miss
“Now the sides have to have that in their armor. If the ends get there, the sides have to create amplitude and goals. “
While Luke Shaw and Brandon Williams, the club’s two normal left-backs in 2019/20, were unable to sign a single pass between them during the campaign, Telles was busy making an attempt with an average of 10 crosses per. fits to the left of Porto, completing about a quarter.
However, his impressive production is accompanied by a warning; This has had a lot to do with the loose reign of Porto’s stopped shots: eight of his 11 goals in 2019/20 came from the penalty point, which Bruno Fernandes would possibly have to say at Old Trafford, and six of his eight assists in setting kicks.
In fact, Shaw’s random open-play creation rate has surpassed the Brazilian by approximately 25%, but aside from a brief burst of 4 assists on a 2018/19 crusade where the former Southampton player shone, his seven years at Old Trafford rarely presented the promise of attack he deployed down the left flank on his youngsters on the south coast, and far from the extension of the newcomer.
“Although he is a left-wing defender, Telles played a key role in Porto’s attack game,” Andre Monteiro, who covers Porto for the Portuguese national newspaper Record, told Sky Sports. “Their whipped crosses are very difficult to defend. “
Another challenge to stay in the brain is the direct comparison between other clubs and leagues, but just as Porto spent much of the dominant possession in 2019/20, Manchester United did the same, although they did not want to do so, winning only 11 of the 28 games. where they had most of the ball.
Having an additional Telles quality attack tip can provide a useful spark when looking to eliminate the type of low lock that has thwarted them under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
“He is very Brazilian in his approach,” added Vitor Goncalves of the Portuguese national channel RTP. “Your pass is very smart, it’s anything that makes it different, even from other Brazilian left sides. “
Isolated, Telles pass statistics are not a remarkable read, the fact that it created 57 opportunities, the seventh highest overall in the entire division, does.
Just as Brazilian sides are known for their offensive prowess, their defensive quality has been questioned, and Telles’ ability without the ball has divided opinion among those who have studied it extensively in Dragao.
This is where direct comparisons become more difficult. The demanding situations of La Primeira Liga have not presented him with the same tests that he will face in the Premier League, with the dominance of Porto and Benfica in such a way that the trophy of the league has traveled only between its two trophy showcases each season since 2002. Further back, the last time Porto conceded more than one purpose consistent with a game in the league season was 1997/98.
On the bigger stage, he actually discovered the most difficult life, as did his Porto teammates: in the 2-0 loss to Rangers in the Europa League last season, the Scottish team’s first goal came here from a centre he had defended. wrong, while in his 4–1 home defeat to Liverpool last year, he absolutely lost Sadio Mane to the first winners’ game.
“He’s not as smart on the defensive as he advances,” Goncalves told Sky Sports, “but definitely, in the mold of the Brazilian sides, he’s more of an advocate than an end. “
Certainly, the fact that Solskjaer uses Telles as a back in Manchester United’s 2–1 win over PSG mid-week suggests he sees the Brazilian’s strengths and limitations.
But in a league known for their physique, their own strength and speed can adapt to the defensive rigors of English play, in Monteiro’s mind.
“He doesn’t have any challenges with defensive tasks,” he said. “Such a sense of position and is very in individual situations.
“His vision is one of his strengths, as well as his strength. I think the Premier League is the most productive position for him, not just because of the way he plays offensively but because of his physical ability. I think it would make it much” harder, show her skill in the Italian or Spanish leagues. “
It is unclear whether Telles can help a Manchester United defender who has already scored more than a third of the goals he has scored in the 2019/20 season in his first four games, if any, based on Solskjaer’s early designs. for his new back, it’s another matter.
One thing that is most likely is that United has acquired a high-quality addition to its ranks, in the fashionable side era, in a position that needed to be improved. And despite Solskjaer’s frustration in seeking to open up by reinforcing opposition’s fortified defenses last season, the newcomer lags behind him can offer a real respite in the future.