Marcus Edwards - Excelsior

[dondo]

Spurs of present making way for a Spurs legend of yesteryear.

El hamdaoui must be about 45 now

 

[Paolo10]

Subbed off after 62 minutes in a 2-0 loss to Zwolle yesterday.

 

[IGSpur]

Didn't have a great game again. As BG said Excelsior weren't great, but this is where his learning and development need to kick in. If he wants to be a top player he needs to think about how he is going to involved himself in the game, and take control. I think he is waiting for the ball to come to him, which isn't happening when they play poor. So he needs to be creative and think about how he can affect games. I suggest he comes deep more and gets more involved in link up play to help move the ball up the pitch.

 

[yido-1989]

I like what I see so far, he just needs to work on his end product, hopefully this is what these sort of loans are for.

 

[C0YS]

Didn't have a great game again. As BG said Excelsior weren't great, but this is where his learning and development need to kick in. If he wants to be a top player he needs to think about how he is going to involved himself in the game, and take control. I think he is waiting for the ball to come to him, which isn't happening when they play poor. So he needs to be creative and think about how he can affect games. I suggest he comes deep more and gets more involved in link up play to help move the ball up the pitch.

Great an all but it's highly likely the manager is giving pretty specific instructions of where he is playing. He had two poor games, its normal for a winger. Apparently played well the other day though.

He is not yet, however, shown himself to be a particularly special player yet in the Netherlands. Just one of many tricky talented players playing in that division. However, he is showing himself as fully capable of carving a successful career out of the game and is working much harder for the team. You can't expect too much at a players first few professional appearances. Excelsior are doing pretty well atm and he will have plenty of time to shine. Not convinced he will ever live up to the hype though, they rarely do.

 

[Blake Griffin]

just a couple of thoughts from edwards' performance last night.

very much the same again with lots of crazy dribbling but unfortunately followed by some wayward end-product, subbed off after about 70 mins which i thought was a little unfair on him as he looked the most lively of their attackers. first five mins he picked up the ball on the by-line, burned his full back down the outside which was good to see as it's not something you'd really associate him with, drove into the box, nut-megged another defender, got his shot off but the keeper managed to deflect it wide with his shoulder. he then missed a big chance on 20 mins when the striker got in down the channel, cut the ball back to edwards at the edge of the box, he ran onto it, knocked it past the last defender, 10 yards out with a free shot at goal but dragged it wide. i don't know whether to be encouraged that he's getting these chances or discouraged that he's so far failed to take any of them, i think even an average finisher would've had 3 or 4 by now with the positions he's found himself in but instead he's still yet to get off the mark, perhaps he just needs one to bobble in and he'll calm down in front of goal.

i don't know why he's been so off in the final third so far as he's never really lacked composure, i know the natural response to that will be that youth level is a million miles away from senior football(even if it's "only" the eredivisie) but other facets of his game like his dribbling look just as good if not even better and i think he's showing more off the ball both defensively and offensively now than previously. i still believe in him as players who can consistently work themselves into dangerous areas are very rare but he's obviously got a lot he still needs to work on, how he develops physically over the next couple of years will also be a big factor in determining where he ends up.

 

[IGSpur]

just a couple of thoughts from edwards' performance last night.

very much the same again with lots of crazy dribbling but unfortunately followed by some wayward end-product, subbed off after about 70 mins which i thought was a little unfair on him as he looked the most lively of their attackers. first five mins he picked up the ball on the by-line, burned his full back down the outside which was good to see as it's not something you'd really associate him with, drove into the box, nut-megged another defender, got his shot off but the keeper managed to deflect it wide with his shoulder. he then missed a big chance on 20 mins when the striker got in down the channel, cut the ball back to edwards at the edge of the box, he ran onto it, knocked it past the last defender, 10 yards out with a free shot at goal but dragged it wide. i don't know whether to be encouraged that he's getting these chances or discouraged that he's so far failed to take any of them, i think even an average finisher would've had 3 or 4 by now with the positions he's found himself in but instead he's still yet to get off the mark, perhaps he just needs one to bobble in and he'll calm down in front of goal.

i don't know why he's been so off in the final third so far as he's never really lacked composure, i know the natural response to that will be that youth level is a million miles away from senior football(even if it's "only" the eredivisie) but other facets of his game like his dribbling look just as good if not even better and i think he's showing more off the ball both defensively and offensively now than previously. i still believe in him as players who can consistently work themselves into dangerous areas are very rare but he's obviously got a lot he still needs to work on, how he develops physically over the next couple of years will also be a big factor in determining where he ends up.

Cheers for the update. As you say he is usually a reliable finisher. I think it's just a case of sometimes it happens for you sometimes it doesn't and also maybe a bit of nerves. You tense up sometimes when you are looking to score your first professional goal and then you get worse when it plays on your mind. I think it's promising that he's getting in those positions to miss. I believe, like you, he needs one to go in off his backside or shin, to settle his nerves then he will probably relax a bit more. I imagine he's trying too hard to score and find the corners when probably just needs to lash one Defoe style. Edwards is usually someone who finds the inside netting, so when your trying to be that precise and your form is off it will miss.

 

[IGSpur]

very much the same again with lots of crazy dribbling

I've definitely seen bits of this in the few games I've watched but anyone who hasn't here's a couple of clips of him dribbling to get an idea of what he's about. This is the kind of stuff he was doing in the academy though with end product if you haven't really seen him play before.

 

[muppetman]

I've definitely seen bits of this in the few games I've watched but anyone who hasn't here's a couple of clips of him dribbling to get an idea of what he's about. This is the kind of stuff he was doing in the academy though with end product if you haven't really seen him play before.

I'm a fan of bringing through youth and so don't want to be "that guy" but is there a single goal in that clip? Having just watched Traore for Wolves who has tricks and the ability to bamboozle but does very little with it I wonder if we might have a similar issue here?

 

[IGSpur]

I'm a fan of bringing through youth and so don't want to be "that guy" but is there a single goal in that clip? Having just watched Traore for Wolves who has tricks and the ability to bamboozle but does very little with it I wonder if we might have a similar issue here?

No. The point of these clip is a bit of highlights showing his dribbling ability one of his main skills. Can only be a min long. In saying that he doesn't have any goals but if you read BGs post it seems like he's just struggling to find the net.

He is usually a very god finisher I can post clips of goals he has scored but I know it's irrelevant as it's not in League football.

I guess my point in postingbthe clip was just to share a highlights package on the forum regardless of what it contains asvi thought people would like to see some of his skill. I wasn't trying to claim he's doing anything more than that.

He isn't a Traore type. He's an intelligent, composed player.

Also I'll add I think it's positive to see h dribbling past and pulling away from first teamers despite his size. This is what he needed. To learn to adapt to playing with men

 

[muppetman]

No. The point of these clip is a bit of highlights showing his dribbling ability one of his main skills. Can only be a min long. In saying that he doesn't have any goals but if you read BGs post it seems like he's just struggling to find the net.

He is usually a very god finisher I can post clips of goals he has scored but I know it's irrelevant as it's not in League football.

I guess my point in postingbthe clip was just to share a highlights package on the forum regardless of what it contains asvi thought people would like to see some of his skill. I wasn't trying to claim he's doing anything more than that.

He isn't a Traore type. He's an intelligent, composed player.

Also I'll add I think it's positive to see h dribbling past and pulling away from first teamers despite his size. This is what he needed. To learn to adapt to playing with men

He's getting minutes which is the most important thing, here's hoping he regains his composure and shows what he is capable of

 

[Blake Griffin]

nice article on edwards here -

https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2018/11/0...et-messi-nu-speelt-hij-bij-excelsior-a2753847

[translated]
He was once compared to Messi, now he plays at Excelsior
Marcus Edwards The English super talent Marcus Edwards (19) was called 'Mini Messi' at Tottenham Hotspur. Now he plays on loan at Excelsior.

Once a great future was predicted in England. "The boy who could conquer the world," said Tottenham Hotspur coach Mauricio Pochettino. Now Marcus Edwards has to prove himself here at the Van Donge & De Roo Stadium on a Friday evening in the Rotterdam Kralingen against FC Groningen. Nineteen years old, he is the left-footed right-hander of Excelsior, who rents him from the Spurs. Maturing in the premier league is the plan to give a boost to his faltering career.

He is the smallest of the field, with his 1.76 meters. His football shorts almost reach his knees. He has a striking step, with small, bright, measured passes. He is fast, light, agile. A born dribbler. When he comes to the ball, something always happens. Then he slaloms from nothing just past two men. To just as easily lose the ball again.

Since his eighth at the Spurs
Edwards is from Camden, a district in North London. When he was eight, he came to the youth academy of Tottenham Hotspur, the English top club. He attended all national youth teams in England and was among the selection of the nineteen who became European champion in the summer of 2017. Super talent, destined for the summit.

In September 2016, Spurs coach Pochettino said that Edwards - then seventeen - "reminded" him of Lionel Messi in his early years. He was referring to the similar playing style - the dribbles, the ball treatment, the way of moving. And: the length and left foot. At the Spurs press department, they were not happy with those words, wrote The Guardian : the fear was that too much pressure was put on Edwards by the comparison with one of the best players ever.

Pochettino, an Argentinian, told in the run-up to the debut of Edwards against Gillingham, in the League Cup. Fifteen minutes before the end of September he was brought in on White Hart Lane for the Dutch striker Vincent Janssen. He immediately impressed.

His nickname at Tottenham was already 'Mini Messi'. Of importance, in the sense of nuance: Pochettino did not say that Edwards would become the new Messi.

In his book Brave New World: Inside Pochettino's Spurs , from autumn 2017, the coach wonders whether it was wise to make the comparison with Messi. Edwards is not nearly as far away as Messi was at that age and the English promise is hard to live as a pro, writes Pochettino.

"He has authority and behavior problems, we have to look at the bigger picture and find out what the cause is."

Pochettino, also in the book: "The reason I said that he is 'our Messi' is because Leo is the goal." He hopes that Edwards himself will have the conviction that he can become a top player in the long run.

The breakthrough at the Spurs, which will receive PSV in the Champions League on Tuesday-evening, remained the last two seasons, partly due to an ankle injury. In January of this year he was leased to Norwich City, a club in the Championship, the second professional level.

After three months and only six minutes of playing time, the rent was canceled due to 'personal reasons'. Edwards regularly came late to training and team discussions, wrote The Telegraph .

Introverted boy
Now he is at Excelsior, in the middle of the premier league. He is very introverted, they notice at the club. He is not a talker, does not make contact quickly, that's how it sounds.

It is one of the reasons why Tottenham thought it important that he be leased outside England, says managing director Ferry de Haan. "Not only in the field of football, but also in the social field, that would hopefully be a good development for Marcus." Apart from being a football player, they also want to take him further "as a person", he says.

In the lee of Excelsior, one of the smallest and quietest clubs in the Dutch league, he can get the personal attention he needs. De Haan: "We talk a lot with him, try to make him feel at ease."

The fact that young, technical players in the Dutch league have the time and space to develop themselves also participated in the Spurs' choice to store Edwards here in the Netherlands. Excelsior had been on a list for a long time and was tipped last summer by the Football Mix agency of the Humphrey Nijman agent that rent was an option. They also brokered the lease contract.

A hint of Messi is sometimes visible when you see Edwards playing. He was already in the 'Eleven of the Week', a section of Voetbal International . Sometimes he is inimitable, but often also invisible. Against Groningen (2-4 losses), he provides most of the threat and opportunity in the initial phase, but he does not score.

Insufficient yield
His return is still insufficient, with one assist in nine games. "In the last phase he usually loses the overview", says teammate Mounir El Hamdaoui. He has to become brighter, to claim more, according to El Hamdaoui. "Very often he is a bit drowsy, which is apathetic."

Edwards plays a bit like a junior, El Hamdaoui agrees. "If he has the ball he will dribble and he will see where it is stranding, there is no real idea behind it."

El Hamdaoui: "He has to become more mature. Occasionally you have to vary, which is firmer to the ball, hit once and choose the depth. It only starts with him when he has the ball. "

Friday after the match, Edwards does not want to speak to the press, although the team manager and the club spokesman in the locker room have talked to him to do it anyway. But he has "no sense", is the announcement. This would be partly due to experiences with the media in his homeland.

Always on time
It is a "challenge" to get through to him says Excelsior coach Adrie Poldervaart. They do not notice anything of discipline problems like at Norwich City. "He has to be there at half past nine, he is always on time."

According to El Hamdaoui, Edwards suffers from homesickness. "As a young boy in a different culture, in another country, it is difficult to adapt quickly. We try to involve him in the group in everything. "The homesickness also explains why he is so quiet, El Hamdaoui thinks. His father regularly comes to Rotterdam to support him.

Poldervaart: "He is only nineteen years old, you should not forget that."

tl:dr - sent there to develop as much off the field as on it. is very quiet/introverted so difficult to converse with and doesn't want to do media-related stuff. no problems with discipline to report and has always been on time(referencing his supposed poor time-keeping with norwich). great dribbler but loses the picture in the final third, suffering a little from home-sickness but they are happy with him, the manager reiterates that he's only 19.

 

[Giovanni]

Looks a fantastic dribbler and real livewire. Hope he can sort himself out.

 

[Blake Griffin]

Looks a fantastic dribbler and real livewire. Hope he can sort himself out.

he's actually top of any player in the eredivisie for successful dribbles per game, that despite playing for a mid-lower side and only averaging around 70 mins per appearance. obviously being top for goals or assists would be better but it's something and i'm optimistic that the end product will come at some point.

 

[spurs9]

he's actually top of any player in the eredivisie for successful dribbles per game, that despite playing for a mid-lower side and only averaging around 70 mins per appearance. obviously being top for goals or assists would be better but it's something and i'm optimistic that the end product will come at some point.

TBF, the highlighted might skew the stats in his favor slightly, as players tend to dribble less when tired. Still impressive though.

Worryingly though, he is 77th in the league and 7th for his team for chances created per game.

 

[LexingtonSpurs]

TBF, the highlighted might skew the stats in his favor slightly, as players tend to dribble less when tired. Still impressive though.

Worryingly though, he is 77th in the league and 7th for his team for chances created per game.

Watching those clips above - and it looks like a learning opportunity for him - knowing when to pick the pass, after he has the defender committed to defending the dribble.

If he can learn to be that guy - draws defenders out of position, but then knows to pass the ball - he can be effective.

 

[Ossie85]

Is he 1.76m tall?? He looks shorter

 

[TwoSaintsComeMarching]

looks messi-esque in that clip.. without the end product though

 

[Blake Griffin]

Is he 1.76m tall?? He looks shorter

i think it should be 1.67m(5'6"). i know spurs once listed it him as 1.76m but they're wrong ..

 

[Paolo10]

looks messi-esque in that clip.. without the end product though

Bit of an oxymoron there! Messi-esque without end product is Taarabtesque tbh.