The recent news that Aaron Mooy would join Championship side Huddersfield Town was met with surprise.
The Terriers have really impressed in the Championship, languishing in the bottom third of the division without possessing the tools to push their way up the division and beyond.
However, Mooy’s agent Paddy Dominguez suggested that Huddersfield would be a perfect place for the former Melbourne City player to shine at, noting that the move was strategically planned “with a view to him having a good opportunity to get a lot of games and work with the right coach.”
Yet, with Mooy reportedly turning down offers to play in the top tiers of both the Belgian and Dutch league, some are wondering what he sees in Huddersfield that will give him that chance.
Why Huddersfield, and who are they?
In order to examine Mooy’s move, we first need to delve into the very club he is heading to. Huddersfield is a hour-long trip up the M62 from Manchester. Much like his time at Melbourne, his time at Huddersfield will be spent in the shadow of a far more successful sporting team in the same city – rugby league side Huddersfield Giants.
The football side has generally failed to flatter, spending the majority of their recent history stranded in the third tier of English football. Manager Simon Grayson guided the side back to the Championship via the playoffs after finishing fourth. This was achieved with most thanks to striker Jordan Rhodes, who has since joined Middlesbrough.
Grayson was sacked midway through The Terriers’ return to the Championship after a 12-game winless run. However, a fifth round FA Cup appearance under new manager Mark Robins salvaged the stuttering campaign, as well as guiding the club to a 19th place.
Robins would stay with the club until August 2014, where he was sacked one game into The Terriers’ 2014-15 season after losing their opening match 4-0 to AFC Bournemouth. Chris Powell stepped into the role and lifted the club to 16th place, the club’s best finish since the 1999-00 campaign. However, he too would face the axe after an awful beginning to the 2015-16 season….
Mooy’s new coach and the Jurgen Klopp connection
…and up stepped German-American David Wagner, making history as the first manager from outside of the British Isles, guiding the club to a 19th place finish, 11 points clear of relegation.
This upcoming season will be Wagner’s full first season as manager of the club, with the former Mainz and Schalke player being the manager of Regionalliga West side Borussia Dortmund II for four years between 2011 and 2015.
Wagner was widely expected to join former Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool in October 2015. Klopp and Wagner are close friends, which dates back to their time spent as teammates at Mainz between 1991-1995. Wagner was Klopp’s best man at his wedding, so naturally it was somewhat of a surprise when it was announced that Wagner had opted for West Yorkshire over Merseyside.
Wagner mimics much of Klopp’s managerial style, even saying after arriving in Huddersfield that: “Now it’s time to bring it [Klopp’s philosophy]”
Wagner generally has his side playing a 4-2-3-1, pushing players forward in small groups when off the ball in order to quickly shut down the opposition. There is a natural influence on fluidity within the squad, with Huddersfield often relying on quick bursts to catch teams off guard. The Terriers ended their season with an average of 52.7% possession per match and a passing accuracy of 76.8%, the fourth highest in the division on both accounts.
That is not to say Wagner’s formula is flawless – it was routinely found out in the final stages of matches. Philosophy aside, Wagner’s biggest issue though is his lack of squad depth, with players tiring far too quickly due to the rigours of a 46-game season plus cup competitions.
https://twitter.com/AaronMooy/status/750406544244834304
Thankfully, this issue appears to be something Wagner was allowed to focus on in the off-season, radically altering the squad in order to prepare them for their upcoming challenge in the Championship. Wagner has seen the exit of 12 players so far, most notably former top scorer James Vaughan and Algerian midfielder Karim Matmour. However, Wagner has stamped his authority on the squad, bringing in nine players on a permanent basis, and two more on loan.
How likely is Mooy to be afforded consistent game time?
Quite. However, along with Mooy, another key midfield capture is that of former Croatian youth international midfielder Ivan Paurević. The 25-year-old worked with Wagner at Dortmund II between 2010-12 before heading to Fortuna Düsseldorf. The Croatian has recently been an ever-present for FC Ufa in the Russian Premier League, with the midfielder starting 28 of the 30 matches for the side in the 2015-16 season.
With Mooy joining the side on loan for the 2016-17 season, he will have to compete with a number of players in order to secure a starting spot for The Terriers. It is suggested Paurević and former Stoke midfielder Dean Whitehead will most likely be the core pairing in the Huddersfield midfield at least initially, although Wagner might want to insert Mooy or youngster Kyle Dempsey as a more attacking option in the midfield as both Whitehead and Paurević are relatively defensively minded. Former Aston Villa midfielder Jonathan Hogg and raw Danish talent Phillip Billing will also compete with Mooy for a much-coveted midfield spot.
Mooy will also have the support of Socceroos teammate Jason Davidson, who has been with Huddersfield since June 2015 and this will assist the midfielder to settle in among new surroundings.
The particulars
Mooy’s move to Huddersfield will see him take on many of the same roles that he had at Melbourne City during the 2015-16 season. Melbourne City manager John van’t Schip utilised a very similar style of play as Wagner has at Huddersfield, with more pressing off the ball in order to deny the opposition time and space on the ball, while allowing a high amount of fluidity in their own possession with players.
Van’t Schip’s 4-4-2 and 3-5-2 experiments were generally dictated by injury. It was the 4-2-3-1 that City used for the largest part of the season, and Mooy flourished. City scored 14 goals more than its nearest rival and the marquee midfielder scored 11 times and managed 21 assists, an A-League record.
The verdict
Mooy will become a guaranteed starter under Wagner’s system if he maintains his fantastic A-League form, with the midfielder already showing the ability to operate well in a 4-2-3-1.
His loan move to West Yorkshire raised eyebrows. The club is guilty of possessing a revolving door for managers, and a steady position in the bottom half of the Championship. However, Wagner is slowly putting together the pieces of a successful side. Mooy knows all too well what to expect and how he can play a big role at the club, and a good season with Huddersfield could open the door to far greater things.
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