Golgol Mebrahtu debuted for the Western Sydney Wanderers against their cross-town rivals only to tear his anterior cruciate ligament in a tackle with Richard Garcia, an injury that kept him sidelined until last night’s FFA Cup match with Brisbane Roar.
It was a successful return for the Sudanese-born attacker, who was undoubtedly the Wanderers’ best on the field, and the scorer of the goal that sent Tony Popovic’s men into the FFA Cup round of 16. The former Melbourne City attacker demonstrated a tireless work ethic, timely passing, ability in the air, interchangeability and of course, a bag full of tricks.
Great work ethic
Supporters love nothing more than seeing their attackers track back and break-up an opposition onslaught with either a stray limb or a well-timed challenge. Mebrahtu has some physicality, some grittiness, and the ability to tackle anyone with some flair.
From a Western Sydney team perspective that is literally a breath of fresh air, the midfield do not have to double up or chase back after an attack dissipates, and overall there is less pressure on the back line to push up into the middle looking for an interception.
Clever passing
The most common stereotype attached to wide players is the mentality of all-out attack, all of the time. Generally, that is fairly accurate and it is what you want from your winger, however, at times there needs to be a compromise, because the forward option is not always the right one.
Mebrahtu linked up with the likes of Mitch Nichols and Mark Bridge extremely well, and it was not just in an attacking capacity. He showed a real awareness to where the Brisbane pressure was and when to play a pass. Not only did it retain possession for the Wanderers, but it sucked in opposition defenders, which in turn created space for teammates.
The boy can jump
It is a rarity for a winger to be competitive with towering centre-backs in the air, let alone beat them. Cristiano Ronaldo springs to mind. Although, that is not a fair comparison, the ability and height Mebrahtu achieved from both a standing and running start is worth a mention. Countless times, Mebrahtu dominated the midfield from goal kicks and that presence followed him into the penalty area, whether it was a flick-on into space, or a touch that trapped the ball and held it up for teammates.
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Versatility
The 24-year-old started on the left-flank and that was where he caused the most damage, but he popped-up across the frontline and interchanged with Nichols, Bridge and later Romeo Castelen seamlessly. This is a huge attribute to a Tony Popovic side, given his love of rotation it also allows for the Wanderers to alter formations on-the-go without too much reshuffling in the goal scoring departments.
Will he see regular football?
The Wanderers lost Nikita Rukavytsya over the off-season, and the Socceroo has left a large hole in Popovic’s frontline. Considering Western Sydney are yet to invest in a winger, it seems Mebrahtu may have an opportunity to cement a place in the starting line-up.
With only Bridge, Shannon Cole and the young Jaushua Sotirio the only other natural options for the coach, there certainly is a spot up for grabs. The idea of Castelen and Mebrahtu on either flank is an exciting one, and a combination full of pace and trickery.
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