The Nacogdoches, Texas, native scored 50 league targets in 184 appearances for the Cottagers, however the robust supporting forged he performed alongside is not there. Can Deuce thrive once more within the EPL?
BY
Blake Thomsen
Posted
January 03, 2014
4:04 PM
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CLINT DEMPSEY WILL LIKELY make his return for Fulham in tomorrow’s FA Cup match at Norwich Metropolis. And whereas many American soccer followers can be thrilled to see the Texas native again the place he established himself as a authentic star, the Cottagers are simply two factors above the relegation zone and attempting to forge a brand new identification.
Dempsey’s constant excellence on the west London membership helped solidify his standing as America’s best-ever Premier League participant, and he’ll be seeking to return to that stage of efficiency in his second spell with the membership. His transfer to the Seattle Sounders in August coincided with a regarding drop in kind, however with the World Cup looming, Dempsey can be keen to indicate the naysayers that he can nonetheless thrive on this planet’s finest league.
Fulham hasn’t precisely set the league on hearth since Rene Meulensteen took over for Martin Jol in early December, however it has managed to no less than be aggressive. And most significantly for Dempsey, the Cottagers have proven much more life offensively currently, scoring 10 targets within the six video games since Meulensteen took cost (in comparison with 11 targets in 14 video games underneath Jol).
Regardless of the current uptick in kind, this Fulham group continues to be solely a shadow of the one which Dempsey left after the 2011-12 season. Dempsey slot in completely with that group. The selfless operating of strikers Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora created house within the ultimate third, whereas the spectacular imaginative and prescient and passing capability of middle midfielder Danny Murphy usually resulted in Dempsey getting behind the again 4. Add the dynamic dribbling and probability creation of Moussa Dembele, who was within the type of his life in his final two years at Fulham, and Dempsey had a superb supporting forged that suited his abilities completely. The end result? 36 targets in his final two years on the membership.
There’s merely no approach that he’ll slot in fairly that properly to this yr’s Fulham. A lot has modified, as each one of many aforementioned gamers is not even on the membership. And lots of of his former teammates nonetheless with the membership have regressed since Dempsey left. Bryan Ruiz is a major instance. After excelling in his first yr with Fulham, the Costa Rican has made solely a restricted influence within the season and a half since Dempsey left.
It’s tough to examine Dempsey reaching comparable heights as he did in his final two years at Fulham. That is due extra to the constraints of Fulham’s present gamers than the type of Dempsey. It’s solely a slight oversimplification to divide Fulham’s present crop of attacking gamers into two distinct classes. And every sort of participant has critical limitations—particularly in comparison with the previous Fulham—that may negatively have an effect on Dempsey’s manufacturing.
The primary sort of Fulham attacker is the basic “flair player”, marked by a capability to conjure up particular targets from nothing however equally notable for an apathetic strategy to defensive work. Need-away Dimitar Berbatov is the archetype—the previous Manchester United and Tottenham striker is infamous (and in some circles, celebrated) for his carefree nature on the pitch. His scientific ending capability retains him within the beginning XI, however he’d be a much more helpful participant if he’d solely expend a bit of extra vitality. Fellow striker Darren Bent basically provides the identical factor as Berbatov by way of low work price and excessive ending capability, simply with much less panache.
Neither striker can be notably useful in creating house within the ultimate third for Dempsey. Berbatov produces the occasional chic cross—and in principle may help a Dempsey aim or two—however for probably the most half he’s on the sector to attain targets for himself.
Bryan Ruiz, Adel Taarabt, and Patjim Kasami most definitely fall into the “flair player” class as properly, although every is most comfy in an attacking midfield position versus Berbatov’s most well-liked position up entrance. They’re all able to scoring extraordinary targets, however their inconsistency and one-way contributions make them solely marginally efficient Premier League gamers.
The midfield trio has mixed to attain simply 4 targets on the season, an inadequate return given their collective lack of labor price. In addition they haven’t gotten into a lot of a rhythm with their passing within the ultimate third. However that might change with the arrival of Dempsey, who will inevitably present an obtainable possibility in and across the field.
The opposite sort of Fulham attacker is the hardworking, considerably unskilled participant who will run arduous for 90 minutes. Once more, it is a slight overgeneralization. Nevertheless, Damien Duff, Ashkan Dejagah, and Kieran Richardson definitely match this basic description. It could be harsh to name the spectacular younger Swede Alex Kacaniklic “unskilled,” however his lack of constant finish product limits his effectiveness, regardless of enterprising operating and loads of trickery.
These gamers might slot in properly with Dempsey if they’ll develop extra consistency of their crossing. Dempsey is a wonderful header of the ball and may and can rating headed targets if given the service. Nonetheless, he shouldn’t anticipate service of the standard that Graham Zusi, Fabian Johnson, and Landon Donovan present with the USMNT.
To this point, Fulham has not been capable of discipline a participant who’s each totally dedicated to the group AND able to scoring and creating targets. Enter Clint Dempsey.
The arrival of Dempsey will give Meulensteen simply the kind of participant that Fulham wants, one who could make a critical contribution the assault but additionally not kill the group defensively. His capability to make a two-way contribution has made Dempsey a supervisor’s favourite his complete profession. Count on extra of the identical with Meulensteen. Whether or not the supporting forged is sweet sufficient to assist Dempsey thrive is one other query.
Meulensteen must tinker together with his most well-liked XI to see how one can finest match Dempsey in. The previous Manchester United assistant has alternated between 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 since he took over, typically using the 4-3-3 towards the league’s prime groups, as he did towards Everton and Manchester Metropolis.
Dempsey will almost certainly be deployed both behind the striker or on the left wing, two positions at which he has lengthy starred for membership and nation. There’s additionally an opportunity that Dempsey may see a while because the lone striker—Berbatov appears to be like set to depart within the switch window and Meulensteen has confirmed he’s keen to experiment with the striker place. Adel Taarabt has seen a while alone up prime, and the Moroccan is way much less suited to the place than Dempsey is.
No matter beginning place, Meulensteen’s attackers have seemed to be comparatively free tactically and never confined to a inflexible space of the sector. That can swimsuit Dempsey properly, as he largely roamed wherever he happy within the ultimate third in direction of the tip of his first spell at Fulham.
Fulham and USMNT followers alike can be hoping that Dempsey can replicate the type of kind that noticed him torch the EPL in his final two years with Fulham. It received’t be as straightforward to take action this time round. However figuring out Dempsey, he’ll most likely take the chance with aplomb.
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Blake Thomsen is a frequent ASN contributor. Observe him on Twitter.
