Wolverhampton Wanderers have been a surprise for everyone in the Premier League. The team is exceeding the expectations of everyone. They have beaten the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur and have earned draws against Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal this season. They have been a very tough team to beat and one of their standout performers this season has been Ruben Neves.
Ruben Neves: Plenty to Come From “the Next Deco”
The 21-year-old midfielder is considered as one of the best in the Premier League already. He is a good passer of the ball and has an incredible vision to create chances for his attackers. He has formed a formidable partnership with fellow Portuguese international Joao Moutinho in the heart of Wolves’ midfield. The 21-year-old is considered to be “the next Deco” for Portuguese football.
Wolves’ Midfield Man
His passing ability underlines his technical prowess. The young midfielder is versatile enough to fit into a couple of other positions in both attacking and defensive aspects. He has very good off the ball movement which makes him an intelligent player. The 21-year-old reads the game quite well. He is the engine of the Wolves’ team as he is the one who provides energy in both the attacking as well as the defensive aspects of his club’s game.
The Portuguese introduced himself to the Premier League with scoring a superb free-kick against Everton on the opening day of the Premier League. He is a stylish player who loves to score screamers from outside the box like Gerrard or Lampard. The midfielder averages a whopping 2.4 shots per game.
Speaking of his passing abilities, he averages a pass success rate of around 82.3% and has got two assists to his name this season. Every 90 minutes, he averages 6.5 long balls per game and is a perfect player during counter-attacking situations.
With one long pass, he can open up the opposition’s defence and create a chance for his attackers to score. That has been vital from Wolves this season. They might be one of the best counter-attacking teams in the world right now. The pace they have got up front in the likes of Adama Traoré and Ivan Cavaleiro along with the incredible vision of Moutinho and Neves makes their counter-attack look so swift, easy and clinical.
Perfect for Spurs?
Neves can fit into any of the top six sides in the Premier League. He might be arguably the best player in the Premier League outside the top six. He has the arrogance and swagger in his game which no other player in the Premier League has. But as a defensive midfielder, he still needs to work on his jumping and winning aerial duels. He is aerially very weak and often gets exploited in the air causing problems to his own defence.
But overall, he is a gem of a player who can be perfect for Tottenham. The 21-year-old can provide with the much-needed energy in the Spurs’ midfield. He can complement Harry Kane with his forward passes and incredible through balls. The midfielder can also help put in balls for Son Heung-Min and Dele Alli during a counter-attacking situation.
The young midfielder might be the missing piece of the jigsaw who can take the Spurs’ midfield to the next level. At such a young age of 21, he has the quality to play for the likes of Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid. Nuno Espirito Santo and the Wolves’ fans rate Neves very highly and are not willing to part ways with him. The fans want him to become their future captain and eventually a Wolverhampton legend by the end of his career.
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