Bayer Leverkusen starlet Hakan Calhanoglu’s talents and abilities are not unknown to most of us now. The Turkish midfielder has got an eye for slotting in free kick after free kick, almost as if it’s a sort of a child’s play for him to pull off something like that. He’s counted among Leverkusen’s standout performers and played a pivotal role in helping Die Werkself to make it to the gilded fourth spot last campaign. And since then, there’s been hardly any dearth of interest from big clubs, as the 21 year-old’s rise to prominence continues.
Calhanoglu has made it clear that turning down an offer from interested parties – Manchester United and Barcelona, would be very hard to turn down, considering the stature of both powerhouse clubs. And Louis van Gaal is known to be Calhanoglu’s biggest admirers, as he looks to add more attacking recruitments to a goal scarce Manchester United side. But would Calhanoglu be the kind of player the Red Devils are in dire needs of right now?
United have drawn a fair amount of criticism when it comes to getting goals. Their style of play has been deemed unattractive and uncreative by United legend Paul Scholes and former United winger Andrei Kanchelskis has compared United players to robots, highlighting the rigidity in Louis van Gaal’s playing style. The Red Devils may well have the meanest defense in the league at their disposal, but their attack isn’t quite clicking, barring the previous two games against West Brom and CSKA Moscow. Both sides had the intention to stay deep in their own half and adhere to an all out defense tactic, that allowed United to attack more often.
Jesse Lingard’s rise to prominence has been encouraging, with the 22 year-old grabbing a goal and an assist in two games, and looking far more effective than Memphis Depay has been. But still, Louis van Gaal has expressed his need for speed and his liking for pacy players, who can run in behind defenses and carry the ball and run directly at opposition defenses.
Jesse Lingard has completed an average of 2 dribbles per game and made 4.5 dribbles during that Champions League clash against CSKA Moscow. Against West Brom, the United youth product saw less of the ball and took on the defense slightly less often. Hakan Calhanoglu has made only 1.3 dribbles per game this season, scoring once and assisting once in the Bundesliga. He is more of that passer than someone who is quick and runs with the ball at the defense.
Calhanoglu has created a total of 29 chances this season, more than any other Leverkusen player, 12 more than Karim Bellarabi, who’s second on that list. Last season, Calhanoglu had scored 8 times and created as many as 72 chances, which was again the highest for any Roger Schmidt player.
His free kick taking abilities are almost undoubted and are well heralded and appreciated. In fact, he’s scored more free kicks than both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in 2015. He’s very good in tight areas and has a neat first touch. Even if harried, he can find passes to set people through.
Calhanoglu’s German team mate Karim Bellarabi is granted more of a free role under Schmidt. Last season, he was completed 3rd most dribbles in Europe’s top five leagues, behind Lionel Messi and Eden Hazard. This season, the 25 year-old German has completed 2.8 dribbles on an average.
What United need is pace in wide areas, someone who can increase the tempo of the play as soon the ball reaches the final third. We’ve seen this from Louis van Gaal sides that in the central midfield areas, the passing and it’s speed and tempo is slow. As soon as the ball reaches the box, it comes to pacy players in wide areas, who increase the pace and all of a sudden, the tempo increases and they end up scoring or creating an opportunity. It isn’t quite happening at the moment, but it did against CSKA Moscow. Lingard was always looking to take on Mario Fernandes and went past him very well during some instances.
Calhanoglu doesn’t provide what United need. He’s more of that Juan Mata-esque player, who finds passes and creates scoring opportunities. Lingard does both, and so does Bellarabi.
All in all, acquiring the services of Hakan Calhanoglu won’t gratify United’s needs. It’d be a case of putting a round peg in a square hole, much like how United look when they pass sideways and end up going back to David de Gea, who has to thump the ball towards Marouane Fellaini’s afro head. Calhanoglu doesn’t take players on, doesn’t have a threatening burst of pace that scares the opposition and is deadly on the break.
Players like Calhanoglu would be more useful for teams like Barcelona. Who have players like Lionel Messi and Neymar to go past people, and adhere to the possession-based football. Calhanoglu would play the role of picking passes, dictating play and creating chances rather than doing something he doesn’t do often- take players on and beat them.
Players such as Karim Bellarabi and Sadio Mane would be more sensible signings for the Red Devils, with due respect to Calhanoglu’s panache.
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