Gerard Deulofeu, our magic man. A kid who is undoubtedly talented, however, has the stamina of a small child and a tendency to fade out of games – like a literal magic trick. His season was almost symbolic of that. Such a fruitful period between September and December, 3 assists against Barnsley, 2 against West Brom in the miraculous 3-2 win, it was as simple as Deulofeu, Lukaku, goal. For a period of time at least.
We’ve seen very little of him since January. Some of that will be down to the captain of the then sinking ship, Martinez. There is no doubting that this lad has the skill and presence in a game that could’ve saved him his job, why would he leave him in the cold? Who knows, maybe it was for some phenomenally complicated reason to do with Gareth Barry being the greatest Englishman ever.
I still think his fitness and inconsistency played a part in this. On his day, he’s a real Maverick. Some may say the closest we’ve had to Kanchelskis since Andrei. He has this terrifically ordinary Spanish flair that can light up a game. My question is; Can Koeman get it out of him on a more regular basis? Whilst Everton are being heavily linked with another mercurial Spaniard, Juan Mata, it is well documented how Koeman really set him on his way. Mata talks highly of the Dutchman, quoted as saying “he gave me confidence and I played regularly, which is what every young player needs”, this can only be a good thing for our Gerard.
Under, in my opinion, poor management and around a team that blew hot and cold – when it was hot it was scolding, when it was cold it was like a freezer in the Himalayas, – he still managed to score 4 goals and collect 12 assists. Football isn’t as simple as adding 2 and 2 together all the time. With a similar situation to Mata, enjoying a good relationship with players and being an all round much better manager than Roberto, I imagine Ronald Koeman can get the best out of Deulofeu.
Del Boy, the world is your lobster, don’t waste it!
