Sky Sports' Kudus Analysis

[Alan]

Sky Sports Analysis Mohammed Kudus to West Ham: How FC Nordsjaelland’s ‘accelerated learning’ means Ghanaian is Premier League ready With exclusive insight from former FC Nordsjaelland coach Flemming Pedersen, Adam Bate examines how Mohammed Kudus is a player mature beyond his years and why this entertainer is ready to make an immediate impact under David Moyes at West Ham Adam Bate When Mohammed Kudus made his Premier League debut at Kenilworth Road, he was the youngest West Ham player on the pitch. In fact, at 23, he had almost three years on the next youngest of the 14 players used by David Moyes at Luton that evening. As a result, the temptation might be to view Kudus as a project signing even at £38m. One for the future, a player who will need time to assimilate to the demands. It would be a mistake. Kudus is a long-term investment but a player ready to make an impact now. He has packed plenty in already since arriving in Europe at the age of 17. West Ham supporters will remember his World Cup goals but it is two years now since he won the double with Ajax and five since his debut for Danish club FC Nordsjaelland. Throughout it all, he has always entertained. "Expect a player who wants to please the crowd, wants to express himself," former Nordsjaelland boss Flemming Pedersen tells Sky Sports. "He is such a technically skilful player. He has these amazing individual skills. And then, he has this extreme physical power." It is an unusual combination. The trickiest of dribblers tend to come with a slender frame but Kudus is stocky, able to take up position in the centre of the pitch and then burst through the spaces with that winger-like ability to glide beyond and between. "It is not normal to see a player retain their balance in one-on-one duels with such a low centre of gravity. Sometimes you think he must fall and then half a metre from the ground he works himself up again and goes on this slaloming dribble between opponents." Predictably, he was adored at FC Nordsjaelland and the same was true of his time in Amsterdam. Perhaps more surprisingly, according to his former coach, it was a view shared by supporters of the opposition too. West Ham have had a few like that over the years. "Even the fans from other clubs in Denmark loved to watch him," laughs Pedersen. There is a quiet confidence to Kudus too. Pedersen once asked him if he realised he was the best player in the competition. With a smile, he confirmed that he did. "He is extremely humble," insists Pedersen. "But he has a good sense of humour. You have to get into his head. He will not approach you so it is important for the coaching staff to get to know him. Just give him the chance to open up because he has so much to offer." In that respect, Pedersen likens him to Michael Essien, another Ghanaian, now working as part of the coaching staff at Nordsjaelland. Essien was 22 when he came to the Premier League and immediately earned his place in Chelsea's title-winning team. There is a reason why Pedersen is convinced that Kudus has the mentality to make the adjustment too. His three years at Ajax will help, of course, a period in which he proved himself at Champions League level, scoring goals against Liverpool and Napoli. But it owes much to his background within the Right to Dream academy in Ghana, the education that they provide for their players, and the seamless transition to the European game that follows at Nordsjaelland - the club bought by the academy for this purpose. Selling the next game's next stars is part of the model and Kudus was among the first to make the step. They knew that the demand was for young talent, but young talent that already had the tactical acumen to adapt to the toughest competitions in Europe. They call it accelerated learning. "We want to create this safe environment where players dare to play with risk," says Pedersen. "This is so important with young players. The reason why we call it accelerated learning is because when you are 20 you should play like you are 27." But how do you actually coach that? "There are several parts to it," he explains. "The first part of it is to give them a clear style of play with clear principles so they do not get lost in the game because the game can be so complex. We decrease the player's options in the game so that instead of having 10 possibilities, they have five." Speed and accuracy are essential at the top level. This helps with both. "In our experience, your decision-making is quicker and there is a higher probability of success." But surely decreasing the options stifles creativity? No, insists Pedersen. It helps it flourish. "Decreasing the options gives them a structure. It is definitely not rigid. Within that framework, players can be creative. For example, before you receive the ball, if you already have a couple of plans in mind, you have more energy to make a creative decision." The stream of players emerging from the Right to Dream academy before making their way through the Nordsjaelland system and moving on to bigger things would suggest that the model is working. Kudus was the first but he was certainly not the last. Kamaldeen Sulemana and Simon Adingra made their Premier League debuts even before Kudus, the latter marking his with a goal on the opening weekend of this season. Ernest Nuamah, 19, joined Lyon this summer in a club record sale for Nordsjaelland. All have their own journey to make. "Players are not bricks to be put in position," says Pedersen. "That is too rigid. They are human beings with their own thoughts and ideas. The best way to align that with our style of play is to get into their head and understand how they are thinking." It will be fascinating to see how David Moyes plans to use Kudus. Thanks to his education, there are options. "He is in a team sport so there is a framework in which he must play but he can play several positions depending on the style of play and how the coach wants him to play together with his team-mates," says Pedersen. "At FC Nordsjaelland, we used him as a central midfielder, going from box to box. We also used him as a more offensive midfielder and as a false number nine. But I think the best position for him at West Ham, at least at the start, would be towards the right." By that, Pedersen means the channel rather than sticking him out on the wing. "Not as a right-winger, although he can go on the outside, but playing in that right half-space, and having a good offensive full-back outside him to provide depth." He does not doubt that Kudus has the talent and mentality to shine. He may be a relative youngster at West Ham but this is no fledgling. "Two years in Denmark. Three years at the best club in Holland where they are always expected to win," adds Pedersen. "He is ready for the Premier League."

[Takashi Miike]

the problem is we rarely 'track' forward. it's why it's so painful to watch, and no doubt even worse to play for the team but let's be grateful to the cսnt and never question anything. the never having the ball this season, and the twenty league defeats last year are a distant memory for the sheep like contingent of the fan base

[Eerie Descent]

Apologies Dolph, you're right, the similarities between us and Man City are uncanny.

[Fauxstralian]

I'm encouraged by Marco Van Basten who obviously watches Ajax saying that when Man U took ANTONY that they had the wrong player as KUDUS was much better. ANTONY cost £80m and punches women in their FAKE TITS while KUDUS was £38m I understand that him scoring and Ghana winning means he will be off in January for the AFCON

[dolph]

You're probably right manners. I'm the cսnt for thinking an unbeaten start off the back of the first trophy in my lifetime might breed some positivity.

[SUM A DING WONG]

Tracking back? Moyes is clever, he’s found a way for the players to get out of tracking back. Just don’t go forward in the first place. * taps nose *

[Manuel]

dolph - You are wasting your time now son, with certain posters. They have backed themselves into a corner and will NEVER change their tune even if we won the League and Cup double and the CL the following season. You ain't gonna win with posters who only have objective opinions, so they are best ignored at this point.

[dolph]

People are acting like we're the only team that track back and defend. You know Pep asks the same of his attackers too right? And pretty sure that until Grealish understood this, he wasn't getting picked regularly.

[chim chim cha boo]

...on the flip side of that, as Eerie alludes to, can you imagine if Sir Trevor had to track back like a long dog and defend for 70% of the game?

[chim chim cha boo]

ED and I rarely see eye-to-eye but yes, he's got a point. He's just joined the most physical league in the world (although the FA seem to hate what makes this league special and going out of their way to ruin it) and it's great to provide opposing teams with more problems about who they try to kick into the stands. We've got about five players currently. Our academy was years ago a place where you learned things that didn't come naturally. If you were predominantly right footed you'd only train with your left for months on end, you had to create mental maps of where players were and crucially you had to learn what you would do with the ball BEFORE you received it. Kudas has been bought up in this training system but it's nothing new. I think we invented it in the 60's and 70's until it strangely fell out of fashion. Maybe we've got an old school West Ham player on our hands? What a lovely thought, eh?

[daveyg]

Not suprising he scored he played from the start. Didn't just come on for a paltry 6 minutes, as he's played internationals before.

[onsideman]

Scored for Ghana today

[violator]

Eerie Descent 10:40 Thu Sep 7 Pretty much nailed it there

[Eerie Descent]

the exile 10:22 Wed Sep 6 I've not been blinded by a few jammy results. He's been given a squad worth about half a billion pounds, to stick 10 men behind the ball and rely on Antonio slogging his guts out up front. We're an injury to him away from seeing Danny Ings feeding off scraps.

[the exile]

Thanks Alan. That was a good read.

[the exile]

Eerie - FMOB, you make Sir Alf look like Mr Motivator. No worries here - Kudus has a terrific all-round game and loves a tackle.

[twoleftfeet]

ED being true to form. Why don’t you fuck off till Moyes goes, it will only be a year or so. Boring twat.

[Sir Alf]

Lots of encouraging articles and excitement around this bloke but need to let him get a few games in the Premiership before raising too many expectations. Great in Eridevisia but it’s faster, less space and time in the Premiership. Alvarez looks promising but he’s at the other end of roles in a team and primarily about spoiling play, getting in tackles and interceptions. Kudus is about creating chances / assists and scoring which is tough in any league. Let’s hope he has that pace, skill and physicality to transfer his form to the English league. Signs are good but as we’ve seen you never know. It will be over a few seasons too he needs to be assessed. That notorious second season syndrome can hit even when a player has a great debut season. Anyway fingers crossed this is a superstar we gave on our hands

[Sir Alf]

Lots of encouraging articles and excitement around this bloke but need to let him get a few games in the Premiership before raising too many expectations. Great in Eridevisia but it’s faster, less space and time in the Premiership. Alvarez looks promising but he’s at the other end of roles in a team and primarily about spoiling play, getting in tackles and interceptions. Kudus is about creating chances / assists and scoring which is tough in any league. Let’s hope he has that pace, skill and physicality to transfer his form to the English league. Signs are good but as we’ve seen you never know. It will be over a few seasons too he needs to be assessed. That notorious second season syndrome can hit even when a player has a great debut season. Anyway fingers crossed this is a superstar we gave on our hands

[Eerie Descent]

Yeah yeah, that's all really lovely to read. It's all irrelevant if he can't defend, because that's mainly what he's going to be doing.

[El Scorchio]

Agree. I'm also really encouraged from his touch map that he's clearly comfortable playing anywhere along the front line, so potentially in all three positions for us.

[Coffee]

Thanks, Alan. Another hugely encouraging article about this fellow. Can't wait to see what he does.