Hamsik Influence Will Trouble England in Group B Showdown
For Slovakia, the relief on the players’ faces when the full time whistle was blown in their 2-1 win over Russia last Wednesday was clear for all to see. After the 2-1 loss to Wales set them back the weekend previous, victory in midweek - their first at a European Championship - helped them immediately bounce back in their quest to progress from Group B. The winning goal could not have been more fitting either.
Marek Hamsik is undoubtedly the poster boy for Slovakian football. The 2-1 win over Russia was the vice-captain’s 89th appearance for the national team - he’s won more caps in the current Falcons squad than any other player - and at 28 years of age, he’s expected to break Miroslav Karhan’s record of 107 caps before he calls time on his career, injury permitting. Indeed, it was he who netted the vital goal for Slovakia, cutting onto his right following Vladimir Weiss’ short corner to find the far top corner, leaving Igor Akinfeev with no chance of denying the Napoli star.
It was also Hamsik who provided the assist for Weiss’ opening goal, which helped confirm him as the WhoScored man of the match with a rating of 8.53. The Slovakian pair are two of only four players - the others being Dimitri Payet and Nolito - to both score and register an assist at Euro 2016 so far. Indeed, Hamsik would be level on three goals and assists combined with Payet had it not been for a wonderful goal line clearance from Ben Davies in the defeat to Wales at the weekend.
His performance against Russia was the twelfth best at Euro 2016 so far according to WhoScored’s unique rating system and further reaffirmed his position as one of Europe’s finest creative players. “He has matured as a person and as a player at Napoli - he is ready to play for a very big club,” Slovakia head coach Jan Kozak said following the victory.
His words are unlikely to have sat well with the Partenopei hierarchy, but the player’s performances in France will undoubtedly be under scrutiny from a number of top teams on the continent. Last season was Hamsik’s most productive in a Napoli shirt since the 2012/13 campaign. Only Paul Pogba and Miralem Pjanic (both 12) registered more assists than the Slovakia star (11) in Serie A last term, contributing to a WhoScored rating of 7.31; only Gonzalo Higuain (7.74) gained higher of all Napoli players.
Hamsik’s return to his best coincided with Maurizio Sarri’s appointment as Napoli boss and the Italian will be keen to retain the services of one of the club’s key players. Part of the reasoning for his form, though, was that Hamsik was returned to a more central role in a 4-3-3 formation, allowing for him to exhibit both his defensive and offensive qualities.
Under Rafa Benitez, the midfielder was deployed in the number 10 role and while he starts in this position for Slovakia, he’s better suited to a deeper position. Yet his starting role on the pitch didn’t limit him to just a place in the final third. As his above heatmap shows, Hamsik is willingly dropping deeper to win possession for his side. Five tackles and five interceptions across Slovakia’s two games, not to mention having won possession in the defensive third more times (10) the third most of any Euro 2016 player after the first two rounds of fixtures, is a commendable return for the midfielder and highlights just how effective he has been both off and on the ball at the tournament to date.
Slovakia rank in the bottom third for possession so far (48.2%), meaning they need the midfield men - regardless of their duty on the pitch - to help protect the defence, which Hamsik evidently does. While he hasn’t perhaps been as creative as he can be, making just two key passes in 180 minutes of action, Hamsik’s five successful dribbles suggest he’s been a stronger performer at helping alleviate pressure on the defence to then carry the ball forward rather than act as the primary creator, instead leaving that to Weiss (6 key passes) and Robert Mak (5 key passes).
It’s no coincidence that Hamsik has averaged more passes per game (59) than any other Slovakia player at Euro 2016, while 3.5 accurate long balls is the most of all outfielders for the national team as Hamisk looks to successfully retain possession and ensure the wingers are played into space to run at the opposition. Not so much the creator in chief, but rather the dictator of play in this Slovakia side, England need to be wary of his impact.
Hamsik won’t be creating chance after chance akin to Payet, but will instead hold onto the ball as he looks to punch a hole in the England backline. Eight shots so far - six of which have been from open play - is more than any other international teammate, making the sort of runs from deep that need to be kept in check in order to limit his influence.
Slovakia were perhaps considered one of the weaker teams at Euro 2016, but with Hamsik marshaling the midfield, they will pose a considerable threat to England on Monday. Roy Hodgson’s side must do all they can to nullify Napoli man or run the risk of ending their European Championship group stage with the four points they’ve now mustered.
Can England keep Hamsik quiet on Monday night? Let us know in the comments below
