Bakambu the Threat as Yellow Submarine Aim to Sink Liverpool
Liverpool’s progression to the semi finals of the Europa League was sealed in the most dramatic of circumstances. Dejan Lovren’s injury time header capped off a remarkable comeback as the Reds overcame Borussia Dortmund on an emotionally charged night at Anfield. It set up a final four meeting with Villarreal, who are gunning for their first piece of major European silverware in their history.
The Yellow Submarines’ progress has gone somewhat under the radar. Having knocked out Napoli at the last-32 stage, they’ve quietly gone about their business to secure their place in the semi finals of Europe’s second competition. Previous favourites Tottenham and Dortmund fell by the wayside, but Villarreal have established themselves as outsiders for continental glory this season. A resolute defence has played a vital part in that.
Villarreal have conceded just 10 goals in their 12 Europa League fixtures this season and only one in six at the Madrigal. Victor Ruiz has been a mainstay at the heart of the backline, yet regardless of his partner - be it Eric Bailey, Mateo Musacchio or Mario - the Yellow Submarine are solid. In front of them, the experienced Bruno marshals the midfield impressively, averaging 3.4 interceptions per Europa League game - more than any Villarreal player - to ease pressure on the defence and instigate attacks.
The latter aspect allows for the Spanish side to catch opponents unawares and considering Liverpool swarm forward in numbers when they do win the ball back, Villarreal could capitalise on the space left behind the defence to score. Their strongest point of attack on Thursday night is expected to be Cedric Bakambu once more.
The France-born forward secured a summer switch to the Madrigal from Bursaspor, despite Premier League interest, in what can now be considered one of the signings of the season in Spain. Villarreal landed Bakambu for a little under £6m, now proving to be a real coup. 12 goals and a further three assists in 32 league appearances highlight an impressive debut campaign in La Liga, though of course leaves room for improvement. In Europe, however, the 25-year-old readily dons his shooting boots.
Only Aduriz (10) has scored more Europa League goals than Bakambu (9) this season, returning a respectable WhoScored rating of 7.24 in Europe. His immediate success in Spain is owing in part to the commendable early understanding forged with striker and fellow summer signing Roberto Soldado. The former Tottenham frontman is happy to drop deeper in a more supporting role to allow Bakambu to make runs in behind the opposition defence.
It’s been a telling adjustment to Soldado’s game, with the Spaniard often favouring to play on the last shoulder of the defender, playing the role of poacher during his time at Valencia. However, with Marcelino at the helm, Soldado has swiftly developed to become a second striker rather than the out-and-out frontman. This then allows Bakambu to utilise his pace and exploit the space made by Soldado pulling defenders out of position.
It’s the rapport that has been established between the two that has helped the duo rapidly endear themselves to the fans and leaves Villarreal on course for a top-4 finish and a place in the Europa League final. Of Soldado’s three Europa League assists this season, two have been for a Bakambu goal. Furthermore, only Lionel Messi to Luis Suarez (7 goals), Koke to Antoine Griezmann and Suarez to Neymar (both 6 goals) are more profitable assist to goalscorer combinations than Soldado to Bakambu (5 goals) in La Liga this term.
Of course, that isn’t to say Bakambu is the finished article, with the striker still a little rough around the edges. He endured an 11-match goal drought earlier in the year and without the goals, his performances worryingly dipped. His highest WhoScored rating gained in that poor spell was a 6.77 against Granada and a touch of inconsistency suggests this is an area of his game that needs to be worked on if he is to continue to thrive. This, though, points to a notable mental toughness that allowed him to emerge from his barren spell unscathed.
With Bakambu now back among the goals - he has 10 in his last 11 competitive outings - Villarreal stand a much stronger chance of a place in the Europa League final. Six of his nine Europa League goals this season have been netted at the Madrigal and with Liverpool’s defensive concerns in the absence of Mamadou Sakho, the DR Congo international is presented with the ideal opportunity to add to his tally for the campaign on Thursday night.
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