People need to stop burdening Luke Shaw with expectations
Shaw is one of the Premier League’s breakout stars this season
Southampton starlet Luke Shaw is really going places this season. The teenage defender broke into the Saints first team in the 2012-2013 season and has never looked back since then. The 18-year-old joined Southampton’s famed youth academy at the age of eight, successfully progressing through their ranks and began lining up for their under-18 team when he was just 15.
The left back made his first team début for the Saints as a 16-year-old in the FA Cup game against Milwall in early 2012 and was promoted to the first team in the summer due to his remarkable talent. Shaw has made 31 appearances for Southampton this season along with earning a deserved England début and has a high chance of travelling with the Three Lions to Brazil for the World Cup. Shaw certainly has the potential to be one of the best but I feel there’s too much pressure on the lad right now which could act as a stumbling block in his progress.
Everyone has been saddling Shaw with unnecessary burdens including his manager Mauricio Pochettino who stated that his player is good enough to start for Real Madrid or the World XI along with calling him one of the best left-backs in the world.
Sky Sports quoted the Argentine as saying “He can play at Real Madrid or he can play in the world starting XI,” “He really has the quality to do so. I am not sure if he is one (of the best left-backs in the world) already. I think so.”I am not sure if he is already the best one in the world.”
There’s nothing wrong with praising Shaw as he deserves it but I feel Pochettino went too far by calling him one of the best in the world or saying he could play for Real Madrid.
The youngster, who has been heavily linked to Manchester United, has a pass success of 77.6% and averages at least 39.9% of passes per game which is more than United’s Patrice Evra who averages 37.9% passes. The left-back has a great build and can easily out-muscle opponents who threaten his team’s flanks.
Shaw excels at dribbling and manages 1.4 dribbles per game compared to Evra’s 0.7 in the Premier League. Shaw has great stats for a teenager and shares a few similarities to former Southampton starlet Gareth Bale due to his pace and but the youngster has to improve much more in order to be compared to the Welshman.
In spite of his brilliance Shaw has a few weaknesses which need to be addressed in order for him to improve as a player. The 18-year-old needs to hold on to the ball better and is quite weak in that area which is understandable as he is just 18. Shaw, who is an attack minded defender, shouldn’t stray away from his position too much and leave space for the opposite team to attack. Many of the attack minded full backs have this notable weakness which is not impossible to eliminate.
As I said before Shaw could be one of the best but too much pressure and constant comparisons to world class defenders could seriously hamper his progress. If Shaw joins Manchester United he should be given the freedom to do his own thing. Manchester United’s Italian striker Federico Macheda burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old with a cracker of a goal against Aston Villa and was immediately placed under the media spotlight.
Macheda was expected to be a world class striker for club and country but too much pressure was placed on his shoulders. Critics and pundits labelled Macheda as “the next big thing” but the youngster couldn’t handle all that pressure and crumbled. Kiko, as he is fondly called, has been shipped out to various clubs over the years where he has failed to shine and will most likely leave Manchester United this season. Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale thrived under pressure as youngsters but everyone isn’t the same.
It would be terrible if a Macheda like situation happened to Shaw. One great thing about Shaw is that he is a level headed youngster and is not tempted by the big clubs or driven by money unlike “Cashley” Cole. Shaw remained loyal to Southampton and signed a five-year contract with his boyhood club on his 18th birthday amid very strong interest from Manchester United.
If he eventually joins United he should be kept as a back up to Buttner or Evra and gradually be eased into the first team so that he doesn’t suffer a burn out. Manchester United manager did the right thing when he decided not to use Januzaj in every game. The fans wanted the Belgian to start every match for the Red Devils but Moyes decided against that as he did not want his young star to suffer a burn out.
If Shaw is left alone and allowed to progress then he will certainly become a great player capable of playing in a club like Real Madrid or Manchester United. Many Southampton stars like Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and the great Gareth Bale have gone on to become brilliant players and Shaw is extremely capable of joining them at the top in the future.