HAMZAH KHOLWADIA
On a warm Autumn evening in Merseyside, an injury hit Everton were poised and ready to take on Southampton in the Carabao Cup 3rd Round at Goodison Park. 1 Name stood out amongst the Goodison Park faithful. Harrison Armstrong. The 17 year old Centre midfielder had showcased his talent across pre-season, with Manager Sean Dyche demonstrating that he was ready to blood the youngster from the start, alongside Mangala and Doucoure. During the Match, Mangala sat as a holding midfielder, allowing Armstrong and Doucoure more freedom to press and push forward in attack. Armstrong’s tough night was about to begin as his direct opponent was former Liverpool Midfielder, Adam Lalana, who did well not to let him settle on the ball across the midfield battle.
Harrison Armstrong demonstrated composure on the ball for large parts of the match, making his presence felt showcasing his dribbling ability, intercepting through balls and oncoming dribblers, demonstrating signs of a hungry midfielder looking to make a big first impression. His big moment in the match came from a through ball to summer signing Jesper Lindstrom, who had the chance to win the game to make It 2-1. After signing his first professional contract in the summer, Sean Dyche stated in his post match press conference that he was convinced by the U23 staff that Armstrong was the next player ready to begin his transition into the first team.
Across the Dugout, Russell Martin had also struggled to start the season off with much success, but with the loan signing of Ugochukwu from Chelsea, the technical balance in midfield for Southampton began to flourish. Alongside experienced campaigner, Adam Lalana, Ugochukwu finally got to showcase his talent on the ball with a tough battle against Everton captain for the evening, Abdolaye Doucoure. There were many times when the Chelsea Loanee lost out on possession of the ball, but after Everton scored the first goal, Ugochukwu had license to push higher up the pitch, dribbling more often past opponents and playing an increased amount of attacking passes into the final third. The highlight of Ugochukwu’s evening was winning all of his group duels and not being dribbled past, showcasing to manager Russell Martin that there is a serious player to be considered for the starting 11 across the season.
Both Midfielders were substituted near the 60 minute mark and had both demonstrated impressive midfield ability at such young ages, respectively. For Ugochukwu, the key motivation across the season will be to establish a starting role in the midfield for Southampton, very similar to Romeo Lavia, Chelsea’s Belgian Midfielder who had a footballing education at Southampton and Manchester City. For Harrison Armstrong, there is a lot of competition for places in the base of midfield for Everton, with the likes of James Garner, Idrissa Gueye, Abdolaye Doucoure, Mangala and more. After seeing the likes of Ross Barkley, Jarrad Brathwaite and Anthony Gordon fly through the academy in recent years, there is every faith that the Everton Youngster can make his way into the hearts of the Goodison park faithful.
