That first turn was awesome but the strength to bump that defender off the ball on the second goal was really impressive. Good for him.
That's what I was just coming here to write, so I'll pile on. On the assist, he was attacking the defense hard -- look how aggressive he is with the ball. Then he bodies a CB to score a goal in the box, which obviously (if you're a CB) should never happen. It's reasonable to wonder how his game will look at a full adult professional level, but at this one, anyway, he's hardly dainty.
That's fine, but he's playing with the C team. I will stick to my general point, and you can be technically correct. Everyone wins!
This kid can absolutely ball. If he can show that kind of strength at the top level, he'll be quite the player. Man, I really just want to see him playing at least in Segunda.
I know this is going to be taken in a bad way because every time someone has a good game, the right thing to do is praise him endlessly and claim him as the second coming. But I’m going to say it anyway... I still see his lack of size and disinterest in pressing or any kind of defense as a problem for some coaches. If he was 5’11”, it’d be fine. But as he moves up the ranks, he’s too small to be a center forward and doesn’t defend enough to be a wing. Maybe he was better defensively than I saw (players were far away and I watched on a cell phone), but it didn’t seem like he had much interest or ability on that side of the ball. His speed, quickness, positioning, and finishing ability seem other worldly, so maybe teams will find a way to get him involved. At one point, he stood in the edge of the 18 in the attacking third while the ball was in his own end. When his teammates finally brought the ball to the attacking third, he backed off about 15 yards. Then when he got the ball, he darted toward the end line, blew past the defender, and got a short cross away. He clearly knows that his speed is his biggest asset and he knows how to use it. He’s also very aggressive and isn’t shy about shooting. I hope teams will find a way to use his strength as he gets older like Villarreal has, but I don’t see him as the type of guy you just plug and play into any system.
I think that the fact that he is not with the first team at this point says something about his all-around game. It might be his defensive work but for how tactical the game is in Spain he might have been asked to not track back. You don't see Messi, Neymar, Ozil, etc. tracking back. My uneducated guess on why he is not with the first team at this point is his maturity or lack of consistency. I am completely guessing but for a #10 either in the wing or a central position, most teams will not worry about tracking back. He does do a good job pressing the backline so I don't see that as a main concern. If he throws together a few games like the one he just had he should get a call to the first team or we can assume at that point he is not in the future plans of Villarreal.
Extended highlights here.... I missed the first one but Mukwelle should have had three penalties given in this match. Nice post match interview...completely fluent. Good for him.
On Wednesday (2/28), Mukwelle played 87' as Villarreal C visited Paiporta in Spain's Tercera and drew 1 - 1
#CanteraGrogueta | ¡Disfruta ya de los goles de la victoria del #VillarrealC ante el @SillaCF! Tres puntos de oro gracias a las 'dianas'🎯 de Nikola⚽ y Villa⚽ (2-1). 👏 #VillarrealTV pic.twitter.com/VBspemwNOT— Villarreal CF (@VillarrealCF) March 4, 2018 Here's some highlights of this weekends game. Kwelle had an assist, looked good again.
I watched the full match, he is in top form right now. I love that he’s playing his natural role as a #10 this season.
positive month for him. playing himself into a possible loan to a segunda team next season? surely wont play another year with villarreal C
So now that this season is almost over, what can we expect from Akale next year? Is he supposed to remain with Villarreal C? @Giggsy1986 I'm mostly looking on your opinion here since you know way more about their system than I do, but I'm just wondering if there's going to ever be any news with Kwelle.
I asked a few local Villarreal reporters the same thing about two months ago and they always seem annoyed that I am pushing the agenda with the first team. They always just come back with a be patient and a step by step response. They like him they say he has a lot of potential and that is it. I mean you can look at prospects like Dario and Pedrito... they each got one appearance with the first team this year and Franco Acosta got loaned out to the first team of Racing Santander. My guy is telling me that next year we will see a loan or a move as I am under the understanding that he cannot play with Villarreal B until he has been in Spain for five years.
He is inking a two-year extension? I'm very curious as to how much his label as a foreign player is a part of this. That puts him at 23 and 5 years in Spain.... I wouldn't be surprised to see a loan then this summer for a full year.