The Rise of Victor Moses

When Roberto Martinez chose not to delve into the market to replace the outgoing Charles N’Zogbia, it raised a few eyebrows.

Of course, Charles N’Zogbia was Wigan’s most creative and dangerous player.

But Martinez has intelligently replaced Charles N’Zogbia without many of us even recognising.

Football is similar to any industry, if one leaves, it normally leaves a gap for someone to step up to and take the mantle.

Victor Moses has done exactly this.

The 21 year old has grabbed his chance with both hands and hasn’t let go.

Indeed, Victor Moses hasn’t exactly taken the Premier League by storm.

But he’s shown he’s capable and competent enough to fill the void left by Charles N’Zogbia.

Moses has given the Wigan fans plenty of excitement. His ingenuity, pace and tenacity makes him a joy to watch, but from the perspective of the opposition it makes him incredibly hard to contain.

Just like Charles N’Zogbia, Victor Moses is very comfortable with the ball at his feet and going past players is a key feature of his style. But what makes Moses such a potent threat is his technical ability. Moses has a fantastic first touch and great ball control, meaning when in full momentum it often takes a handful of players to silence the threat created by Moses.

Not only this, Moses’s sheer strength and blistering pace is a key reason as to why defenders struggle to contain him. On the flip side, these attributes along with his creativity give Wigan a player capable of changing the games.

Victor Moses creative influence on Wigan is clearly recognisable. This season, Moses has created the second highest amount of chances for Wigan. Moses has created 22 chances for Wigan. This is outstanding. After all, it just emphasises how beneficial Moses’ contribution has been for Wigan. At the young age of 21, Moses has proved he is good enough to make a telling difference to a Premier League side. Furthermore, Moses’s attacking nature is also highlighted by the fact he has made the most final third passes for the club (266 final third passes).

The statistical proof Moses, at just 21 can be trusted to create in the Premier League is great news not only for Wigan, but for Nigeria. It highlights Nigeria have a young attacking footballer who can consistently create chances in England’s highest division.

And the fact the player is still 21, shows the player has the significant potential to develop into a fantastic winger.

However, there is room for improvement in Victor Moses’ game.

As much as the young winger has shown great potential, he has also shown weaknesses and inconsistencies.

Moses’ wastefulness is a clear cause for concern.

This season, Victor Moses has had 60 shots for Wigan. The highest amount of shots any Wigan player has had. However, this would not be a major issue if it meant he was scoring and Wigan were winning. But with 60 shots, Moses has managed just two Premier League goals. Thus giving Moses a woeful chance conversion rate of just 5%.

Moses needs to be more intelligent, he needs to improve not only on his finishing, but his decision making too. The talented winger needs to consider if passing instead of shooting could create a better chance for his side to score.

Furthermore, Wigan are in a perilous position whereby points have been hard to come by. This wastefulness by Moses could prove to be costly for the struggling side.

But on the other hand, from the perspective of the player, Moses’ willingness to shoot shows the confidence embedded within the youngster. Moses is willing to take risks and has enough belief in himself to attempt to the change the game.

Victor Moses bright first half of the season has left many touting if he has the potential to play for one of the bigger clubs.

Indeed, he has the raw skills and potential not only to play for a bigger Premier League side, but to possibly be a full Nigerian international.

However, Moses needs to be more consistent, more intelligent and less wasteful.

The Wigan winger has the potential to go a long, long way. But its vital he learns, develops and crucially shows a willingness to become a good player.

Victor Moses has proven at a young age he can compete in the Premier League, but this is just the start.

Victor Moses is by no means a finished article.

Statistics from EPL Index. (Stats taken on 10/01/12)

Why Charles N’Zogbia Petulant Character is only effecting his aspirations to be a Top Footballer

Charles N’Zogbia joined Newcastle United in 2004 with bags of potential. He is a dynamic versatile left sided player who has the ability win matches. But his lack of professionalism has hindered his aspirations of becoming a top footballer.

N’Zogbia has a right to be ambitious, after all, any footballer wants to be successful and has a desire to win trophies has to be relatively ambitious. However, ambition has to be matched by professionalism and this is something N’Zogbia hasn’t grasped yet.

Charles N’Zogbia’s ability instantly made him a fan’s favourite at Newcastle. Even at 17 years of age the Frenchmen showed great technical ability. Newcastle fans may recall his brilliant solo effort against arch rivals Sunderland in his debut season. The young French man showed the potential of becoming a world class player. In the 2005/06 season he proved to be Newcastle’s playmaker, as he assisted 6 times. The signs were look transparently bright for the Frenchman. He had shown he could crack it at the premier league level he could score and assist.

The French playmaker’s ability had obviously asserted some prejudice in the player’s character. N’Zogbia was constantly linked with the likes of Arsenal and Man United. Obviously to N’Zogbia, this was a sign that he had to play; that he had to be the key man in the Newcastle team. The signs of overconfidence and the lack of professionalism were becoming more and more apparent in N’Zogbia.

The player was rumoured to be involved in several disagreements with the Newcastle players and staff. This naïve behaviour from Charles N’Zogbia affected his playing time in the 2006/07 season. With the player mostly coming off the bench to play. The over confident N’Zogbia was becoming frustrated and angry with the lack of significant action. In the final game of the 2006/07 game N’ Zogbia was withdrawn from the squad, as he refused to be a substitute. This childish behaviour by N’Zogbia is unacceptable. If you want to play, you must strive on the chances you get. And show a professional attitude of working hard in training and trying your best when you’re given the chance. Then you will be respected by your manager and fellow players. Managers, scouts and even owners are now looking closer at player personalities before they look to invest in a player. Charles N’Zogbia’s childish personality is off putting the big clubs. The likes of Manchester United and Arsenal don’t want a player who will unsettle their squads.

Instead of working hard to get back into the Newcastle side, the lack of respect towards Newcastle continued. The player was constantly in the press demanding a move away from Newcastle. The fans felt a lack of appreciation by N’Zogbia. As he was trying to angle a transfer to the likes of Arsenal by saying he had ‘preference for the Gunners’ But this poor professionalism from the Frenchmen continued in a farcical manner.

Charles N’Zogbia issued a statement in January 2009 stating he didn’t want to play for Newcastle again, after manager Joe Kinnear mispronounced his name by calling him ‘insomnia’. Really? So Charles N’Zogbia doesn’t want to play for Newcastle because the manager mispronounced his name? Utterly childish. He seems to forget Newcastle neutered and shaped him into the player he is .Charles N’Zogbia’s actions showed a lack of honour towards Newcastle and their fans. His whining character showed he would do anything to angle a move away from the club.

N’Zogbia finally did get his move away from the Tyne. But it wasn’t to Arsenal or Tottenham, it was of course to Wigan Athletic. When I heard of this move, I felt it was a good move for both Wigan and the player himself. As he could finally prove again to the world he is a great player with bags of potential. Aslong as he showed a professional outlook and showed respect to his team mates and the fans. N’Zogbia so far has had a decent Wigan career. He is consistently playing and is an important player for the team. He is the second highest goal scorer (5 goals) for Wigan and has the highest assists (5) for the club too. Furthermore, N’Zogbia has had the most dribbles and runs in the whole of the premier league this season (224). Thus emphasising his importance to the team. Yet N’Zogbia still carries that unprofessional attitude at Wigan. Last Summer he called Wigan a ‘stepping stone.’ Again, the lack of respect and professionalism from a player with great ability is frustrating. His naivety shows he has no respect for Wigan for taking the risk and helping him ‘re-launch his career.’

The player then showed the same ungracious attitude to Wigan as he did with Newcastle a few years back. The petulant star reportedly refused to play for Wigan in their opening match against Blackpool. How wrong is that? After all that Wigan did to rebuild his credentials he shows the same low class traits to angle a move away from Wigan. Frankly its convulsive. The irony is that he had to carry on playing for Wigan this season. But N’Zogbia should be ashamed for the way he has treated Wigan, but I’m sure he feels he has done nothing wrong.

The great Sir Bobby Robson said, ‘N'Zogbia could go to the very top with the right coaching and motivation.’ This is completely true. But the sad thing is that the only thing that stands in the way of N’Zogbia reaching the very top, is himself. He is a player with no shame, no respect and no professionalism. If N’Zogbia wants to reach the top of the game, he has to stop being so naïve. He has to be thankful and grateful to those who have given him the chance. N’Zogbia seriously needs to change his ways if he is to reach his potential.