Sunderland striker Brian Brobby is not hiding from his ambitions this summer. He wants to become the Netherlands’ first-choice striker at the World Cup.
Back at the KNVB complex in Zeist for the international break this week, the Sunderland striker admitted he did He has his eyes on the prize of NRC.
The “goal” is clear, become a regular for the Netherlands this year and in the years to come.
“That would be great. I’ve been working hard on it too. So hopefully it works out.” He said.
His return to the national team comes at a crucial moment, with the World Cup just a few months away. After a difficult season at Ajax, he was out of the picture. But his move to Sunderland has re-ignited the fire.
With six goals this season, including the winner in the derby against Newcastle, the striker has come back strongly for Ronald Koeman.
Analyst behind the resurgence
However, Brian Brobby’s return to form is not just about confidence. Since last summer, he has been working with Rotterdam-based expert Patrick Vorst.
The Sunderland striker was introduced to him by Netherlands teammate Denzel Dumfries. His surprising conclusion after analyzing Brobby’s game was to take him out of physical duels.
He helped the Sunderland striker restructure his game by focusing on scanning, orientation and receiving the ball while on the move.
“Defenders are getting smarter and think he’s going to be on them all the time,” Worst explains.
“So, they keep their distance. By doing that, they put Brobby in a kind of doubt: Where is he really?
“That’s the first thing we started working on. What should he do if he doesn’t get into a physical duel? To that end, they started focusing on getting away quickly.
“He almost always gets away and keeps his pace. That means he’s hard to stop.”
Opta data supports this. Brobbey’s ground duels per match have dropped from 7.8 at Ajax to 5.2 at Sunderland, a 33% decrease.
“Patrick shows me how to scan players, how to make runs into space and how to receive the ball,” Brobbie added. Less conflict also means more fitness, Something that did not go unnoticed in the Netherlands.
Faster speed and better position = greater danger
Another big change is the positioning of Sunderland’s players in the box. According to Vorst’s data, Brobbie often stood directly in front of defenders. From this his activities could be estimated.
Now, he is encouraged to move away from the ball, stay hidden and get into space whenever possible. Ideally this happens in front of the goal. Watch his winner against Newcastle, and such training is evident.
“With crosses from the flank, he often stood in front of the opponent, so they kept him in their field of vision,” Add worst.
“So, the defender could see every movement Brian made and could react to it. Brian always had a tendency to run towards the ball.”
According to him, the trick for Brobby is to stay away from the ball often in promising situations to stay out of his marker’s field of vision.
“And then at the right moment, when he makes eye contact with his partner, he has to step in front of his man,” He concluded.
The result appears to be a striker who looks faster, fitter and far more dangerous than Ajax.
His goal now is clear, to become the Netherlands’ first-choice striker. For the first time in a long time, it’s actually within reach. And the Sunderland striker probably has Worst to thank.
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