The way he dribbles, the spaces he looks for and the use of his left leg to avoid opponents are marks that Adrie Poldervaart recognizes in the images of Marcus Edwards with the Sporting number ’10’ on his back. The coach who welcomed Edwards in the player’s first adventure outside the United Kingdom explains that the striker has greatly improved his shooting and finishing ability in the last third of the pitch.
“Wait a minute,” asks Adrie Poldervaart on the phone with the TSF. “I did not see the offer, but I have a platform here that will give me the video quickly. Just a moment.”
Seconds later, with the offer in real time, the Dutch coach begins the description. “Go through the right side. Yes, I recognize that way of running and haggling. Ah… almost dialed. It’s unbelievable, the doorman stopped her. If we look for a comparison (laughs) it looks like Maradona’s goal against England in the 1986 World Cup. But it’s incredible that he didn’t score. Incredible”.
Recomposed, he explains. “This is the best of Marcus Edwards, here is the essence of him. He is short, but he is stronger, I can see it through his chest. We worked together four years ago, but I can see that they made it evolve. he gets the ball between the lines, look how fast he spins.”
A new life outside of London and Tottenham
Adrie Polverdaart is currently the manager of De Graafschap, a second league club in the Netherlands. In 2018/2019, a 20-year-old English player, from one of the greats of English football, received at the Excelsior. It was the first experience outside the UK.
“He came on loan, from Tottenham, to Norwich City. But he only played five minutes there. I know he had some problems, I don’t know which ones, but I know he had some problems. Then he left England, he came to Holland to play. He was a quiet boy, so I put him in winter training with my assistant, who still works with me. Marcus hung out with our left back a lot too, so he ended up adapting.”
“When he has the ball, his quality is noticeable. For us he was a unique player. When he arrived, in winter, he stayed on the bench for a while, because I played in a system that was not the most appropriate. Marcus had to improve on the defensive phase before he started playing, “But it was the offensive efficiency, or the potential that Edwards had at this point in the game, that captivated the coach the most. When he started playing, he never left the game.” equipment. He always played.”
Pochettino once called him the mini-Messi. “Of course he has some similarities with Messi, but he lacked effectiveness (…) We worked a lot on finishing. We even ended up creating a link between the two.”
The coach remembers the numbers of Marcus Edwards and the goal he scored against Arsenal, in the Europa League, for Vitória SC. “This efficiency that he showed in Portugal cleared up the doubts that people had about him at the beginning of his career. It was said that he lacked goals, assists” and now the numbers are there. But Marcus’ football is not explained in statistics, but in sensations: “He grew up a lot in Guimarães”.
At Sporting, Rúben Amorim has insisted on placing Marcus Edwards, for long periods of the game, in a more central position. Adrie Poldervaart understands and applauds the Portuguese coach’s decision.
“Marcus Edwards’ best quality is his ability to play between the lines. For example, Ajax is doing the same thing right now with a player called Kudus, using him up front. Normally the forwards are strong, with more than one meter and ninety, or very fast. Marcus Edwards is short, but he can play right there in the middle, with the midfielders up front, between the lines. Teams have to adapt to that.”
Source: TSF
