Kellyman saw Tielemans, connected with Tielemans. There might have been other options. Players incentivised to drive with the ball until they can’t build up their character and self confidence to strech the boundaries.

Asking to pass and maybe carry if you wish isn’t conductive to empowering players.

Unai Emery is the best coach in the world to make average players look good and deliver video feedback. He’s also good people. But his glass ceiling will always be to empower mavericks especially those who don’t fit a framework, as his PSG and Arsenal spells (albeit never as bad as portrayed) showed.

Nicolas Jackson, Chelsea’s remarkable all action carrying and dribbling outlet, couldn’t find a run of form until Unai Emery left Villareal.

Speaking of going against the flow.

A rare Sebastien (Revan) passes the ball back inside

See Cameron Archer going “against the flow of the ball”. That’s clever separation.

One sticking point for young players nowadays, is to produce these annoying “half” separation runs (below)

Not because it’s in the “half space” (space doesn’t produce actions, players do)

But because they’re half asking into feet, half into space in front.

I’ll go if the ball goes, but I’ll still entertain my Neymar arc

Be readable for your team mate, with sharp darts for or away from the ball

If you trust your team mate, get away from him, that’s as much space available to show for it to help him in a moment.

As opposed to clog the space to level down to the worst player in the team, and ruin every option.

New instance:

Cash squares first time to Tielemans.

The salvation doesn’t come from “the circuit” but players’ being empowered to be part of a serie of actions (A to B for C), therefore with a mental intensity that keeps them switched on and involved (because they own it).

That’s top level football. Cirque du Soleil isn’t.

Kellyman’s senior cameo showed promise, even quality.

The footage evidences how quickly decisions need to be made for team mates, that’s usually the biggest challenge for excellent academy players.

Tielemans hasn’t got time to fuck about to find out if Kellyman’s open to receive, he has to perceive a claret and blue option ready to receive so that he can bounce in one touch or take a second and play the give and go.

To avoid confusion: Kellyman is keen to get on the ball, has got nice separation moves.

That’s a good base to start, not everyone has the character, and agility and range of movement to do it.

It can become better over time, both in terms of timing, than bracing himself for “impact”.

Pickup football, hide and seek or ruckus with siblings (or cousins – cherish it) really call upon the same “ecological” moves (ecological = relative to an environment).

Do you need a tacticoach to play “Grandmother’s footsteps” (1-2-3 soleil), or do you find your way?

I often tweet this table: football is the combination of

“individual actions” x “group actions” and the resulting output is “team”

The relation of a player with the ball, or without it; are individual building blocks.

How they can socially interact in a 2 or 3 (get away from the carrier), A-B for C are the universal principles of the game (nobody gatekeeps that).

The combination of the former inside the latter produces “the team’s style of play”

Read differently: individuals x universal principles get you what the team looks like.

You can put your tacticoachs in the bin. They’re the facade.

Their role is to make you believe the individual / group dimensions are down to them whilst they continuously ask for better players to get the “team output” lavished.

Kids will find a way, or be guided to it by being asked to befriend the ball as “their friend” or “the sun” that they need to be seen (or not) from.

A nice cut whilst Almiron is ball-watching

There’s assuredly some “ball mastery” work at play, with thousands of receptions with the perfect balance, back foot, shoulders over the ball, good weight, fluid movement.

Kellyman’s inventivity and relation to the ball.

Zidane is in a category of his own, but he was also manipulating the football like he had hands for feet.

But Kellyman likes to have that extra touch (right inside) to cut and keep the ball in his stride, which leads to him drawing a fair amount of fouls.

That pass evidences what was suggested in the intro.
Kellyman has nice ideas, the execution looks alright but some of these passes go awry because overhit.

Cole Palmer’s strongest trait for these high risk high reward passes is how he masters the tempo to hit between the legs, or wait for a split second more for the defender to land on both feet. Bukayo Saka is also expert at it.

Madueke and Mudryk cut inside and pass, because more often than not, that would get through a forest of legs in the banter league they had 70+30 progressive carries per 90 in.

Receptions wise, Kellyman can create space for himself to receive, by backtracking

Receive at an angle, and use his shoulders (or not use them) to deceive the opponent

Playing cute passes for underlaps.

Another example vs Hibernian

Receptions

Emery liked his left footer striker to drop off the front whilst “the Watkins” (or Archer here) would pin the RCB

Deciding to go with the open left foot

Leads to a turnover, but we want to highlight the door-hinge that this specific movement presents.

If you want a fick round the corner, outside the boot and skip to avoid having legs being mowed.

Or

Jhon Duran: Maresca wants another type of striker than Duran?

He should remember he bottled a 18 point lead to 3rd, if not for Jamie Vardy’s 18 goals.

The clock

One of the most interesting things about striker pairings – which credit due, was one of the rare things I found interesting with Graham Potter’s football – akin to a slice of lemon in the pot of water.

Still diabolically mild taste, but there’s that and it covers the one of the tap water.

The image is to have two strikers working both sides of a clock.

Which I thought Welbeck (Pelé without the goals, please retire or stop scoring against the Mighty Chels please) and McAllister, or Maupay did fairly well together.

We start at 9 and 3.

If you go 10, I go 4 o’clock

See Watkins pinning the CB with ball on his left shoulder

Once the ball travels, Kellyman’s already on the move

(C is on the move during the pass from A to B)

So that whether he receives a flick or a third man pass, he’s already on the move

Most average-ish strikers (or right footed) would stretch the right leg, lose it or draw a foul.

Interestingly Kellyman dances around (hence the logotype) the ball and chops it with his outside left

To ride the challenge (with his hip) yet chopping the ball again in a remarkable piece of trickery or “quick feet”, which you have to come up with experience.

There’s no way you go that quickly dribbling a plastic cone.

That separation skill was unbelievably good, creative and inventive.

Maybe Omari’s touch lets him down, either too long or short there

Conscious of his own abiity (and propensity to hold off a defender), decides to get a shot off because if you visit the box you ought to. However not using his Romelu Lukaku left arm to create space to get a couple more steps to try to score.

Also tries to slide it between the GKs legs, which is the standard required at academy level for goalkeepers half going to ground half standing there get usually beaten with

Ball comes back, and some more inventivity

Making daddy long legs Dan Burn dance on fumes

With a pump fake

This is where it becomes interesting.

As easy as triggering Michael Olise’s clause?

That’s the difference between a more seasoned, tried and tested game and “pure academy plant products” who will slot the ball with a nice instep.

Balance permitting, Kellyman’s bursting with adrenaline, maybe lacking some steam

Datro Fofana toe pokes that football into the net, beause the toe poke, albeit not academic (yet very Juego de Posicion) allows more speed, quicker release (halfway through the standard motion). Poacher score toe pokes. Hugo Ekitike is the king of it

I was fortunate to witness Spain vs Croatia in 2016. In the entire tournament (5 games), the player that made the biggest impression on me was David Silva.
Not once was the man sprinting. Not once was the man walking.

Jogging, and roaming from position to position.

And moreoever, toe poking at a sickening bordering on fetishing rate just when the Croatian player was thinking he could get it. Exhausting stuff.

The real Ronaldo (the one you bored out of the sport) would use toe pokes.

Did in a World Cup final. Why can’t you?

Finding solutions in small spaces

“Creativity” in the sense of “finding unexpected solutions to a problem” has different scales.

On the larger scale, a player who has a cluster of moves he masters (Palmer, Saka, Robben; you can picture what he’s gonna do) would be a “problem solver”

But not quite the same than an unpredictable player (Olise, Ribery) labelled “creative”.

But on the small space scale, lots of these players can find solutions in equal measure, thanks to years of pickup football and modern training sessions.

I would put Kellyman in the “problem solvers” category (Palmer, Saka, Robben) but with lots of good inventive ideas in small spaces.

A player I coached a few years ago (at PDP level), H. Benali who just got promotion to Ligue 2; used to be very small, skilful and dynamic at YDP level but didn’t cut it for early 2010s France Academy system. A growth spurt permitting, he kept his exceptional small space trickery (able to nutmeg you in a phone booth) but doing it whilst 6ft tall now. The havoc he creates makes him the best player in French 3rd tier.

Modelling his game on Neymar (the most influential footballer of the past 15 years), he’d be a hammer with a nail (“problem solver”) with his wide left forward game (1v1 and runs in behind + curler far corner and headed goals), but also very creative in small spaces.

Kellyman’s “flip flap” or consecutive chops is too quick for Joelinton, probably there to kick lumps on that play, and get the ball on a good day.

For players who get on the ball a lot, this is something to think about.

David Silva would absorb a lot of contact with his hip / bum that made him “pressure resistant”. The true master was Eden Hazard

The risk benefit is to wonder how many times you can

• succeed: Kellyman’s speed of execution is fairly agile

• avoid dead legs and bruises: to be taken into consideration over time.

On the topic of fouls, food for thought from Graeme Souness about Grealish

There’s a balance to be found between treating the ball like a hot potato, and spinning like a beyblade on it.

Kellyman likes to be on the ball, and it’s the timing of release – and organising his own protection that will improve with gametime.

Talking about tall-ish left footed wingers, but refined by Championship football.

Michael Olise is a unicorn, generational one-man attack.

His involvement is ever more consistent (70 possessions is insanity), and his rate of fouls per 100 touches suggests he draws one foul out of 20 possessions.

Hazard floated north of 3 fouls per game in his career.

Box to Box

Kellyman likes to go box to box.

From the same starting position as Joelinton, the brazilian tips him to the cutback.

Against Everton early 2024, Kellyman picking up the ball in his own half

To glide between players, almost slither. Hence the lizard ✨🦎

With the composure to immediately dribble at an angle (so that his straight pass has an angle, from his carry)

However, a recurring theme produces a mis-hit pass.

This is not an issue pe se, attackers who can do this stuff aren’t growing on trees.

But as you’re looking for Premier League ready players, these are chances you can’t afford to ill-judge.

Cole Palmer played well 3 times against Chelsea in 2022-23

Noni Madueke woud probably not be noticed if he played for Luton against Chelsea, and his 2 assists in 1600 minutes in a season and half won’t contradict that.

3.1 xA, yes I also expected more from Chukwunonso

Madueke: March 2002, Kellyman September 2005 are 3.5 years apart.

Against Hibernian, it was difficult to not see Kai Havertz before clearing your lenses

Runs

Kellyman has a feline running style to run beyond defences.

Promising player, who will eventually be judged on what he does in both boxes.

Kai Havertz is also one of the best athletes seen in Premier League (changes of direction at speed), but the scarcity of his output in both boxes makes him a 330k/week luxury player, even with some double double seasons in Bundesliga.

Kellyman has his own journey. Amidst the mayhem and lack of clarity, we will follow it with great attention.

But without falling into the cognitive biais to say that because things look to be put together, they will necessarily.

Talent ID doesn’t require watching 17h of footage like a neek in a dark room with a screen, sometimes a flash can suffice for the experienced scout.

But ultimately, a sample size and two, three or four points to conjecture “parts” of a development curve are key. Aligning expectations to output is the first step towards building a coherent process – more robust than “let us figure out what to do from now on”.

Kellyman deserves a look at Chelsea, in equal measure to Tyrique George or Donnell McNeilly. The question is to put him in the relevant talent pathway.

Chelsea signed Kiano Dyer and Leonardo Cardoso from West Brom at academy level, also poached Dylan Williams from Derby County to fill their left back squad slot.

Kellyman trained at Derby County then Aston Villa. These players are known.

Kellyman is rapid.

Focus

Rui Faria (long time methodologist and assistant to Mourinho, tasked to design the size / duration of training drills) coined the concept of “mental intensity”

Kellyman with a short decoy from the front, Watking reading the cue and adjusting on the hour clock.

Second ball, Jaden Philogene-Bidace scrapping to get something out of it (one of the many reasons why I like him and so should you).

Whilst his mate hassles, Kellyman “ball watches”. This isn’t nitpicking, that’s just the margins at the level.

Joelinton fron the same location, stayed switched on and gets nearer

Almiron gets the ball, Kellyman finds himself a couple of steps short to nick the ball

Almiron eventually gets away. One split second of attention can create the opportunity to win the ball, compete and make a foul, compete and make a tactical foul, or let the opponent go away.

If that play leads Douglas Luiz or Konza to take one for the team, pick up a booking and miss the game vs Arsenal that they ticked in their calendar (knowing that football, in panic mode, usually signs players who played well against them) ; the player who dodged the opportunity to make the foul will probably hear about it.

Players know two things: what they earn, and how many bookings they are on.

Consistency

Attackers need presence, and actions that keep defenders on toes.

Good players all have some sort of quality at this level.

The difference maker isn’t speed, but deceleration

The difference maker isn’t quality on the same standpoint, but volume

How long do you dwell between plays?

Kellyman’s drop and go is effective movement to dig out Schär

However on the play just after, as Carlos gets on the ball and Schär hasn’t quite recovered his position, Kellyman floats in between.

None of this is worrying in any shape of form. Simply that a senior game requires more, more often, with less time in between. No time to dwell on plays.

The rule of thumb is 5 changes of direction for getting one pass, for forwards.

Agüero was a master at it.

Successful people don’t try harder than the others, they try 5 minutes longer.

Creating space

Kellyman definitely has “a stride” that is scout-friendly and eye-catchy.
Glides over the pitch, and can create his own space

Bypassed,

decides to draw the double team away, and Metcalfe (6)

A change of direction and he can drop back in the space he vacated to show for the ball.

Creating space for one self requires awareness

Creating space for others requires selflessness and a degree of reading of the game.

Second balls

Kellyman looks keen to help out his midfielders, and grab second balls

Challenging the Newcastle midfielder, albeit could get the body / arm infront more efficiently.

You can work on that, but you can’t work on getting midfielders to be arsed to harvest a second ball. Mindset is fueling actions, one can’t engineer making people being arsed.

---

Box movement

In a not too dissimilar manner to Havertz (basically an all action rotation 8/9), but more second striker than pure 9, Kellyman likes to hang out around the penalty spot for cutbacks.

You can train a striker to go near post

But you also have to respect people’s intelligence

William Saliba or Ibrahima Konaté didn’t reach the top of the French talent pool (theres a bit of competition) by letting people go near post.

Can you improve Jackson / Kellyman in being Jhon Duran or Demba Ba?

If they don’t have it, they won’t have it.

At least not to the level to fool William Alain André Gabriel Saliba.

The man is litterally a one man back four. You shall not pass

He can, usually above 95% succcess.

stop shitposting Seb, stick to the agenda.

Heading

Opposed heading differs from unopposed heading.

Opposed requires leap, strength, timing and bravery

Unopposed is mostly about technique (and not be afraid of the ball)

These are one of the aspects Kellyman has to refine at the contact of stronger / taller players.

Easy to see Kellyman standing out, but Joelinton is a big boi and they’re basically all like that

I was in the tunnel for Germany – Italia in 2016.

Most relatable player was 1.82 tall Joshua Kimmich.

Kellyman reaches the ball nevertheless

Even ending up – somehow – in possession of the ball, there’s a fine like between outlandish self confidence and turning the game into a game of basketball.

Success rules, if you succeed, we can’t say you didn’t try
If you don’t, you must accept there’s situations that require recycling to go again.

Some perspectives of football require the guy who wins the ball back to dump it, as he’s regarded not having the composure or grasped the picture to make something out of it

There’s no point tele-guiding players with strict rules like that, rather educate into reading situations.

It ultimately boils down to this: how much effort was needed to win it back, did you find yourself trapped between three opponents? The level of composure you have (left) – can it really lead to more composure a moment later? Difficult to say.

However, Kellyman seems to have a good unopposed heading game (defender bumps into him, he’s not actively challenging for it)

Workrate

Kellyman’s closing down angle is good:

Make a U to protect the imaginary line between the goal and the goal

then close down in front

Sharp cutting movement, albeit a bit far from the base

Long leg? That’s Joelinton’s change.

See how Joelinton makes sure the ball is shifted to the farthest point to his opponent who can only clatter his knees to try to reach for it

---

On a repetition of actions, only modern training puts players in constant transitions / adaptations, reading situations, making quick decisions.

Talking “OOP” / “IP” makes it look like you’re playing scrabble with an Oompa Loompa.

Kellyman wins it back, immediately spins to run in the other direction in a motion that makes him recognizable

We note a right foot shot with the laces for a righty, which is good

Finishing

The chance Kellyman had, is reminiscent of the goal Havertz scored vs England.

A balanced effort, curling past the top corner

Kellyman has the “shift and shoot” with the poker game Cole Palmer likes.

Don’t listen to nerds, finishing skill is a thing, simply because it has a set of actionable criteria that usually bring success when met. That it’s too granular to notice in the data is just an invitation to use your eyes

I posted a couple of notes when people were laughing at “haha Palmer 200 minutes”

Yes, the guy can score and there’s enough criteria met, and a track record of him hitting corners.

Kellyman might not be quite there yet, but like most things: intentions are noticeable

---

Resonating with a point mentioned above, top level football works at 100mph

Lessons from Jermaine Defoe would be to always be ready to receive it (on crosses especially, air-shooting finishes).

Bailey is 1v1, and Kellyman sort of freezes

Best way to help a team mate is to get away from him, so that you can join and provide support with a clear movement towards him

Ball tumbles inside his lap, and like most good “ballers”, Kellyman masters the trick to handle any type of pass by having it bounce between the legs.

That’s semi random, but arched legs, agility and flexible ankle create a platform for “rebounds” that keep the ball in “control” (and not roll past, or hit the backheel).*

Ballers can’t explain it, but they “bounce” the ball in their lap all the time.

Kellyman triggers a shot with the laces fairly quickly, decides to go near post (is blocked) albeit his motion could’ve deceived defenders into shooting far corner.

Tony Pulis’ Stoke or Guardiola’s City? That’s right. Defenders defend, block shots.

They don’t need to pass, John Stones plays in midfield for that in the Glen Whelan role.

When 1v1, there’s always a step between Academy football and first team football where goalkeepers are obviously better.

Aiming for the area betwee the arm and the leg is usually a good recipe for success

---

From Omari Kellyman’s own social media reel

One of my favourite striker tricks: make the defender dance with a couple of extra steps so that he opens the leg and you shoot in between:

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More on the subject of “turn of pace”

Bukayo Saka is also diabolically good at chosing the right moment to knock past players and change gear, after his reception.

Kellyman likes a heavy shot with the laces which is elegant and fluid, but might get blocked more often.

Ollie Watkins’ small touches and hammer shot triggered as wish is probably more brutal, but leaves less cues for defenders to guess

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Kellyman’s footwork is quality

set the right leg, to shift it with the left

hopping to bring the right leg closer

So that it lands next to the ball toes pointed to the target, arms for balance (and repeatable motion)

To note; this is not exactly a curler kissing the post, more an angry Cole Palmer effort.

Kellyman wants to hit the back of the net, and goes through the ball

A composed finish, from the penalty spot he likes to hang around on crosses.

Players aren’t “positions”, but they have preferential areas.

A guy who goes near post is a 9.

A guy who goes 2nd post or cutback naturally, isn’t a 9.

No matter how many minutes they get in each position on OPTA.

Kellyman would be used best behind a wall pass 9. Like Havertz, Palmer.

---

There’s no general rule against square carries and shots at an angle. Lampard or Harry Kane would be very good at it over the years

Kane’s balance (hit with power, shoulders over the ball) would be reinforced by his planted leg not mvojg (with toes frankly pointed towards goal).

Kellyman gets a corner, and players who can shoot at an angle are extremely valuable

Mbappé developped a finish to drive it low near post (surprisingly, mostly in his Pochettino season).

My opinion

• No need to dwell forever on the club’s policy as a whole. Signing superstars, or signing young players is what it is. The problem is clogging the wagebill with players that are neither. Money isn’t extensible, and it’s all about cutting off good but not vital body parts (Maatsen) when various type of financial deadlines appear on the horizon.

• Kellyman is an attacker with promise, who stands out from a regular talent pool: he’s taller, quicker, left footed, agile, has good ideas and excellent mastery in small space. That in itself warrants a spot in an Elite squad

• We can imagine that his game will improve, hardened with more challenges from senior players, and feedback from opportunities he might be given. His attitude is positive on the pitch, and seems to have grasped feedback (closing down angles, ball mastery to receive…) suggesting that he can take more feedback going forward.

• Then, when it comes to “making it”, a Carney Chuwuemeka or Cole Palmer have some world class traits that make them relevant options to impact games at first team level. Palmer doesn’t need “tactical structure” to look good, just did the talking on the pitch (as opposed to snide agent briefs to influencers to undermine organisations).

  Or Tuchel selling every striker to warrant the vanity project starting at 9 until the bloke next door tried the same (but now wants Sesko or Gyökeres – all part of the same plan. Some are just allowed to fail for longer than others, but they always come down to what works. See Chelsea and their mock NBA draft this summer).

• Kellyman isn’t there yet, he will be a live spark in a PL game and will have his moments. But is definitely closer to a Deivid Washington than a Cole Palmer.

• The question about the pathway is fundamental. You can “moneyball” and replace skillsets that might be of the level in a few years, but you need to adress the question as to where these players will refine it.

  

  With loan spot already squandered on the likes of Kepa, Lukaku, that argentine CB with 200 minutes. Chelsea will probably have to take losses (they’re unwilling to eat up Malang Sarr’s contract) or play a front 6 of Burstow, Datro, Washington, Richards, Morgan, McNeilly and Stutter in PL2.

• Can Kellyman play second striker in PL ? Definitely, on the odd occasion.
  As a backup option like Duran would have been for specific match-ups.

• Hard to see Jackson getting yanked for Kellyman when the team’s trailing.

• As for Kellyman, a League One loan would probably benefit him, like the livewire Abu Kamara at Portsmouth. More than Sam Edozie, entertaining and lanky wide player, but restricted to the bench watching Stuart Armstrong in the Kieran Dewsbury-Hall role at Southampton when Saints Got Marched On one time too many. Losing 9-0 in a week to Sunderland and Leicester in September with half of Manchester City B on the pitch (Shea Charles at CB, Edozie, Bazunu in goal and Taylor Harwood Bellis) who barely sniffed the pitch since.

  

  As a backup for Chelsea, Kellyman’s probably not gonna see a lot of meaningful minutes.

• In any “kindergarten” project, Chelsea would need Ziyech or Azpilicueta on the bench. Not players in dire need of developmental minutes, that ought to be farmed out on loan, domestically.

• Ultimately, you avoid injuries by training players properly: that’s what Pochettino did and the players under risk (38 year old Silva, Gallagher, Caicedo with no pre-season, Disasi, Palmer for his breakout season) never picked an injury.

• But you also avoid injuries with compelling rotation options off the bench, Ancelotti was unimpressed by Bruma, Van Aanholt etc… in 2010-11 and would rather play Paulo Ferreira at CB (0-3 to Welbeck’s Sunderland), and when he gave a debut to Bruma, he got poster dunked on by Emile Heskey for 90’ (3-3).

  

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