da premier bet： This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
da wazamba： Charlton welcome high-flying Preston to The Valley this Sunday, where Alex Neil’s side have a number of impressive performers who have contributed to their excellent campaign so far.
Preston sit 2nd in the Championship, although the Addicks are just three points behind their opponents for this Sunday afternoon.
We have already detailed two Preston danger-men who Lee Bowyer should warn his side about, although there is another key battle that will take place.
What is it?
Charlton right-back Chris Solly will have a job on his hands this weekend to deal with Preston’s Sean Maguire.
The 25-year-old has scored three goals and recorded two assists in 12 Championship appearances so far this term, while taking 1.7 shots per game – Maguire also draws an eye-catching 2.3 fouls per game, suggesting that he is a tricky opponent for defenders to deal with.
Solly must keep a close eye on Maguire, but also be mindful of two things.
Maguire’s poor touch and ability to be dispossessed
The Irishman, as good a season as he has had so far, has two concerning traits that Solly must be mindful of, and also look to take advantage of this Sunday.
Firstly, Maguire is dispossessed 2.2 times per 90 minutes in the Championship, implying that Solly can get the ball off him with relative ease if he maintains his focus when one-on-one with the No.24 – WhoScored also has ‘holding onto the ball’ as one of the left-sided attacker’s weaknesses.
Secondly, Maguire registers a huge 3.3 unsuccessful touches per game this season, which again reinforces the fact that the Preston forward can be susceptible to losing the ball despite his impressive attacking statistics so far this term.
On both counts, Maguire ranks in the Championship’s top ten. So although attacking players will always lose the ball more as they look to take risks, clearly it’s a gap in the Preston star’s game.
Solly must bring his A-game in terms of defending against a player who has done well this season, although there are clear weaknesses for the experienced Charlton man to exploit.