around March last year I was pretty dubious about the brains behind the brawn.
No more. He's come on leaps and bounds. his forward passes start off so many of our breaks. he is the way ahead of the opposition, he is always the first to react and push out. he spots the spaces and forwards so quickly. all of a sudden his passing is downright impressive, and he can hit the winger/CF with ease. in other games he's carried the ball forward at pace with exactly the same effect.
I always thought he could do it, and it just required a mental shift. I didn't realise how good he would be at it, and I thought it would take at least a season for him to show his potential. I guess the WC had a good effect on him. I also reckon he's picked up a few tricks off PV (spotting the break, being first to come out, hitting the centreforward early), and Gazbaz (rolling, twisting and turning to get out of trouble or win a free kick).
So hats off Nige, you're brilliant every week, and you're still improving.