Wolves are making light work of their return to the Championship and much of that has been down the efforts of Kevin McDonald in the heart of midfield. Adam Bate examines a host of statistics that indicate the Scotsman's importance to Kenny Jackett's team...
Thursday 25 September 2014 00:44, UK
The availability heuristic dictates that if something can be recalled by the memory then it must be important. Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski argue in their book Soccernomics that this explains why scouting reports disproportionately recommend the more striking blond players. They grab attention.
Wolves midfielder Kevin McDonald may not have the blond locks but the sight of the shaggy-haired Scot strolling around the pitch is nevertheless somewhat difficult to miss these days at Molineux. With his 6’1” frame, McDonald looms large. But this is no trick of the mind. The 25-year-old really is the dominant presence at Wolves – perhaps even in the entire Championship.
McDonald was the club’s player of the year – both players’ and supporters’ versions - in their League One title-winning campaign last time out and the statistics for the current season suggest he’s continued where he left off. Perhaps most impressively, he became the first player to clock up 500 passes in English football this season before all but one other man had reached 400.
It’s a reflection of the fact that so much of Wolves’ play goes through McDonald. And with Kenny Jackett persisting with his patient passing game, there has been plenty of it – with 58.6 per cent of possession, Wolves see more of the ball than any other team in the division. In his deep-lying role, McDonald’s job is to collect the ball from defenders and distribute it further forwards.
Crucially, his interpretation of the role is far from that of the stereotypical water carrier in the manner of his predecessor Karl Henry. McDonald has given Wolves penetration from deep, using his range of passing to start attacks and probe for openings. He has hit more accurate long balls (77) than any other outfield player in the Championship.
McDonald ranks among the top 20 players in the division for chances created and is also among the top 10 in the division for through-balls. Fine stats on their own but to achieve these numbers with an 85.5 per cent pass completion rate reflects the quality of his decision making on the ball. Off it, he’s worked hard to add defensive qualities to his game too.
Having begun his career as a more attacking midfielder, the conversion to a holding role has not been without its challenges. But given that Wolves boast the best defensive record in the country – conceding just three goals in eight games so far this season – it’s clear McDonald is playing his part with and without the ball. These are facets that Jackett has challenged him to develop.
“It’s something that’s needed in his game for him go forward as a player,” said the manager, quoted in Wolverhampton's Express and Star. “No one has ever said he wasn’t a good enough player on the ball, but defensively for the team, he has to get in the right positions. If you cover well defensively, then quite often, you’re the first to receive the ball off the back four and set an attack up, which I think is a particularly strength of his.”
Becoming a more complete player earned McDonald his first Scotland call-up this season and he’s now starting to fulfil the potential identified in him when he featured 26 times for Burnley in the Premier League as a youngster. “Kevin can have as good a career as Kevin wants,” said former boss Owen Coyle. “On his day he can be one of the best players in his position in the country.”
Of course, he wasn’t always so responsible back then. Prior to his blossoming at Wolves, McDonald was perhaps most famous for an incident in 2010 from his time at Burnley that saw him venture to the pub after being substituted at half time with his team 5-0 down to Manchester City. The move reportedly soured relations with manager Brian Laws and briefly hampered his progress.
There were subsequent loan spells at Scunthorpe and Notts County, before his career regained momentum at Sheffield United and the Blades were disappointed to lose him in the summer of 2013. Promotion to the Championship justified the decision to leave but at the age of 25 it’s what happens next that could define McDonald’s career.
In that regard, there seems cause for optimism with his current employers. Back-to-back promotions might have seemed fanciful after a summer of limited new investment at Molineux but the decision to keep faith in the players that got the club back to the second tier has shown signs of paying off. Wolves go into the weekend just one point behind the league leaders.
The televised trip to Reading on Sunday begins a period of three games inside a week that Jackett has already stressed will test his young squad. Some rotation is expected but one man is certain to be a fixture. After all, McDonald has missed just three minutes of Wolves’ last 33 league games. And just as the availability heuristic suggests, Kevin McDonald is a difficult man to miss.
Watch Kevin McDonald in action for Wolves at Reading on Sky Sports 1 HD this Sunday (1.15pm kick off)
