THE winger’s art has changed, right? Not if you’re Ben Doak it hasn’t. In a world of inverted wingers, where right-footed players are constantly chopping in from the left-hand side to try to curl one into the far corner, and the same is true for left-footed players on the opposite flank, Doak stands out.
For a start, he’s a predominantly right-footed player playing on the right. He’s not exclusively right-footed, indeed there have been times this season where he has drifted infield to use his left foot to useful effect, but unlike so many of his fellow wingers in England’s top two divisions, his first thought when receiving possession isn’t to automatically dart inside.
Instead, more often than not, his signature move is to burst past an opposition full-back on the outside, an attacking move that feels like something of a throwback, but that is arguably more effective than ever now because of its novelty value.
Take Middlesbrough’s opening goal in their 4-1 win at Loftus Road on Tuesday night. QPR full-back Hevertton Santos had already been run ragged by Doak by the time the 18-year-old picked up the ball on the right-hand side just after the half-hour mark, but while he almost certainly knew what his opponent was going to do as he turned his body to face him, he was incapable of stopping it.
Doak broke on the outside of Santos, powered on to the byline, and pulled the ball back perfectly for Riley McGree to flick home a first-time volley. Simple, precise, effective. And exactly the kind of run wingers were making three or four decades ago, but which have drifted out of fashion in the last few years.
“He’s got really good enthusiasm for playing,” said Boro boss Michael Carrick. “That comes through in the way he plays, he’s always looking to be so positive and direct.
“There’s obviously levels to decision making, and he still needs to work on that, to sense what’s dangerous and when to dribble and when not to dribble. But to have that kind of purpose about your work is so valuable. You see it in the energy and the willingness to keep trying things. It’s a real joy to see, and quite refreshing, really.”
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There is certainly a sense of natural exuberance to the way Doak plays, almost as if the carefree abandon of the schoolyard has not yet been coached out of him.
Whether he continues to play with such freedom remains to be seen, but in Carrick, he finds himself playing for a head coach who appears to be more than willing to allow the winger to express himself. The Boro boss, of course, played alongside the likes of Ryan Giggs and David Beckham, out-and-out wingers who caused havoc with Manchester United. Perhaps that makes him more willing to forego the pursuit of defensive reliability or tactical intricacies in order to concentrate on the more fundamental attacking qualities that make Doak such a threat.
There’s a good chance that’s also one of the key reasons why Liverpool pushed the teenager towards Teesside in the summer. They need a long-term successor to Mo Salah on their right-hand side, and while Doak clearly has a long way to go to even come close to emulating Liverpool’s Egyptian king, his career is on a sharp upward trajectory.
An established Scotland international, he is making heads turn in the Championship. He certainly seems to be at a more advanced stage of his development than Morgan Rogers was at a similar stage of last season, and we all know where the former Middlesbrough forward finds himself now.
“He’s dangerous, and for the first goal (against QPR), he delivered a great move and a great bit of play,” said Carrick. “I’m delighted that he got rewarded for all his good work.”
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