Player Focus: Bullish Negredo rejuvenated in red of Spain

“Negredo reclaims the number 9” was the headline in Wednesday’s issue of Spanish daily AS. Marca, meanwhile, went with “Diego Costa motivates Negredo” inside their paper. Although with regards to the former it may be dangerous to suggest he has truly claimed the coveted striker’s shirt, the Manchester City man has made the most compelling argument yet in the race to be the current European and World Champions’ first choice.

His 10th goal for Spain came on Tuesday evening, with a sharp dart to the near post and a poke home. He also hit the woodwork, and provided a generally tenacious performance that saw WhoScored.com hand him a Man of the Match rating of 8.45. It’s now 10 goals in 19 games and 4 in his last 5 with the national team; in qualifying that breaks down to 1 goal every 55 minutes.

The timing of Negredo’s claim couldn’t be more impeccable, and it has presented Vicente Del Bosque with a dilemma he thought he might never be posed again. Diego Costa’s signal that he’s ready to play for Spain has caused hysteria across the country, mostly for the right reasons in that his form, once coupled with style, would be of great benefit to la Selección. Barring a last minute bureaucratic hitch or a change of heart from Costa or Del Bosque, the Atlético Madrid man will play for la Roja. This is maybe where Marca’s motivational claim comes in to play.

Negredo is indeed showing signs of life, which is much more than can be said for some of his counterparts such as the declining Fernando Torres and David Villa, or out of sorts Roberto Soldado and Fernando Llorente. At times, it feels as though a Dani Güiza comeback is more likely than the aforementioned players getting together some sort of form for Spain.

As well as the lurking premise of Diego Costa, Negredo’s move to City has facilitated a re-emergence for the striker – one that has brought about a motivation and determination his game so thrives upon. He is after all a gritty striker, but he has to be willing to do those gritty aspects for his game to truly come alive.

Even amidst the disappointment of the game against Bayern Munich, it was the Spaniard’s introduction that sparked life into a City side that appeared dead in the water for long periods. He scored, and generally made a nuisance of himself. At Sevilla, despite the goals in the latter stages of the season, that desire to regain such a threat had dwindled in the player and he’d become stale.

Few strikers run the margins of appearing like a top class striker one minute, and a Sunday league player the next quite like Negredo. Again, it’s that style of his; gritty and uncompromising. Running into the channels, closing down and most of all imposing himself physically. Negredo is a bull in attack, bulky and direct. Though the odd bicycle kick or subtle turn might fool you, there is little by the way of grace. It’s why this renewed energy is so refreshing at City, and it’s evidently transferring to his international duties.

That was the hope, of course. There was only so much Negredo could do at Sevilla and with a move to City, the Premier League and playing under a coach like Manuel Pellegrini, the idea was that the now 28-year-old would progress as a player. The early signs are enthusing, with the prospect of silverware on the table and untapped limits at City. That much is a far removal from the severe limits of Sevilla and La Liga as a whole for a player not contracted to Barcelona or Real Madrid.

Before his start against Everton on October 5th, Negredo had primarily been an impact substitute. He did his job in that respect too, scoring twice in the three occasions he’d been sent on by Pellegrini. Negredo has always been notoriously frequent with his shooting, and with 2.3 shots per game that shows no signs of abating, breaking down to 16 shots taken and 3 goals in return.

It’s not a bad return so far but an improvement must be made on the 150 he took last season to return 25 goals, as he averaged 4.2 shots per game. Negredo should keep in mind that his shot selection will be key to his actual selection, especially when someone like Sergio Agüero has scored more (4) from less shots (12) in the Premier League. Negredo had 7 efforts on target against Georgia on Tuesday evening, while against Belarus on Friday there was just one on target – that one found the back of the net though, via a superb diving header.

Elsewhere though, there have been improvements. His two assists so far show a change in attitude to his duties elsewhere on the field, much due to the fact that rather than being the main man at Sevilla, he’s now a component in a large squad at the Etihad. Negredo needs to work and make a statement to be part of the XI, and with 2 assists he’s shown there is another side to his game other than goalscoring. At Sevilla he managed just the one across the entire course of last season.

Aside from the goals and assists even, the most admirable part of Negredo’s stint with City so far has been that attitude. The willingness to dig in, hustle defenders, fight in the air – as shown by his 1.7 aerial duels won per game – and show intelligence with his running. A relationship with Agüero is clearly blossoming, with both showing the mobility off the ball to confuse defenders and create the necessary problems that the creative instincts of Yaya Touré and David Silva can capitalise upon.

It makes great viewing for Del Bosque so far, a man who has bemoaned the lack of tenacity from his attacking players. The move to England, Costa’s Spanish citizenship – whatever it may be, Negredo’s mobile once again and City’s ‘bull’ is heading for the red of that Spain number 9 shirt in Brazil 2014.