Victor Moses: Scout Report

Moses can also be utilised as a make-shift striker, while his attributes are apt for a winger, he could be effective is shifted into a more central role. Below is an illustration of one of Moses’s best performance in a Chelsea shirt from last season. His tendency to shift into a central role and advance into a strikers’ position is evident.

As a winger, his competency should be his crossing. As far as this is concerned, Moses doesn’t like playing early crosses. Due to his love of beating defenders, he will, more often than not, try to get to the by-line before firing in a cross. This is regarded as a positive tendency, but in Moses’s case, especially last season, it backfired.

The Nigerian was often stopped in his tracks, as defenders and coaches got the hang of his movement, and not many of his crosses reached his targets. In fact, one might say that Moses was the worst winger in the league on the basis of the fact that only 8% of his crosses were accurate. This was the lowest in the league. However, this isn’t a wholly accurate reflection of his true ability.

The lack of accuracy from crosses also means that he isn’t incisive with his chance creation. He had a decent chance created per game ratio last season, but garnered only one assist in 12 starts, and 11 substitute appearances.

He has the basic skills when it comes to being a good winger; he just needs to work on refining some aspects, such as where to put his crosses. If he starts weighing them, and placing them better, he could be a very dangerous winger. He could also try to cross the ball earlier. At Wigan, he did this quite often, and was devastatingly effective.

Below is a sample of Moses’s creative ability. While most of his created chances are from the flanks, against West Ham he showcased his vision from a more centralised position.

As far as goals are concerned, Moses shoots mostly with his right foot, and gets a lot of power behind his shots. His goals against Southampton, and Middlesbrough in the FA Cup were thunderous strikes. He scored a couple of headed goals as well last season, but it would be unfair to say he has extraordinary heading ability.

Moses can be best utilised by a team as a counter attacking option, with his pace, and dribbling ability. Also, his tendency to lose his composure in crowded areas means that the space afforded to him on the counter will prove beneficial for him, as a player. His performance away against Rubin Kazan in the Europa League bears testament to his effectiveness as a player used to effect quick attacking transitions.

Transfer Situation

If rumour mills are to be believed, Moses is probably on his way out of Chelsea. With the arrival of Willian, Chelsea have seven players for three positions, and according to Jose Mourinho, he would like to trim the squad a little.

Though he might just be sold, the stated preference for Chelsea would be to loan him out. He will have no shortage of suitors, with both Everton and Liverpool being linked with the Nigerian. The move will probably be good for Moses, as he needs playing time to develop, and secure his spot on Nigeria’s World Cup team.

Liverpool seem to be the most likely destination for the 22-year-old. The agency that represents Moses, besides having some of the best talents in the world, also has Liverpool players Lucas and Coutinho on their client list which could be a factor.