James Milner’s 22-year career in the Premier League has been forged by his multi-tasking capabilities.
It is early days for Ferdi Kadioglu in English football, but he is taking over as Brighton & Hove Albion’s most versatile performer in the continuing absence of Milner through injury.
Hamstring damage sustained in the 1-1 draw at Arsenal in August and a setback in his recovery ruled the 38-year-old Milner out of a return to Anfield against his former club Liverpool. Kadioglu, playing as a right-winger, scored his second goal in his opening eight appearances for Fabian Hurzeler’s side in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat.
Three days earlier, in the 3-2 defeat by Liverpool in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup at the Amex Stadium, Kadioglu was at left-back in the first half before a minor foot injury prevented the 25-year-old from reappearing after the break.
Although that is the position the Netherlands-born Turkey international has been used in most by his country and at previous club Fenerbahce, Kadioglu has also been deployed at right-back by Hurzeler.
But Kadioglu as a right-winger is an intriguing choice by Hurzeler. He is stacked with possibilities for that role, although two of those are not currently available to the German.
An injury sustained on international duty with Gambia ruled out Yankuba Minteh for the fourth game running, while Solly March is still edging his way back after more than a year out with serious knee damage.
That still leaves German prospect Brajan Gruda and Ivory Coast international Simon Adingra, who prefers the right flank to the left. Hurzeler brought on both at Anfield in the pursuit of parity after Kadioglu’s sweetly struck right-foot drive from 15 yards was cancelled out in the second half by Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah for the hosts. Record signing Georginio Rutter has also featured on the right as well as at No 10.
Hurzeler, speaking recently about Kadioglu’s ability to adapt to contrasting responsibilities, said: “I think that’s a big thing from him and a big advantage that he has this flexibility.
“But, of course, for the player it’s also easier if he is fixed on one position because then you can prepare better yourself. Then you can get to know better the principle, what is needed in this position because they are all different profiles.
“When you play as a right-winger there is a different profile or there are different principles needed than instead if you play as a left-back. So, I prefer that one player plays consistently in one position. But the other thing is that Ferdy is so good that he has this flexibility in his mind and also in his body that he can play several positions.”
Using Kadioglu as a right-winger again — a role he occupied for the first time in last month’s 2-2 home draw with Wolves — made sense for the second instalment of the double-header against Liverpool.
It meant that Joel Veltman had ahead of him a player with pace, energy and defensive instincts to help the experienced Dutchman to cope with fellow countryman Gakpo, who scored twice in the Carabao Cup clash. Veltman has bundles of nous, but he lacks pace.
There was not much that could be done about Gakpo’s fortuitous equaliser, an inswinging cross that beat everybody in the box, distracting goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.
Kadioglu, meanwhile, was spared the onerous task of trying to deal with Salah on the opposite flank. Pervis Estupinan did that well for the most part, keeping the Egyptian quiet until Salah cut inside the Ecuadorian to bend in Liverpool’s winner.
Kadioglu ended the contest at right-back to accommodate for the introduction of Gruda. He completed 90 minutes for only the second time (the first came in the 1-0 win at Newcastle in Brighton’s previous away game). A couple of minor injuries have hampered the settling-in process for Kadioglu, but he is beginning to get the hang of playing in the Premier League.
“He is adapting now. You can see that he is adapting to the intensity of the Premier League,” Hurzeler said after the match. “His body is getting more and more stable, more and more resilient.
“That is so important for playing in the Premier League in these intense games. I am very happy that he is in our squad and I am sure he will improve day by day, because he has the personality to improve. He is asking for help to give him the right advice for his development.”
Theoretically, Kadioglu was the only defender of the nine summer signings Brighton made at a total cost of nearly £200million. The £25million purchase was seen at that stage as competition for Estupinan at left-back, but now he is showing that he can command a place in the attack as well as the defence.
(Header photo: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
