James McAtee ya zo Nottingham Forest a matsayin dan wasa mai darajar fam miliyan 30 daga Manchester City amma ba ya wasa — manaja hudu masu jere sun kyale shi, kuma ya sami damar farawa ne kawai cikin wasanni biyu na Premier League a kakarsa ta farko a City Ground. Bayan wata shida, Oliver Glasner ya sake gina shi ya mai shi daya daga cikin 'yan wasan tsakiya mafi kirkiro a Ingila.

Aikin quarterback

Lokacin da Glasner ya bar Crystal Palace ya dauki ragamar Forest, ya kawo tsarin 3-4-2-1 nashi. Ginshikin wannan tsari su ne wadanda yake kiransu da «quarterbacks» — 'yan wasan tsakiya biyu da ke da alhakin, da kansa ya ce, «saurin hare-harenmu, ko muna tafi gaba ko muna riƙe da ƙwallo.» A Palace, Adam Wharton ya cika wannan rawa kusan cika-cika: mai ƙarfi a tsaro, mai kirkiro karkashin matsi, kuma mai yanke shawarar a lokacin sauyin wasa.

A Forest, Glasner ya fuskanci ƙalubale biyu: sake samar da tasirin Wharton yayin da yake maye gurbin Elliot Anderson, ɗan wasan mai ƙarfi da ya koma Manchester City a kasuwar bazara. Kaɗan ne da za su yi tsammani cewa ɗan wasa ɗaya zai warware matsalolin biyu — kuma kaɗan ƙwarai za su sanya wa McAtee wannan lakabi.

Sauyin matsayi, sauyin arziki

McAtee ya girma a makarantar Manchester City ya wakilci England a matsayin na 10 mai kai hari. Glasner ya umurce shi da ya taka ƙasa sosai fiye da yadda ya saba, babban sauyi a matsayi ta kowace ma'auni. Amma hakan ya bayyana yana daidai da shi sosai.

Brian Barry-Murphy, ɗaya daga cikin tsohon kocinsa a makarantar Manchester City kuma yanzu manajan Cardiff City, ya bayar da bayani mai ban mamaki ga Sky Sports a shekarar 2024. «Pep yakan yi magana koyaushe game da yadda yake kyakkyawa a cikin kaso-kaso,» in ji Barry-Murphy. «Duk lokacin da sararin ya fi ƙunci, shi ne ya fi jin daɗi da jin kamar yana gida. Shi ne musamman dan wasa a wannan rawa.»

Wannan ikon yin fice a wuraren da ke cike da 'yan wasa — tare da ƙafarsa ta hagu da daidaicin wutsarsa — ya mai da McAtee mai dacewa ta dabi'a ga aikin quarterback wanda Glasner ya ayyana a Forest.

Lambobi sun ba da labari

Bayan wasanni biyar na Premier League a wannan kakar, McAtee yana cikin 'yan wasa mafi yawan kirkiro damammaki. 'Yan wasa biyar kawai sun kirkiro mafi yawan damammaki, kuma uku kawai sun fi kyau da shi a kirkiro daga wasan bude fagen wasa. Dangane da wutsarori da suka kai harbi — jerin motsi da ke haifar da kokarin zura kwallo a raga a cikin wutsarori biyu ko uku — McAtee yana matsayi na biyu a Premier League, daidai da Bruno Fernandes, wanda ya jagoranci dukkan ƙungiyoyin shugabanci a wannan ma'auni a kakar da ta gabata.

Maɗaukaki tasa kaɗai a wannan rukuni a Forest shi ne Morgan Gibbs-White, jarumin kulob. Duk da haka, ana iya jayayya cewa aikin McAtee yana da muhimmanci fiye da kowane abu ga yadda wannan ƙungiya ke aiki: shi ne ke sarrafa saurin wasa, tura ƙwallo gaba, da bude tsaro da wadancan wutsarori masu kaifi tsakanin layukan.

Tsarin hare-hare kai tsaye na Forest

Wannan ƙungiyar Forest ba ta sha'awar ƙwallon da ke jira mai haƙuri. Tsarin Glasner na kai tsaye ne kuma mai inganci — idan sun karɓi ƙwallo, suna tura shi gaba da gaggawa. Hare-hare huɗu kawai na kakar wannan an rarrabe su a matsayin hare-haren gini. Sun kasance na huɗu wajen kason wutsarori zuwa gaba kuma na uku wajen yawan wutsarori masu tsawon da aka kammala a Premier League.

McAtee shi ne injin a tsakiyar wannan hanya, kamar yadda Wharton yake jagorancin ta ga Crystal Palace. Lokacin da Glasner ya dawo Selhurst Park a Super Sunday — yanzu a matsayin manajan Forest ba na Palace ba — akwai kananan labari mai ƙarfi da ke ƙarƙashin wannan dawowar: sabon quarterback nasa yana fuskantar tsohon quarterback nashi.