Gilberto Mora is on a hot streak
Plus: a new centre-back prospect, and we launched SCOUTED50
This is The Shortlist, your free weekly dispatch from the editorial team at SCOUTED: Tom Curren, Jake Entwistle and Llew Davies.
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💦 S50 makes a splash
Tom Curren
It was a big week here at SCOUTED, as I'm sure many of you noticed. On Wednesday we dropped SCOUTED50, our big annual list of the players we'll be paying close attention to this season.
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We're really grateful for the response! We cracked 1.2m views on Twitter and are finally closing in on the fabled 1000 subscriber milestone we've been chasing for so long. Crossing that line will be a big step for us, even if just emotionally. If you've been on the fence about subscribing for a while, or you're new around here, now is the perfect time.
Otherwise, we hope everyone enjoyed the drop, and found a new favourite player or two among the collection. With that finally out the way, it's time for us to get our heads down on the next big project. But that's a secret. I'm not allowed to say anything.
See you soon!
🔵 Tristan Crama: a future Premier League centre-back?
Llew Davies
You’ve probably never heard of Tristan Crama, and that would be understandable.
Much of his senior career has played out in the lower reaches of the EFL - on loan at Bristol Rovers in League Two, then Exeter City in League One - or with the B team at Brentford, which is notoriously difficult to keep track of. Before that, he played a half-dozen games for AS Béziers in the French third tier. He hasn’t been very visible.
Now he plays for Millwall, a mid-table Championship club that have credible play-off aspirations under Alex Neil. If they manage to finish in the top six and put themselves in with a chance of an unlikely promotion to the Premier League, Crama should take much of the credit.
Since moving to The Den on a permanent basis last January, the 23-year-old Frenchman has started to make a name for himself as one of the best defenders in the Championship. First used as a right-back and now deployed at centre-back, Crama is putting together an excellent season that should flash him up on the radars of EFL fans and Premier League clubs.
I watched Millwall beat Watford the other week, and Crama was outstanding at the back. He dealt with almost every ball that made its way into the box, clearing with strong headers and big hooks; he swept behind the defensive line really well, often with the composure to find a solution after; and there were flashes of his ball-playing ability, albeit sporadic ones in a match that was notable for just how percentagey it was. He held down the right side of Millwall's defence.
If you want data to back it up, it’s worth checking out his FBRef profile. The most outstanding data point of the lot is his 81.3% aerial duels percentage, doing so off 48 attempts in eight matches thus far. That is an obscene level of aerial proficiency that is on par with the likes of Virgil van Dijk.
Now you’ve heard of Crama, you should expect to see his name pop up more and more over the coming months—especially if he continues his outstanding start to the new Championship season. The Premier League is a real possibility.
🔥 HEATWATCH
Jake Entwistle
Because we’ve taken a little break, here’s a quick re-introduction to Heatwatch - which will be a weekly fixture of The Shortlist this season.
SCOUTED50 is meant to be a guide to scouting players this year - an evolving, evergreen watchlist you can return to as the season develops. Jake and Llew will be doing exactly that. Each week one of the team will check in with a S50 graduate they’ve been following and give you the lowdown, either hot or cold. Mostly hot, because being mean sucks.
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This week, Jake is checking in with Gilberto Mora, who finished eighteenth.
🔥 18 / GILBERTO MORA
While the final SCOUTED50 votes were being counted, Gilberto Mora flew out to Chile to represent Mexico at the FIFA U-20 World Cup. In two games, he provided an assist and scored twice. He played a major role in every goal El Tri scored.
In the first match against CONMEBOL Sub-20 champions Brazil, Mexico opened the scoring when Mora’s measured cross was met firmly by a teammate surrounded by Brazilian defenders. Mora picked him out from an ocean of yellow. The effort was saved before being turned in on the rebound; this was all-but an assist for Mora. Brazil would go 2-1 up, against the run of play, before Mora strolled over to the corner flag in the 86th minute and passed the ball into the box and onto the impressive Diego Ochoa’s head. This was an assist. The game finished 2-2.
Next up for Mexico? Spain, the U-19 EURO finalists. Again, Mexico took the lead. Again, Gilberto Mora was involved. This time, the teenage technician from Tuxtla scored himself. Mora had drifted out to the left, facing up Spain defenders and setting up one of his nonchalant dribbling adventures. Granted, he was lucky to come out of the other side after a jabbed tackle dislodged the ball from his control but he adjusted quickly enough to poke it through the Spanish players legs and offload to a teammate with his back to goal. This reset pass - something Olivier Giroud expertly provided Eden Hazard during their time together at Chelsea - enabled Mora to burst into the box, take one touch and curl it into the bottom corner. His composure is astonishing.
A trademark Pablo García golazo, teed up by the nippy Jan Virgili, followed by an Iker Bravo penalty, won by the nippy Jan Virgili, put Spain 2-1 up. But, just one minute later than their equaliser against Brazil, Mexico hit back. Mora scored again. In the 87th minute, the ball was played back into the ‘KDB Zone’ and a right half-space cross was floated into the box. A Mexican head got a flick on, Mora was already adjusting and just as it was about to drop to the floor he guided it back towards the far post and into the corner. His composure is astonishing. Another 2-2 draw and another point secured.
Mexico’s final group game will be their toughest test. With all efforts pouring into SCOUTED50, I’ve not been able to watch Morocco just yet, but the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations runners-up have already secured their place in the knockout stage, beating Spain 2-0 before dispatching Brazil 2-1.
On Saturday, Mexico, Spain and Brazil will be playing for a guaranteed place in the knockout stage. The four best third-placed teams from the six groups also advance, so we should three nations from this Group of Death in the Round of 16. But Mexico, Brazil and Spain can all still finish bottom of the group. It’s all to play for. Whichever game you watch will be a treat.
But you should watch Gilberto Mora whenever you get the chance.
That’s all, folks. See you next Friday.
For everything on the next generation, stay tuned to SCOUTED.
