How to use your body like Myles Lewis-Skelly

Football is defined by personalities and rivalries. That’s what sets it apart from every sport on the planet. At the end of last year, football’s online presence — both fans and media — spent an entire month reminiscing about mavericks and enigmas past, glorifying an era of football when feuds were fierce and competition was ruthless. ‘It was better back then’ was the cry.

If so, let’s not stamp down on the personalities and rivalries that are flourishing in today’s game, shall we?

With that in mind, onto Arsenal and Manchester City. This is a rivalry that’s thriving in front of our eyes. With every meeting, the intensity ramps up and hatred grows stronger. These are two top teams fighting out for the biggest prizes in the sport. Embrace it like Erling Haaland and Myles Lewis-Skelly are, elite sportsmen giving and taking. That’s what it’s all about.

In SCOUT NOTES this week:

• How to use your body like Myles Lewis-Skelly
• The Barclaysman leading a promotion push in Ligue 2
• Sporting already have the next Viktor Gyökeres
• The latest La Fábrica graduate makes his mark
• Transfers, transfers, and more transfers

Enough talking, let’s dive straight into it. Read on for MLS and much more.

Last Sunday’s showcase meeting between Arsenal and Manchester City can be considered a coming-of-age moment for Myles Lewis-Skelly — but you could call it a knowing-of-name moment.

Four months ago, a fiery meeting of the two teams in Manchester ended with City scoring a last-minute equaliser, 10-man Arsenal crumpling to the floor, and Erling Haaland asking “who the fuck” teenage debutant Lewis-Skelly was in the tetchy squabbles that ensued after the game.

Four months later, the Gunners welcome them to north London and unleashed the fire in their bellies to thrash the visitors in a highly-charged affair, putting five past them with the 18-year-old playing a key role, scoring his first senior goal, then celebrating with Haaland’s trademark celebration.

The fallout has been pathetic yet depressingly typical of football media and fandom nowadays, but I’m not here for that. I’m here to focus on Lewis-Skelly and one of his outstanding traits: the way he uses his body. I highlighted it in SCOUT NOTES last November, stating that I’ve never seen a young player as proficient as him at such a skill, and this breakout performance is a suitable muse to dive into the detail. Let’s go.

His first involvement in the match set the tone: lobbing Phil Foden off the pitch despite having no chance of getting to the ball. Notice the technique too, gripping under the arm pit and hupping with a knee, much like that burly, skin-headed, power-tripping bouncer does when chucking your mate out of a pub on a Saturday night after a few too many Carlings. It’s assertive.

A couple of minutes later, the bouncer is refusing entry to the pub: Lewis-Skelly tidies up a loose ball situation by sealing Foden out, wedging his body between ball and man, bending at the knees, thrusting his arms back and gripping by the midriff. He’s in control there, not Foden.

A minute later, Arsenal are looking to suffocate City in their own third and Lewis-Skelly has Foden where he wants him. Despite not being directly involved in the play, the defender is hanging all over him, squeezing right up the pitch to pen the visitors in a tight corner.

Even when the ball is booted up in the air, Lewis-Skelly is still grabbing and tugging at Foden relentlessly. He’s not letting him make that gambling run into space behind, nor is he allowing him to get the beat on the dropping ball. He’s getting under his skin with constant, combative, annoying contact.