‘What a talent’ – Micah Richards heaps praise on ‘absolute delight’ West Brom ace
Micah Richards has heaped praise on West Brom talent Matheus Pereira for his display against Chelsea on Saturday evening.
The Brazilian was in typically inspired form against the Blues, assisting Callum Robinson’s opening goal and generally catching the eye in a dramatic 3-3 draw.
His performance also drew a rave review from former Aston Villa defender Richards, who was delighted with the 24-year-old’s creative streak.
Speaking on Match of the Day (September 26th, BBC One, 10.30pm), he said: “What a talent he is.
“Only Kevin De Bruyne has made more assists than him since the start of last season. He’s just so comfortable on the ball. Everything that West Brom do right is because of him.
“He gets another assist today. He scored a beautiful free kick last week against Everton. He’s so calm and composed on the ball. He always looks forward at every opportunity.
“I watched him a lot in the Championship last season thinking ‘can he do it in the Premier League?’, and he’s showed me over the last couple of games that he definitely can. He’s an absolute delight to watch, he really is.”
This was a top display from Pereira, and he fully deserves all of the credit that is being lavished on him.
The South American is clearly going to be Albion’s biggest weapon in their fight for survival this term, and Saturday evening was a brilliant reminder of why.
His assist for Robinson, while relatively simple by his own standards, was beautifully taken, and his pass completion rate of 88% was a full 8.4% higher than his tally last term, as per Wyscout.
Just as impressive was his defensive work rate, however, and his total of seven interceptions was the joint-highest amount he has produced in a West Brom shirt.
As Richards says, if there were any doubts about whether or not he could cut the mustard in the Premier League, they have surely been put to bed already.
In other West Brom news, Incredible 25yo makes up for stinker from mainstay: 3 things we learned from West Brom v Chelsea.
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