Dara O’Shea shows off different side to his game in impressive international display
Dara O’Shea has gone from strength to strength in recent weeks for West Brom and he continued his fine form for the Republic of Ireland.
The Boys in Green took on Serbia on Wednesday and although they lost 3-2, O’Shea can be proud of his display.
He was given a lot of responsibility as manager Stephen Kenny deployed him in the middle of a back three.
However, O’Shea displayed great organisation and was very committed in his challenges – his desire was something to behold.
Per SofaScore, he made nine clearances in total and therefore snuffed out danger constantly.
Serbia did have 14 shots but thanks to O’Shea many of those came from difficult positions and as a result only four were on target.
In typical O’Shea fashion the centre-back also won three out of four aerial duels and made four tackles.
The game would have been over a lot sooner if not for the Albion man.
We have come to expect this kind of performance from the 22-year-old, who has flourished under Sam Allardyce since he deployed him in his favoured role.
O’Shea replaced Semi Ajayi against Burnley and since then he has not looked back – West Brom have conceded just two goals in his last five games.
Against Serbia O’Shea showed an alternative side to his game, and that is what stands out most for us.
He has struggled on the ball at times in the Premier League – 64% pass accuracy [WhoScored] demonstrates as much.
However, on Wednesday he completed 83% of the passes he attempted and also made a remarkable seven long passes, per SofaScore.
In fact, he only conceded possession six times in what was a very composed performance.
We are eager to see O’Shea replicate this level of skill when he returns to The Hawthorns and he should be full of confidence right now.
It was a truly magnificent display and we are excited to see what he offers Ireland in their next couple of matches.
In other West Brom news, Super Fans react to Kieran Gibbs departure by focusing on possible 23-year-old replacement.
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