The hyperactive performances, the twisting and turning inside the area in impossible spaces, the speed, the sorcery, the bravery against bigger opponents and the red card for a headbutt during his team's biggest match of the season, not for nothing are the comparisons being drawn between Iago Aspas and Luis Suarez.
To put Aspas, who will turn 26 just before the new season starts, in the same category as a player who single-handedly took his country to a World Cup semi-final and then led them to victory in the Copa America would be an exaggeration.
Aspas is a long way from the Spain national side but his raw talent suggests in Brendan Rodgers' hands he could develop into at very least a more than effective 'Suarez-lite' and with some of the Uruguayan's more self-destructive traits added for good measure.
Celta Vigo's number 10 scored 12 goals in 33 starts in the league last season – not bad for a player who would have preferred to have played off the striker and may have been able to do so if loan signing Park Chu-Young, borrowed from Arsenal, had not been so poor. He started only eight games.
In what was his last season for Celta, Aspas lit-up the club's Baliados stadium with some outstanding performances; but he also lost his head in their biggest game of the season, almost costing them their place in the top-flight.
It was back in March when they visited neighbours Deportivo de la Coruna. They needed Aspas at his best in what was a local derby and a relegation six-pointer.
But despite the enormity of what was at stake – both Celta and their opponents Deportivo were in the bottom three with just 10 games left – Aspas let everybody down.After what looked like an innocuous clash in the penalty area with veteran defender Carlos Marchena he bent down and head-butted the former Spain international leaving referee Carlos Velasco with no option but to pull out the red card. Celta were down to ten men, after just 29 minutes.
They lost the game 3-1 and Aspas was banned for four of Celta's remaining nine games. He was fined by the league and by his club and when he came back four games later he was straight back in trouble booked for diving, so ruling him out of the next game.
The yellow in that 1-0 win over Levante that he inspired was harsh – like Suarez his reputation at times goes before him. And like Suarez what he does on the pitch more than makes up for his moments of madness.
Celta needed to win their last two games of the season to stay up and both were won largely thanks to outstanding performances form Aspas.
He scored a penalty to wrap-up a 2-0 win over Valladolid in the penutlimate game of the season and then in the final match he was superb again setting up Natxo Insa with the goal that – courtesy of neighbours Deportivo's defeat – kept Celta up.
As it turned out his red card had neither been enough to condemn Celta or save Deportivo. He was a hero on the last day and not the villian.
He will return a hero whenever he goes back to Vigo – a local boy made good, his excesses forgiven by his own supporters becasue of his brilliance.
Sound familiar?
No comments:
Post a Comment