Le Renouveau | Aaron Malouda

Le Renouveau 

Rapid winger Aaron Malouda has moved from making impressive strides in Azerbaijan to a multi-million pound move to FC Basel, despite carrying the weight of the Malouda name.

Ignoring Phillip Larkin’s poetic negativity, I think there’s more than enough evidence in the sporting arena to suggest that your parents can pass on something positive. 

Much has been made this World Cup of Erling Braut-Haaland’s sporting lineage, with the Norwegian playing under the double-barreled version of his name in honour of his mother, Gry Marita Braut, an elite athlete in her own right as national heptathlon champion in Norway during the 1990s, with many believing that the heptathlon’s brutal combination of speed, power, technical ability and stamina across seven track-and-field events has had more than a small influence on young Erling.  

So it would be wrong to ignore the probable influence of Aaron’s father Florent’s career has had, and could still have, on the young winger. Afterall, Florent was an elite, space-creating winger whose career certainly began as a rather flashy, touchline-hugging wide-man  - particularly dominant in Olympique Lyonnais' 4-3-3 that saw him crowned as the 2007 Ligue 1 Player of the Year. 

And you can certainly see the family resemblance here. 

Able to play on both flanks, but perhaps most impactful down the left, Aaron Malouda is - to be blunt - rapid. Both in and out of possession, the French 20 year old utilises a pace well-above those around him to great advantage, as highlighted in his 8 goal haul in his inaugural season with Sabah FK and was evident again in his recent Champions League qualifier performance against TNS. Here, Malouda tormented both inside and outside his full back, producing an intelligent inside run on 28 mins before cutting the ball back to the grateful Joy-Lance Mickels to prod home and effectively kill the game. 

But a deeper look at his father’s career may well offer some crucial development points before Aaron can consider his next, progressive move. Florent managed to navigate the tactical transitions of French and English football in the 2000s by making subtle but important changes to his game that saw him transform from the front-footed, forward-thinking winger we saw in France to a more tactically-astute and disciplined all-rounder under the management of the likes of Carlo Ancelotti and his utilisation of him centrally in midfield diamond at Chelsea.

While I’m not suggesting that Aaron should suddenly curb his attacking flair, bigger clubs will inevitably be looking for someone capable of picking when and where to attack, rather than the swashbuckling approach he adopted at Sabah. As we have seen in this World Cup, the most impactful wide players are able to set the tone of their sides play by either driving forward or dropping the team’s tempo by passing backwards into the defensive line and regrouping.  

It might seem unfair to compare the two, particularly because the footballing world isn't looking for an exact carbon copy, but I feel there is an impressive career waiting if he can make these small but significant alterations. Natural pace and attacking intensity can only get you so far, and his next move needs to help nurture Aaron into possessing the same elite spatial awareness, tactical thought and positional flexibility that turns a good prospect into a great player in this modern, high-pressing era.

Hopefully, his recent move to FC Basel and competitiveness of the Swiss Super League will enable Aaron to move into this next stage of his career as impressively as he managed in Azerbaijan. 

Vive le renouveau !

Data and visuals courtesy of Twelve Football

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About The Author

As well as being an active Goalkeeper Coach Analysts Bar Co-Founder is a Technical Scouting and Talent ID professional with experience is supporting clubs both in England and overseas, currently working as a First Team scout at National League level.

Away from football Colin is an Educational Consultant as a former Head of English as well as a regular guest on BBC Radio Nottingham's 'In The Game'.

Written by Colin Sisson | @colin_sisson

Editor: Richard Ogando | @notts_stats

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