Conor Coady has been quite underrated this season for Wolves, being the team’s captain and the key figure in a backline that boasts the best defensive record outside of the top 4. He was also at the heart of the defence when Wolves won the EFL Championship last season, winning promotion to the Premier League.
A graduate of Liverpool’s academy, Coady first moved to Wolves in 2015 and is one of the few players that survived Nuno Espírito Santo’s Portuguese revolution. A former central midfielder, he was converted into a defender by the new manager and now plays as a sweeper in the centre of a 3-men defence.
(Wolves’ usual lineup)
The EPL is a fast-paced league, and Espírito Santo had doubts over Coady’s ability to thrive in the midfield, with Coady seemingly not quite quick enough with his feet. Nowadays, as a midfielder it isn’t enough to simply have passing ability – it’s how well you can pass while being pressed and closed down, how well you can close the opposing player down, whether you have the stamina to keep up this high-intensity kind of game for 90 minutes.
However, his passing, reading of the game, physique and leadership abilities meant that he was still a vital asset to the team. So Espírito Santo moved him into central defence as a sweeper, where he would have time at the back to pick out his passes, utilising his passing ability.
Willy Boly and Ryan Bennett play on either side of Coady as stoppers in central defence. They act as out-and-out defenders and are more aggressive in their style of play; this gives Coady the space to play in a covering role, where he can use his reading of the game to make interceptions, as well as bring the ball out of defence and start counter-attacks, launching passes from the back.
This complements João Moutinho and Rúben Neves in the midfield, all of which are excellent passes. This gives Wolves multiple playmakers to work with, which helps in creating chances – opposing teams have more targets they need to close down.
It also speaks volumes of Coady’s leadership ability that he has retained the captain’s armband despite the presence of Neves, who is known for being the youngest ever captain in Champions League history for Porto.
With Wolves currently in 8th place at time of writing, I compared Coady’s statistics to the main centre-backs of the clubs around there in the table:
Coady comes out ahead of his counterparts from other clubs when it comes to passes completed, average pass length and long ball passes. Honed from his training as a former midfielder, his passing ability is plain to see.
If Gareth Southgate opts to use a 3-men defence again like he did in the 2018 World Cup, Coady may have a chance of making the squad this time around.
A hugely underrated player.