Tuesday talking point: Ward-Prowse still has room for improvement
- Published
Harry Tizard, The Saints Score, external
With four free-kick goals last season and three during the 2021-22 campaign, the trademark James Ward-Prowse is predictable yet usually unstoppable.
Positioned on the left-hand side of the box, about 23 yards out, the Saints captain has admitted that he gets excited when the referee indicates a foul in favour of his side, with Saturday’s match against Leeds United being no different.
He whipped the ball into Illan Meslier’s top-right corner, the Frenchman’s slight sideways shuffle before the kick was taken not enough to keep out the England international's effort.
Having overtaken Premier League greats Thierry Henry and Gianfranco Zola in the free-kick goalscoring charts - Ward-Prowse is now on 13 - the 27-year-old has David Beckham’s record in his sights.
With all of this considered, it is clear Ward-Prowse is the most feared free-kick taker in the world, but there is still slight room for improvement.
All of his set-piece strikes have come from the centre or left of the area, with all but two sailing into the same side of the goal from where he struck the ball, so there is an argument to say the ridiculous ratio at which he finds the net could still improve.
He will truly become the best at his craft if he can replicate Beckham’s versatility from a dead-ball situation.
