Daniel James was one of the breakout stars of this Championship season. Gradually establishing
himself as a regular starter for Swansea City, he ended up with four goals and seven assists
in 33 league outings. While the Welsh club came nowhere near promotion, the 21-year-old
showed he has what it takes to play at a higher level.
James operated primarily on the left wing of Graham Potter’s preferred 4-2-3-1 or
4-3-3 systems, though he was also frequently deployed on the right-hand side. At times,
he was even tasked with leading the line, displaying a promising level of tactical versatility
within the English second tier’s most possession-based side. He was one of Swansea’s more productive
attacking players, averaging 1.3 dribbles and 1.2 key passes per game. His quality is
perhaps highlighted by another, less exciting statistic – in the Championship, only Aston
Villa’s Jack Grealish was fouled more often. Pace is the young Welshman’s most obvious
asset, and he uses it effectively in a number of ways. A natural winger, James likes to
receive the ball on or near the touchline, where he has a better chance of getting isolated
up against a full-back. Once in possession, he prefers to attack space rather than his
opposite man. Many modern wide players are 1v1 specialists
who get close to their marker before deceiving them with nimble footwork, trickery or a quick
turn. James, however, targets the space on either side of, or behind, his marker.
Direct and aggressive when facing goal, he drives at defenders and is excellent at attacking
the last line. In these situations, he will knock the ball beyond his man before running
around to collect, essentially playing himself in. The more time he gets on the ball, the
more momentum he can generate. And the more space between a defensive line and their goal,
the likelier it is that he will penetrate the opposition single-handedly.
James doesn’t just look for the space behind or around the outside, however. He also dribbles
laterally across the pitch, targeting the area between an opponent’s midfield and
defensive lines. While these movements may initially look less threatening, they actually
give him and his team a wider variety of options. By driving inside he gets more access to the
central channels, from where he has an improved angle for shots or combinations with teammates
in dangerous areas. Against a man-oriented defence, he drags his man inside with him,
freeing up space down the flanks for his team’s full-backs to attack.
James’ inward dribbles can also collapse and distract a defence, enabling movement
on the blind side by his teammates. And even against organised back lines, his dribbling
through different vertical channels can confuse defenders, causing uncertainty as to who is
responsible for closing him down. His speed may be key, but James has also developed
alternative ways to enhance his team’s attacking play that do not involve simply running directly
into space. One-twos with nearby teammates are a good way for him to get beyond his marker
– here he can use his foreknowledge of where he is going to get ahead of his opposite man
and receive the return pass. He also moves well off the ball, making forward runs to
open up passing lanes between other teammates. At times, Championship teams have doubled
up on him when he receives out wide. While this is a fairly effective way for opponents
to reduce his threat, it means they have less players to cover in other areas of the pitch.
Swansea’s attack was undoubtedly better for the presence of James. However, his influence
didn’t stop once the ball was lost. Defensively, his pace comes in handy when
pressing, as he can step up quickly to close down. Should the ball-player play a slack
pass, or the receiver be in a bad position, he is able to fluster them into mistakes,
back passes, or hurried long balls. One example of this came against Norwich,
a team that like to build from the back via short passes, James was utilised as a striker.
In this role, he was tasked with closing down sideways play between the centre-backs, rushing
the opponent’s build-up by reducing their time on the ball with the aim of forcing turnovers
high up the pitch. Once possession is turned over, he is a genuine
threat in attacking transition. He instantly looks to get in behind back lines with runs
between defenders, with his pace making him a genuine outlet for direct counter-attacks
over the top or in behind. Manchester United are looking to rebuild after
a disappointing end to the campaign, and James is one of their main summer transfer targets.
Since taking his place in the Old Trafford dugout, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has tended to
line United up in a 4-3-3 formation, although he has used a 4-2-3-1 at times. Experiments
with a diamond midfield and a back three aside, it’s clear that he wants a system incorporating
wingers. However, he lacks genuine candidates for these positions.
Unlike his predecessor Jose Mourinho, Solskjaer has preferred to use Marcus Rashford as a
striker. Meanwhile, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard have both been deployed out wide, though both
seem to thrive more consistently in central roles between the midfielders and forwards.
As for Anthony Martial and Alexis Sanchez, both have generally underwhelmed of late.
As a natural winger who can play on either flank, James would solve this problem. He
may also help Solskajer tactically in other ways.
He could form a productive left-sided partnership with the team’s most creative player, Paul
Pogba. With his threat in behind, James could drag opposition defences back and create extra
space between the lines for Pogba to exploit. Alternately, the pair could combine with each
other with one-twos or through balls. As well as helping to maximise the abilities
of Manchester United’s most talented individual, James might help in reducing the attacking
responsibility placed on an ageing set of full-backs, by being the sole provider of
attacking width on one side. On top of all that, Solskjaer, who seems to want his side
to defend more aggressively and higher up the pitch, would be bolstered by the 21-year-old’s
pace in pressing. James isn’t the finished article yet. He’s
raw in terms of his decision-making and execution of the final ball, and is at times over-eager
to dribble past his man. However, he does possess a lot of the qualities Manchester
United are looking for to strengthen their attack. And, as shown when terrorising Manchester
City’s defence in FA Cup action in March, he has what it takes to succeed against top-class
opposition.