Tyler Adams gets it - The Square Ball 1/11/22
THREE POINTS
Written by: Rob Conlon
‘Getting it’ is a strange concept at Leeds United,
universally understood but difficult to define. Andy Hughes gets it. Gaetano
Berardi gets it. And it’s quickly becoming apparent Tyler Adams gets it, even
if he’s still learning what ‘it’ is.
Hughes and Berardi had qualities as footballers that were
difficult to quantify. That’s not the case with Adams. Counting how many
tackles he has won, interceptions he has made, and metres he has run will paint
a picture of a capable defensive midfielder. But as Leeds know all too well
this season, numbers don’t tell the whole story.
Instead, if somebody wants to know what Adams is bringing to
Leeds United, show them Adams sprinting into Andy Robertson’s face to make sure
he didn’t get away with a sly kick at Brenden Aaronson; or show them Adams
clattering into a fifty-fifty challenge with Fabinho, refusing to concede an
inch no matter how much it was going to hurt; or show them Adams leading the
celebrations in front of the away end at full-time, congratulating each of his
teammates, ending with a basketball jump at a bewildered Illan Meslier, happy
to go along with whatever Tyler was doing. In the black and white context of a
result, those moments don’t matter. In the hearts of a supporter, they mean
everything. Tyler Adams gets it.
At Anfield, Adams was competing against a Liverpool midfield
containing Thiago Alcantara, one of the most aesthetically pleasing footballers
on the planet. Raised on tiki taka in Barcelona’s academy, before Pep Guardiola
asked Bayern Munich for “Thiago or nothing”, he controls and passes a ball with
the tenderness of a painter applying their brush to a canvas. At least until
Adams rocks up and kicks over his easel. Thiago has only recorded a lower
passing accuracy this season in games against Arsenal and Manchester City,
because wherever he looked for a teammate to give the ball to, he only saw
Leeds’ number 12.
The speed and persistence with which Adams gravitates around
the pitch, pulling him towards the ball, is reminiscent of N’Golo Kante. There
are still moments when I wish Adams would turn and pass forward after winning
possession, but he’s probably justified in leaving that job to a teammate after
working so hard to win the ball back in the first place. Comparing Adams to
Kante is too convenient anyway. Can you imagine Kante squaring up to Robertson?
Kante is too nice, which can be disarming in its own way. Adams has no interest
in calming things down, sharing a taste for subtly escalating trouble with one of
his predecessors in Leeds’ midfield, David Batty. It’s no coincidence that,
like Batty, whenever there’s a chance of the two teams kicking off, Adams is on
the scene just in case.
Walking down the tunnel after victory at Anfield, Adams
coined a phrase that should be translated into Latin and printed in a script on
every away shirt Leeds release in the future. “Three points — let’s get the
fuck out of here.” Getting out of Anfield meant he could get back to Leeds, a
sentiment Batty would no doubt approve of. There are few greater badges of
honour for a Leeds United midfielder, and that’s the ultimate proof Tyler Adams
gets it.