August 7, 2024...Mo Babouli's resurgence key to York United's rise up the Canadian Premier League table (from canpl.ca)
Mo Babouli’s resurgence key to York United’s rise up the Canadian Premier League table
2024-08-07
by Mitchell Tierney, Digital Content Producer (@mitchelltierney)
It took Mo Babouli less than eight minutes into his first appearance under new York United head coach Benjamín Mora to find the back of the net.
Coming on as a halftime substitute against Pacific, with York United down to ten men, Babouli made a near-instant impact, turning Kunle Dada-Luke in the box before slotting home the Nine Stripes’ second in a 2-0 victory over the Tridents.
It was just his second goal of the season at the time. He has since added three more, as well as an assist, during an outstanding month of July. Babouli was recently named the league’s Player of the Month as a result. As Babouli has thrived so have the Nine Stripes, who were fifth in the table when he returned from injury, and are now up into second, just one point behind league-leaders Atlético Ottawa.
So what has gone into Babouli’s recent resurgence? The biggest factor has been the areas on the pitch where he has been able to operate since his return from injury — namely, getting into the 18-yard box with a lot more frequency.
Prior to his five matches on the sidelines, Babouli had just seven touches in the box in York’s first five games of the season. In his last seven since returning, the 31-year-old has 22 touches in the box.
Unsurprisingly, a player of his quality is being rewarded for getting into those positions with that level of frequency. Four of Babouli’s five goals this season have come from in close to goal.
Under former York United head coach Martin Nash, Babouli struggled to find space in dangerous areas on the pitch; when he was playing as a strict number 10 in a 4-2-3-1 opponents closed him down too easily. Then when he got pushed out wide in a 4-4-2 he wasn’t able to get into the central area enough, and when he did that created gaps down the flank that other teams were able to exploit.
In Mora’s new system, essentially a 3-5-2, with Babouli either playing as part of a two up top with Brian Wright, or part of a central midfield three, he is afforded the freedom to drift into pockets all over the pitch, with players across the midfield that he can combine with in attack. In these areas, he has thrived and shown up on the scoresheet with far more consistency than he was earlier in the campaign.
Babouli has adjusted his game in this manner while maintaining what makes him truly special, the game-breaking moments of magic that he can create. His free kick against Cavalry FC on July 13 in a 2-1 victory, a goal of the month candidate, is a clear example of that in action.
That magic extends to his ability to beat players on the dribble, as few in the league are better with the ball at their feet. He has completed 18 dribbles this season, tied for eighth most in the league.
Babouli’s set-piece deliveries in general have been solid this season, with both of his assists this season coming from corner kicks, as well as the fourth most accurate corners played into the box in the league (11).
He has been effective at getting the ball into the box in general, with 94 balls played into the box, including crosses, which is behind only Atlético Ottawa’s Ollie Bassett and Cavalry FC’s Fraser Aird. He is now able to drift into areas across the pitch and combine with teammates to get the ball into dangerous areas.
Playing a more free role further allows Babouli the ability to play an important role in York United’s press, closing down opposing defenders and making the Nine Stripes more difficult to play through. He has contested 142 duels this season, winning possession 56 times.
As Babouli has gone so have York over recent years. In the 15 matches in which he has scored the past three seasons, they have lost just once, and won 10 times. Right now, he is playing a key role in their rise to the very top.
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