Ones to Watch: Marco Asensio

Over the course of the summer it appeared clear that Espanyol felt their attack needed the most work doing to it. Naturally, this coincided with them losing their talisman in Sergio Garcia to Al Rayyan of the Qatari league. Garcia had led the line at Espanyol for the previous 5 seasons and, having scored 14 league goals last year, would be very difficult to replace based on the resources available to the Barcelona-based club.

Felipe Caicedo often partnered Garcia up front but hasn’t ever been considered a prolific goalscorer so they began searching for available options. They went for Villarreal’s Gerard Moreno who was keen on a return to his home city. Then they decided they needed someone to help unlock defences, to free the two strikers as well as contributing with goals themselves. It’s hard to find those kind of players but they enquired about Real Madrid’s new signing from Real Mallorca, Marco Asensio, and were delighted to hear the deal could go ahead.

Asensio himself admitted that he spoke to Gerard Moreno, who he played alongside at Mallorca, about the move. “He told me that they had a good team.” He didn’t only ask Moreno but also current Real Madrid players who had played for Espanyol previously: Kiko Casilla and Lucas Vazquez. “They said it was the ideal club for me develop at.”

He did have other offers on the table but after consulting his agent, his father and those around him decided that Espanyol was the best choice for him to improve. It was quite the coup as most sides in La Liga were monitoring his progress before Real Madrid swooped back in January to secure his services for the foreseeable future.

Marco Asensio generally operates as an attacking midfielder but can play on either wing if needed. He scored 6 goals and provided 8 assists last season with Real Mallorca in La Segunda before heading off with Spain’s U19 squad for the tournament in Greece. He was primarily used as a right winger but as with most Spanish teams there was a great deal of fluidity between Asensio and the others in the forward line.

He had a tournament to remember, making the headlines against pre-tournament favourites France in the semi-finals as he scored two late, breakaway goals to book their place in the final against Russia. The game up to that point has been centred on Spain’s defensive steel as France swarmed forward, looking to break them down but were guilty of overcommitting and Marco, with pace still to burn, punished them twice. The first came as he picked up a loose pass on the halfway line and charged forward but with the defenders reluctant to tackle him, he shot across the keeper and found the far corner. The second was easier as he once again galloped away from the defenders and instead of squaring it to his teammate, coolly slotted home to the cheers of the crowd.

Marco had announced himself to the Real Madrid fans curious to see what the hype was all about but knew he would find it tough to break into a side where even Isco isn’t a starter. At Espanyol he’ll be allowed the minutes on the pitch he needs in this crucial stage of his development, something impossible to imagine happening at Madrid just yet.

He wasn’t fit enough to start Espanyol’s opening three matches but provided assists in the first two games he did play for the club. He was brought down for a penalty away against Real Sociedad which was converted by Gerard Moreno to draw the teams level just before half-time. The second assist, at home against Valencia, came as a result of his freekick that Alvarez headed past Jaume to earn Espanyol 3 points.

The real standout performance of his short time at the club came against Real Betis, however, as he provided assists to all 3 of Espanyol’s goals in an impressive away victory at the Benito Villamarin stadium. His deliveries into the box are so difficult for defenders to deal with. The first assist came from another freekick, the second a wonderful pass into Caicedo and the third after beautifully turning his marker he picked out out Victor Sanchez.

There needs to be a degree of understanding when it comes to Asensio though as the boy is only 19 years old. He isn’t going to be the best player on the pitch week in, week out and he will make errors along the way. It’s important that he isn’t crucified for them and at Espanyol, he’ll be protected as they know the talent they have on their hands.

Asensio has an amazing turn of speed which leaves defenders for dead. Like most Spanish players he’s technically sound and with enough self-belief to never panic under pressure. He tends to drift from his primary central position to the left which makes him tough to track and if the defender does go with him, he opens up space for his fellow attackers to exploit.

Marco probably needs to work on the defensive side of his game, especially given how Gareth Bale was treated for not tracking back as often as the fans would like. That will come in time though. He’s got his head screwed on right and doesn’t shirk the added responsibility he’s gained at Espanyol – if anything, he thrives off it. “I feel important in the team, every time more. If I can return the trust shown in me by the manager with assists and goals, even better.”

There have already been rumours of him returning to Real Madrid in January but his focus remains entirely on Espanyol. “I don’t know anything about [the rumours of a return to] Madrid. I haven’t spoken with anyone there. I’m very comfortable in this side and my intention is to stay here until the end of the season.”

It’s tough to see him breaking into the Real Madrid squad next season let alone this one, so it’d be wise for him to stick around at Espanyol even if Real did come calling in January. The dream for Espanyol is to make the Europa League next season and with Marco Asensio in their ranks you never know, they might just do it.