Anderson, a diamond, a small flaw and a large flair
Long read on Anderson's journey
There are times when you watch Elliot Anderson and see elements of the early Steven Gerrard. The progressive first-time passing, driving runs through midfield, and hunger to win the ball and the game. There’s the No 8 on his back, the burgeoning England career, the no-nonsense hair-cut and the occasional misjudging of tackle. Gerrard went through a period of needing to learn the art of ball-winning, improving timing and removing the emotion from intervention.
The Nottingham Forest midfielder doesn’t have the level of issues that Gerrard briefly had to work through but he needs to beware repeating challenges like the one that caught Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins at the City Ground last night. Anderson is a special talent, long lauded in this column, and every diamond has a flaw. He needs to continue his impressive journey to truly elite level by addressing this flaw.
Anderson’s not a dirty player. He’s just very competitive; he also never complains when he gets brought down. Anderson doesn’t have a poor disciplinary record; 10 yellows and a red in 52 games this season may signal issues but analysis suggests otherwise.