Nevin further argued that pure speed will not be enough for Barcola when opponents choose to defend deeply and deny him any room to operate.
The former Chelsea man believes that intelligence and creativity are paramount in those tight situations, traits he feels the £123m signing currently lacks. “The big thing, underlying it all, is that you also need space to run into,” Nevin concluded. “But if you’re really fast and playing against a low block, there’s nowhere to run. At that point, you need pure skill and intelligence, not just speed.”