Hello Ben Wiles, we've been expecting you
Will the midfielder show us something different this season? His cameo in Town’s 5-0 victory against Emley suggests…maybe so
We have actual football to talk about again — and what a relief after two whole days without the Euros. An awful and interminable wait.
Blessed nectar came as Huddersfield Town eased to a 5-0 pre-season win over Emley, and there were lots of positives to reflect on.
You have to be careful not to read too much into anything at this point of the summer. We’ve said it on the podcast before and it bears repeating here: these are glorified training sessions rather than actual games. We saw a 3-5-2, a 4-5-1, a 3-4-3 and even a 4-4-2 at one stage. 33 players played half an hour each. Anyone who tells you they now know what Michael Duff is thinking for day one of the new season is lying.
One man we did see play and indeed score against Emley was Ben Wiles. It would be fair to say that he has a lot of work ahead to convince Huddersfield Town fans of his talent. So, can Duff unlock his untapped potential?
The issues last season were clear to most observers. Firstly, Wiles was often played out of position. It’s clear that he doesn’t want to sit deep. His passing range is good, but he excels at delivering 20-yard passes to the feet of an attacking player, followed by a run into space. Trying to build from the back or play the diagonal isn’t his game.
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