Sheffield United: Former striker on why the Iliman Ndiaye/Oli McBurnie partnership works
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The unlikely partnership, between a centre-forward who had previously gone nearly a year without hitting the target and an attacking midfielder turned striker with a gift for producing moments of pure magic, has been one of the driving forces behind their team’s climb to the top of the Championship table. After beating Hull City last weekend, Paul Heckingbottom’s side are preparing for Saturday’s game against Rotherham a point ahead of second-placed Norwich City and four above Watford - who occupy the final play-off berth.
Given their markedly different skills sets and McBurnie’s long barren streak, which was broken during the second-half of a 1-1 draw with Luton Town, few people would have named the previously misfiring Scotland international and his Senegalese team mate, who only four years ago was playing for Boreham Wood, in their fantasy starting elevens.
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Hide AdBut clearly, after taking what appeared to be the bold step of pairing them together during United’s visit to Kenilworth Road a week-and-a-half ago, Heckingbottom and his coaching staff thought differently.
After watching McBurnie net for the third time in as many games at the MKM Stadium, the United manager told The Star why he believes McBurnie/Ndiaye double act works.
“They both look after the ball, but in different ways,” Heckingbottom explained. “Oli brings a physical presence, and that gives us size up there in that position. He works hard, Iliman does too, but you know what I mean about that.
“Then, there’s the comfort and the ease with which Iliman looks after the ball. He carries it so easily and gets himself into those dangerous areas. There’s plenty more to come from both of them. So far, though, so good.”
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Hide AdMcBurnie, now over the fitness and health issues which plagued him last season, and Ndiaye, whose recent call-up by his country will soon be rewarded with the offer of a new contract, are almost certain to spearhead United’s frontline when Paul Warne’s men arrive at Bramall Lane. Their union, which averages a goal every 39.9 minutes, was established when Ndiaye was introduced just past the hour mark of the meeting with Rovers. Taking up a position alongside McBurnie, he quickly grabbed a brace before the 26-year-old was withdrawn following a typically combative shift. Both wrote their names on the scoresheet during the 4-0 filleting of Reading before McBurnie’s effort laid the foundations for a hard-fought but deserved 2-0 win in East Yorkshire.
“For me, they both look so full of self-belief and that’s crucial,” Carl Asaba, the former United marksman, said. “Iliman looks a totally different player to last season, when you could see he had all the ability in the world but didn’t quite know if he could put it all together. Now he knows that. He’s got the confidence in himself to try things and do them.
“The same goes for Oli. His role has changed slightly, and maybe that’s helped. It certainly suits him and you and you can see the confidence in his game. It’s evident.”
Asaba, who made 80 appearances for United before joining Stoke City in 2003, has another theory about why McBurnie and Ndiaye are performing so well together. Now an expert analyst for BBC, he cited an example from his own playing career, during a hugely successful spell at Gillingham under Tony Pulis, to support it.
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Hide Ad“One of the things I’ve noticed now, with Oli and Iliman, is that they are playing together in straight lines,” he said. “That means if one of them misses the ball, or it doesn’t quite reach them, then it will probably get to the other. In our position, that’s really important and it shows there is a real understanding there which is growing between them.”
“That only comes about through minutes on the pitch,” Asaba continued. “I always remember Tony used to get me and Bob Taylor to walk through certain situations with each other, almost whole games, on the training pitch. Bob would tell me, if he got the ball in a particular situation, where he wanted me to be because that’s where he would be looking to move it on to and vice versa.
“You only get that understanding by working with each other. Last season, for various different reasons, it was difficult for the lads up front to get that because they were probably only playing one or two games together before an injury or something meant there had to be a change.”
Although it appears to have been spawned by accident, one suspects Heckingbottom, together with his assistant Stuart McCall and head of player development Jack Lester did not simply stumble across the notion that McBurnie and Ndiaye could dovetail so effortlessly together. As Asaba noted, McBurnie is no longer being deployed as an out-and-out targetman; a role which negated too many of his strengths for it to ever be successful. Instead, after working with him for a brief spell at Barnsley before joining United, Heckingbottom is now asking him to use his physical attributes whilst also making himself available to receive the ball to feet; usually facing the opposition goal rather than working with his back towards it.
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Hide AdWith Rhian Brewster also challenging for a starting role and Billy Sharp making progress in his battle to overcome an ankle issue, Asaba said: “Because they’re such good players, Iliman and Oli could make a partnership with anybody. Iliman could play with Rhian and Oli could play with Rhian, or whoever else is available.”
Despite that claim, United are unlikely to split up McBurnie and Ndiaye when Rotherham make the short journey from the New York Stadium.
“Oli is leading the line well, Iliman is playing well,” Heckingbottom said. “Oli’s performances are helping us win games. They’re both doing that.”