Cheikhou Kouyate joined in the summer as a largely unknown player. I was very intrigued by him personally after seeing images of him playing on after an injury, wearing a face mask with blood covering his face and shirt. He hasn’t disappointed.
After the departure of Mohamed Diame there were fears of a lack of strength in the centre of the park, but Kouyate has done well to quell that fear. At times he has bossed the midfield and silenced many physical threats from the opposition. Having said that, Kouyate is much more than just a physical presence. Offering skill on the ball and a great passing range, his attacking abilities match his defensive ones.
After watching the game against United on Sunday it is safe to say he can fill in at centre back too, where he has often played before in his career. He won a huge amount of headers, kept Falcao and van Persie very quiet and was deservedly Man of the Match. The goal that he scored was an incredible piece of skill that not many players would have managed, let alone a big centre back.
Having Kouyate able to offer cover at centre back means that with our current injuries in that position we have the luxury of not having to rush back James Collins or Winston Reid and risk aggravating their respective problems. Kouyate could potentially offer a long term option at centre back if needed. After all who needs Mo Diame and Winston Reid?
Kouyate is a very good player as a defensive mid-fielder and centre back. Song has been dropping deeper to pick the ball up with Downing and Nolan behind the forward line (Song’s preference) and this has been impacting Kouyate’s zone and style. I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Kouyate yet.