September 13, 2022, Alvalade. With the inspiration that immortalizes the Gods, Edwards descended to midfield and, with his feet, began the recital. Rebel, against the club that formed him, deceived Dier; Unsatisfied, the corpulent Englishman, in a new attack, was reduced to his ineffectiveness and returned to the ground. Edwards, pushed by the noise from the stands, made his new opponent fall. Distraught and distraught, the English watched from the ground as Marcus continued his epic, like a Renaissance painting. Table with Trincão. A well-timed touch removed all the blue from the front: the distance between the ball and the goal was infinitely less than the magnitude of the work. In the last kiss between the boot and the ball, in love with the relationship until then, the hand of a Frenchman prevented the goal of a lifetime, but did not erase 11 seconds of anthology, within the reach, exclusively, of those who were born to enchant.
A move that left a mark in the memory of any Leo fan and prevented him from ever doubting the quality of Marcus Edwards. No one dares to question this. However, there is also a certainty: oscillating, the Englishman manages to jump, like few others, between meritorious genius (also remember, dear reader, the goal against Estrelafor example) and the sudden disappearance.
Now, a less fantastic period. Edwards has contrasted with the form (and what form) of the Leonine attack: hasn’t scored since the first game of 2024 and then he only watched it once. Scarce numbers. In fact, recently, Amorim addressed the situation and, in addition to giving the Englishman a few days of rest, admitted “some carelessness” (you can read here complete statements). Thus, as expected, doubts arose: «how do you behave?», «how do you train?», «how can you be more constant?», «where can you reach?».
Get to work.
We were talking to Florent Hanin It is davidson, former colleagues of Edwards at Vitória SC. Both reinforced the shyness of the — at the time — newcomer to Portugal and, in between, the Brazilian striker confided a little story.
And the slippers, Marcus?
«He had arrived at the club and we welcomed him very well. I still didn’t speak English, but with more body language we were able to understand each other. I welcomed him and it was clear that he was a good guy. At the end of training, we were together and went to take a shower. I saw he didn’t have flip-flops and I got him some. He, a little shy, thanked me. It’s one of the first things I remember about him. He was very young, he had just arrived in a new country and so (with the flip-flops) I managed to create a relationship with him.”
Marcus Edwards in the early days of Vitória SC @Vtor Parente / Kapta+
It was a complicated first few days, still in Guimarães, for Marcus Edwards. In addition to his slippers (or lack thereof), the young Englishman was scrutinized by his new colleagues, who quickly recognized the player’s virtues and defects: «From the first day, we saw that he was very technically evolved, but he had a big problem: he didn’t want to defend. . He only played when he had the ball at his feet. That’s why, in the beginning, it wasn’t a bet. He didn’t make a defensive effort. Then, he started to realize that, if he wanted to play, of course he had to make a difference offensively, but he also had to help the team defend », Florent pointed out.
«There are many players who like to attack more and don’t do so much defensively. We saw that he had a lot of quality in one-on-one, a lot of potential, but he didn’t really like defending. Mister Ivo, at the time, demanded a lot from him”, Davidson took advantage to reinforce the point.
First defend, colleague
Following this — and with two former teammates at his mercy — a pertinent question arose: “is it better to share the pitch with a teammate who is reliable at all times, but less technically virtuous, or one who is a little compromised defensively, but more magical and decisive»? Florent and Davidson took different paths, but reached consensus.
| qYou have to encourage him, always be talking. After a while I didn’t see him like that, in that dozy way. davidson |
“As a defender, I’d rather have someone to count on than defend, definitely. At first, it’s strange to see a player like this: arrives and doesn’t show in training that he wants to play. I just wanted to play with the ball. When he started to play seriously, we realized that he could be an asset to the team, but we had to be more organized when we didn’t have the ball”, pointed out the Frenchman.
«A player who decides games makes a lot of difference, of course. However, modern football has less and less space for players who don’t defend. If they have a player with these characteristics, who decides, but doesn’t defend much, they can’t really count on him, just to come on in the second half or something. Therefore, it is certainly better to have a player who performs more, despite not being as differentiated. Now, of course, the ideal is to have the best of both worlds and there was a time, at Vitória SC, when he achieved that”, recalled the Brazilian.
Same starting point, two destinations
In the recent past, Marcus Edwards was not the only front man to make the trip from Guimarães to Lisbon. Rochinha, at the time captain of Guimarães, also wore green and white. The Englishman arrived in the winter of 2021/22 and the Portuguese half a season later. However, the outcomes were almost opposite. Rochinha said little, he was loaned and has already left permanently. Edwards, with greater or lesser protagonism, has never been so close to the exit. Different players, of course, but not as different, certainly, as the life they led like a lion on their chest.
Rochinha, with Edwards in the mix, celebrating a goal @Kapta+
«Rochinha really is a friend. For me, he is a team player: he will try hard defensively. He won’t make a big difference alone, but we know that, collectively, he will always be present, he will always help the team. Marcus doesn’t need anyone to make a play, while Rochinha needs others to be well in the game, to have the ball and create:», highlighted the left defender.
«I think it was, above all, a question of opportunities and moments. Rochinha had competition from many players and didn’t have many opportunities. Edwards arrived at a good time, managed to play and that made a lot of difference», noted the Brazilian forward.
One maestro, two options: to play or not to play?
«I continue to watch the games of the big guys and Vitória SC. I know that Sporting has forwards of enormous quality: Gyökeres, Trincão is very good, Paulinho, who I know, is also very strong… But yes, Edwards can, at his best, have a clear place in the eleven”, he analyzed Florence. «He has the conditions, of course, but it’s Sporting, they have a lot of great players and they all want to play. It’s difficult,” Davidson admitted.
«First, you need to establish yourself in Sporting’s eleven», said the former strike partner and no one denies it. However, could selection, even though it may be distant, be on Marcus’ horizon?
«In the Champions League games he showed himself at a great level and it is a place where everyone pays attention, so, with work, of course he can do it», continued Davidson. «The English team has very, very good players, I don’t know… Will they make it? It all depends on him. If you can erase the defect of disappearing from the game, you have all the conditions to do so», concluded, more reticent, Florent.
Against Tottenham, in England, Marcus scored Sporting’s goal @Getty /
