Player Focus: Etienne Capoue (Toulouse)

In the aftermath of France’s 2-1 victory over Germany last week in Bremen the stories coming out of the France camp were that, realistically, 20 places for Les Bleus Euro 2012 squad have already been filled. One guaranteed pick is that of 21-year old Yann M’Vila as Laurent Blanc seems set to build his international side around the Rennes midfielder, however, one name that could be making a last gasp bid for a call-up is fellow midfielder Etienne Capoue.

The 23-year old midfielder has looked in outstanding form recently and his performances have seen Toulouse climb up the Ligue 1 table and currently sit in sixth place, joint on points with Rennes and St-Etienne who sit fourth and fifth respectively.

Now in his fifth season with Le Téfécé the midfielder has steadily grown in confidence year after year, playing over thirty league games a season since he was 20 years old. The former France U-21 captain received the greatest compliment when coach Alain Casanova called Capoue “the greatest player the club has seen in the last 20 years.” - high praise indeed for a player who recently played his 129th game for the club.

One of Capoue’s greatest traits is the versatility he shows all over the pitch, not just in the positions he can play but the skills he has to be able to adapt to suit whatever role Casanova asks him to fulfil. This season alone he has played in central defence, central midfield and as TFC’s midfield anchor. For any coach to get the best out of Capoue the smart thing to do is let him roam the midfield, his intelligence and leadership will make sure he’s in the right position at the right time.

As an international he could be a very important member of a 23-man squad. In Blanc’s current formation Capoue could play in the centre of the attacking three, timing his excellent bursts forward when he breaks into the box and his size and strength cause problems for any defence that tries to stop him. One improvement he will need work on to make it at the very top level is his productivity in the final third. With only three goals, and two assists he could and should add to these numbers before the season ends.

His averages are indicative of a deeper lying playmaker, although his average of 0.8 key passes a game is the same as Lille’s creative midfielder Joe Cole. If he can increase his average shots per game above 1.5 he would easily add a few more goals to his tally.

Where Capoue does his damage is building the game from deep. He leads Toulouse in average passes per game at 56.4 and only goalkeeper Ali Ahamada has achieved more accurate long balls then Capoue’s 4.8 this season. His range of passing is excellent, like Rennes Yann M’Vila he always seems to have time on the ball and is very adept at finding pockets of space, receiving the ball with plenty of time to make the next move.

Standing at around 6’2”, Capoue then uses his muscular frame to either break forward, striding past the odd defender before finding an open man with a delicate pass over the top, or finding one of his open teammates. On average Capoue completes 75.7% of his passes, all of this helping toward four WhoScored.com Man of the Match awards this season.

When Capoue takes the field, what catches the eye apart from the wonderful afro with blond tint is his confidence and ability on the ball. However, what seems to go under the radar is his excellent defensive side and the overall contribution that he makes to the team. He is third in the team when it comes to 2.9 successful tackles a game and fourth in interceptions with 3.3. Capoue also ranks sixth in the team when it comes to clearances with 2.7 a game and, on average, less than one player a game manages to dribble past him.

There are not many midfielders in Europe, never mind France, which possess the complete package so it is no surprise that whispers of links to Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have been rumoured in recent months.

One team that would benefit immensely from taking a look at this extremely talented 23-year old is Arsenal. It would be surprising if the midfielder hadn’t already been on Arsene Wenger’s radar, but he does seem to tick all Le Professeur’s boxes. He is young but very talented, the fee would not be astronomical and he would easily add a steely grit combined with a creative influence to an Arsenal side that can, at times, lack in these areas.

It looks a little far-fetched for Etienne Capoue to break into Laurent Blanc’s 23 man squad for the European Championships this summer, but if he continues to improve and dominate games like he did in the 1-0 win over Marseille this weekend, there is little doubt that in the near future Capoue will once again represent the country of his birth.