From broken knees to a premium pressing forward, Danny Ings has been reborn

It is time we take a look at Danny Ings, who since his move from Liverpool to Southampton has enjoyed a revitalisation of his career. Putting severe injuries behind him to being one of the most potent strikers in the Premier League this season.

Ings grew up on the south coast, attending school around the Southampton area and making a name for himself as an exciting young talent.

He joined Southampton as a schoolboy and worked his way through the ranks of their academy until 2008, when he was let go by the club, being deemed ‘too small’.

The teenager subsequently joined Bournemouth, and after a spell on loan at Dorchester Town returned to The Cherries to impress in League One, scoring 8 goals over the course of the 2010/11 season.

A move to Burnley followed, where over a spell between 2011 and 2014; Ings hit 27 goals in 87 games to help Burnley gain promotion to the Premier League. It was there that he hit the ground running, managing 11 goals in his first top flight season.

That earned his move to Liverpool, where the striker suffered a cruciate ligament injury in either knee, in successive seasons. The severity of these injuries curtailed his progress.

A New Dawn

Ings joined his boyhood club on a loan deal, with a predetermined fee of £20m to make the deal permanent the following summer.

It was a team in dire need of firepower, having lost a host of goalscorers over the season. Sadio Mane and Rickie Lambert headed in the opposite direction over the years to Liverpool, whilst Graziano Pelle packed his bags to China. The club had since struggled to find a forward to fill any of those boots, with Guido Carrillo proving to be an expensive mistake on the clubs part.

The burden often fell on Charlie Austin and Shane Long, both of whom had the desire to put the ball in the back of the net but failed to be as prolific as those who preceded them to spearhead the clubs attack.

His first season back on his home patch saw him ease his way back into action, his fitness was only hampered by a niggling hamstring injury. An injury which would cause concern for the Southampton fans, with the worries around Ings’ ability to maintain his body in peak physical condition. But being exposed to such a high volume of minutes for the first time in years was sure to take a toll on his body.

The season ended in survival, and Ings hit seven Premier League goals in 24 appearances, finishing joint top scorer alongside fellow local boy James Ward-Prowse.

During that season, Southampton got a taste of what to come from Danny Ings.

As the chart shows, the forward was a pressing machine, closing down the opposition with the intent to win the ball high up the pitch and increase the chances of getting an effort on goal.

He ranked in the top 3% of forwards when it came to successful pressure on the opposition, something which would be of huge satisfaction to manager Ralph Hassenhuttl. The Austrian took over from Mark Hughes and demands his sides play with intensity and a lot of running, forcing players into mistakes. This ensures his side can play short distances to the goal, increasing their chances of testing the goalkeeper.

Ings also showed a good skillset when it comes to maintaining possession and moving the ball, the stats show a high volume of dribbles completed (successful dribbles) alongside the Dribble Success %, which shows that Ings very rarely fails to complete dribbles when attempting them.

This success can be owed to the previous point that winning the ball high up the pitch means the distances he needs to carry the ball are shorter before getting a shot away or playing a dangerous pass.

The 2019/20 season was full of optimism for Southampton, hoping Danny Ings would push on and prove just what £20m can buy you if you invest it in the right place.

Boy has he done that. At the time of writing, Ings is recovering from a frustrating performance against Arsenal, hoping to set things right against lowly Watford in the Premier League. His tally for the season is at 16 goals, none of which are from the penalty spot, the joint most alongside last gamess opponent Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The chart showing Ings statistics in 2019/20 give an indication of how confident the striker has become this season. Last season, he was more influential in carrying the ball and creating opportunities for his teammates, with the expected assists (xA) stat dropping from 0.14 per 90 to 0.07 this season.

On the other hand, Ings’ conversion rate has astronomically increased this season, sitting in the 16th percentile of forwards during 18/19 but sitting pretty in the 89th percentile this season, keeping company such as Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane.

As with the previous season, there could be assumed there is a direct correlation between the success of Ings infront of goal and the rate at which he wins the ball back high up the pitch.

This pressing ability has transformed the way Southampton attack, between himself, Shane Long and Micheal Obafemi, Ralph Hassenhuttl has three forwards with pace and energy to give his side a higher quality of chance, winning the ball in the final third. Whilst Long and Obafemi are capable in terms of pressing the opposition, neither have anywhere near the goalscoring prowess of Ings.

It has been a long journey that has gone full circle, but Danny Ings has finally shown signs of fulfilling the promise he showed as a youngster. Without the goals he has provided this season, it is fair to assume Southampton would be deep in a relegation fight. Instead, Hassenhuttl has the fans looking up rather than down.

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