Who is Mitch Clark? – The Blackpool trialist who could fill the right back void

Blackpool’s pursuit of a right back in the transfer market has been well documented and in trialist Mitch Clark they may well have found the answer.

The 22-year-old full back is still contracted with parent club Leicester City, having spent time on loan at Port Vale over the past couple of seasons, having joined the Blues from Midlands rivals Aston Villa in 2019, in between those Vale spells.

Clark is now two games into his trial period at Bloomfield Road having played against Carlisle United and most recently Burnley where many fans came away impressed with the performance of the youngster.

Neil Critchley is well known for picking out talent from Premier League U23 academies given his experience of the youth game at Liverpool and this could well be another of those options.

It is not a coincidence that Leicester have allowed Clark to try his hand at Blackpool of all clubs given the symmetry in the way both Neil Critchley and Brendan Rodgers want to play and Clark’s game appears to suit the style Critchley wants from a wing back.

I have looked back at a number of his games for Port Vale and Leicester U23’s as well as delved into the numbers behind those performances to get a flavour of what the former Wales U19 international is about.

What strikes me first of all is his willingness to get to the byline.

Much like Luke Garbutt on the left hand side, Clark offers that ability to run at his full back and stretch the defence in wide areas in order to open up space to find a delivery into the box.

This was a common theme of his time at Port Vale where the build up to most of his progressive runs was with him linking up with the central midfield before running in behind off the shoulder of the opposition full back or by driving with the ball himself.

Getting into those sorts of areas is exactly what is required not only to get the best out of him but also to compliment the likes of Josh Bowler and Demetri Mitchell also when cutting inside from the right.

Blackpool’s system can at times appear unbalanced when the only progressive runs from defence are coming from the left channel as it leaves the opposition with the ability to present a clearly defined defensive structure, adding extra reinforcements to the left to combat Garbutt.

With progressive runs coming from the right flank also, it leaves an unpredictability about the Seasiders’ progressive build up play, enabling them to switch from left to right at will and open up gaps in half spaces for their attacking players to exploit.

Another thing that stood out is Clark’s long range passing ability.

A big bonus for any side is to have a player who can switch play efficiently, at times bypassing the central areas in doing so and from multiple plays over his short career so far, he has looked to do this where possible when space opens up.

He is quick in making the decision to switch play also, leaving the opposition without time to reset in their defensive setup in transitional phases.

Once he has intercepted possession, he is quick to look for a progressive pass before the opposition can reset, this is something that has been a success in Critchley’s time at Blackpool and gaining another player who is adept in their intelligence in this field would be a bonus.

Clark’s positional sense was another on-the-eye standout feature, his recovery pace is such that it allows him to give an attacker an extra yard, knowing that he has the ability to recover if required.

This enables him to free himself up to read the game for interceptions, rather than allowing an attacker to rest on his shoulder and focusing solely on his run in behind.

On a number of occasions he has showcased that he can react sharply to the flow of the game in order to intercept build up play before the opposition have the chance to turn in behind him, and on the occasions where they do get in behind he was strong in the tackle, with his recovery pace a clear asset in allowing him to win the ball successfully.

He has scored a couple of really classy goals both for Port Vale and Leicester U23s and is quite happy to cut inside on to his left foot or indeed slot in at left back and play with his predominant right foot when required.

That versatility in his play is another bonus for Critchley.

His final ball is mixed in nature, looking to deliver the ball only when an option is available, rather than getting to the byline and aimlessly crossing which is something we saw quite regularly in League One.

He provided assists through low cut back crosses for on rushing midfielders from the edge of the box as well as whipped deliveries across the face, very rarely does he look to loop deliveries deep or without pace, he tends to prioritise driven deliveries into crowded areas.

The Statistics

As for the stats behind the performances Clark was in the top 10 in League Two last season for successful defensive actions per 90 with 10.14, showcasing his all-round defensive ability when it comes to the fundamentals such as tackling and interceptions.

For PAdj interceptions (Possession adjusted) Clark tallied up a good figure of 5.8 which by all means was not the highest in League Two, but what strikes me from comparing his figures to others in the league is that he is one of the highest for that figure when it comes to progressive wing backs.

Intriguingly, Clark ranks highest when it comes to successful sliding tackles per 90 with 1.09 which shows that he is confident in going to ground where necessary, but more importantly it highlights that ability I mentioned earlier of knowing when to pick his moments and getting the tackles timed right.

In terms of his on the ball play, a stat which interested me was the average length of his passes at 23.5m, in the top five in the division, which immediately strikes you as ‘hoof ball’ seeing League Two and long passes but this was by far not the case.

That is because his passing accuracy percentage was 70% which, when combined with looking at the length and risk of his passes, is one of if not the highest in the league.

It keeps pointing back to that idea that Clark knows when to pick his moments and can read the game well both on and off the ball.

Clark ranked highest in the division for key passes per 90 with 0.5 which is an outstanding figure for a player of his age and really highlights his ability to progress balls into the final third, talking of which he sits third in the list for passes into the final third per 90 with 8.72.

Averaging 3 crosses per game and 3.85 progressive dribbles per game he really take the game by the scruff of the neck in order to provide another creative option, without compromising on his defensive duties.

I find it difficult to judge him on his actual output in terms of assists because, from watching his deliveries and general forward play, the lack of assists was more down to the players in the forward line than the delivery itself.

With the players Blackpool have at their disposal and Clark’s ability both on and off the ball, it looks like a smart fit and could be a very good piece of business should the Tangerines and Leicester come to an agreement on a loan or permanent transfer.

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