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Brentford manager Thomas Frank recently compared Southampton ace James Ward-Prowse to Lionel Messi. Ahead of his side's match against the Saints on Tuesday, the Danish coach drew an interesting parallel while speaking of Ward-Prowse's set-piece prowess.
The 27-year-old has scored 11 direct free-kicks in the Premier League, the most behind only David Beckham (18), Gianfranco Zola and Thierry Henry (both 12). It was this ability from dead ball situations that led to Frank mentioning him in the same breath as the PSG ace. Messi is also known to score a lot of goals from free-kicks.
In the last five years, Lionel Messi is the only player to have scored from more free-kicks than Ward-Prowse. Frank feels the Englishman could just be the best in the business alongside the Argentine. Speaking to the press ahead of the match, he said:
“Ward-Prowse is maybe the best set-piece taker in the league, maybe he’s even the best free-kick taker in the world. There’s one left-footer at PSG who’s right up there and is pretty good as well. So maybe Ward-Prowse is the best right-footed free-kick taker in the world.”
Lionel Messi has scored 58 direct free-kicks in his illustrious career, one more than his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Ward-Prowse is one of the few players who can match the star in that regard.
Frank is wary of conceding a free-kick, especially around the penalty box, which would be well within the Southampton ace's range. He added:
“He just puts it into the top corner. It’s not the same as a penalty but it’s pretty close to it for Ward-Prowse. So we’ve got to be aware of that, trying not to give a foul away around the box.”
Ward-Prowse's last successful attempt on goal from a free-kick came in December during Southampton's 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace.
Ward-Prowse's Lionel Messi-esque free-kick ability could help England at the World Cup
James Ward-Prowse has nine caps for the Three Lions but he missed out on a place in their Euro 2020 squad last year. With the World Cup coming up in November, Ward-Prowse will be keen to make the cut this time. His Lionel Messi-esque free-kick prowess could be vital to England's fortunes.
The Three Lions currently don't have many set-piece specialists in their squad. Kieran Trippier's ability from the dead ball has diminished since the last World Cup while the team also lost the penalty shootout against Italy at Euro 2020.
