A giant who smashes the midfield but not only: here’s why Philip Billing’s goal is hardly a surprise
Billing bomber inatteso? Se lo pensi ti sei perso una notizia (Foto: LaPresse) – serieanews.com
There are players who arrive at a new team amid trumpet blasts and spotlights. And then there are those like Philip Billing, who land almost on tiptoe, without proclamations or a star-studded welcome.
When Napoli closed on his purchase in the winter market, the general reaction was a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. A midfielder with structure, one of those who woods in the middle of the field and gets his hands dirty in the pressing. Good, fair, useful. But certainly not the player you imagine as a fixer in a decisive game.
And instead, against Inter, here was the surprise: Billing came in from the bench, slotted in with just the right timing, and chastised Martinez. Is everyone amazed? Maybe. But only because no one took a good look at his resume.
The mistake is to think that Billing is just a breakwater, one of those players who mind the grind without ever facing forward. One only has to look at the numbers to see that he has always had the instinct for goal.
In the Premier League, with the Bournemouth shirt, he collected an interesting haul: 7 goals and 1 assist in the 2022-23 season, 2 goals and 2 winning passes in the following one. But he was at his best in the Championship, where in 2021-22 he recorded a season as a pure trequartista: 10 goals and 10 assists. A figure that, when you think about it, is almost impressive for a 193 cm player.
And it is no accident that Conte and Manna wanted him. Naples needed physicality, but also the ability to insert himself without the ball. And the Dane has shown that he can do this with a punctuality almost like an added striker.
Il mercato del Napoli è stato disastroso, ma Billing è un ottimo acquisto
Let’s face it: the Napoli winter market was a failure, to put it mildly. No high-profile names in the face of Kvaratskhelia’s sale and egregious mistakes, admitted even by the Manna ds, that left Conte with several flaws in the squad.
Il mercato del Napoli è stato disastroso, ma Billing è un ottimo acquisto (LaPresse) – serieanews.com
Yet, if we look with a closer eye, the Billing coup could turn out to be a smart move. In a league in which the Azzurri are still playing for so much-from the Champions race to a possible run-up on the summit-having a midfielder who not only breaks up opposition play, but also knows how to sneak into the box with the right killer instinct, could become a decisive weapon.
And then there is another detail: Billing is not only a forwards, but also one who can handle the ball and dictate the tempo when needed. A pliant player who can be a valuable alternative for the end of the season.
The goal against Inter was a surprise to many, but perhaps not to those who know Billing well. His ability to fit in and be in the right place at the right time is not the result of chance. It is a habit. And if Napoli can make the most of him, we may be looking at a much more crucial pawn than initially thought.
This article Billing unexpected bomber? If you think so you missed a news story appeared in its original version first on SerieANews.
