New York Red Bulls: Kaku’s Carlos Vela aims misses key point
New York Red Bulls star Kaku aims to be more like Carlos Vela and score more goals. It is a strong target to chase after, but it misses a key point.
“There has to be one that’s unselfish and one who is selfish, otherwise you are never going to get any goals,” Michael Owen once said to ESPN FC. The former Liverpool striker and UK-based pundit was actually referring to the recent argument between Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
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Mane was noticeably upset when substituted in a 3-0 victory over Burnley. He was seen remonstrating after Salah failed to pass him the ball when he was in a goalscoring position on several occasions.
“I was always at my best with Emile Heskey — he was really unselfish and I was a really selfish so-and-so,” Owen continued. “But put me with another selfish player — another striker who was hungry for goals — and you wouldn’t necessarily hit it off the same.”
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Owen was a prolific centre-forward in his heyday. He won the Ballon D’or in 2001 and was one of the most feared goalscorers in the world. He recognised his selfish streak. It is what made him such a frightening player to defend against.
Great goalscorers almost always have a selfish streak. They take the most shots. They hold onto the ball longer. Their movements and decisions revolve around how they can best put themselves in a position to score. Of course, this cannot come at the expense of the team. Salah, for instance, also works extremely hard. But the focus is scoring goals. Nothing else.
Recently, New York Red Bulls midfielder Kaku expressed his desire to score more goals, stating that he aims to emulate the equally creative but prolific Carlos Vela. Speaking to ESPN, Kaku said:
"“I’m trying to score more. Many times I give passes or assists when I should finish the play myself. I think I have to think a little bit more in the moment. Sometimes, I look at Carlos Vela; he assists but he also scores goals.”"
In essence, he wants to be more selfish. Vela certainly has a selfish streak to him. Excluding small sample sizes, he had more shots per 90 than anyone else in the entire league. Kaku, in comparison, attempted 1.88 shots per 20, less than a third of Vela’s output.
There is, then, reason to believe that Kaku could benefit from shooting more frequently. He averages 0.33 goals per shot, which is significantly more than Vela’s 0.16. That says that Kaku is extremely productive from the shots he does take. Taking more would be no bad thing, then, especially when you consider the top three scorers from last season are the three largest shot-takers.
However, there is a major point that Kaku must remember: Vela, like Salah and Owen, is special. The Mexican can take this high volume of shots because he is better at shooting than most. LAFC allow him to be selfish because he is capable of special moments that no one else in the squad can replicate. Is Kaku that level of player?
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He is certainly crucial to the New York Red Bulls, and Chris Armas leans on the creative exploits of the attacking midfielder, but does he have the individual ability to demand to be selfish? Aiming to be more like Vela is all well and good, but producing like Vela is a very different proposition. It is easy to be selfish, but can Kaku be productively selfish?