Five ways Yohan Cabaye could be an even better player

Yohan Cabaye is one of the most important players at Newcastle United and someone the club has to hang onto for next season, as the club tries to push and consolidate in the top half of the Premier League table. How can he improve his game?

English

Through his own admission his English could be a lot better than it is which will help in terms of communication. Cabaye is a figure that a lot of players look to at Newcastle so it doesn’t help if various members of the side can’t understand a word he’s saying.

Leadership

This links into his leadership skills as the sometimes captain of the side. If his English improves then his man management skills as a key player in the team can also improve. He can use that to make himself more approachable to younger players and also so he can approach players himself.

Discipline

He could work on his discipline in games which has seen him pick up a suspension in the Premier League already this season. If he improves his discipline then he will become more reliable and he’ll miss a lower ratio of matches through suspension, which means Newcastle retain one of their best players for longer.

Assists

Cabaye has one assist so far this season in the Premier League. He did suffer a long spell out with injury but this figure should still be higher for a player of his quality. He is effective in the opponent’s final third so he has to try and do more in terms of creating chances as well as getting on the end of them.

Defence

The defensive side of his game has to work but he doesn’t need to fundamentally change the way he tracks back. It’s just basic skills such as covering for players who are out of position, showing a never say die work ethic and generally timing his challenges better. All simple changes, but he remains one of the team's leaders in interceptions, so is certainly doing something right.

How do you think he can improve?

image: © mickyb59