Des Buckingham has a big decision to make as he looks to fill the void left by Cameron Brannagan’s absence and turning to Louie Sibley could help the summer arrival kick-start his Oxford United career.
Since his move to Oxford in the summer, Sibley has found chances to make a name for himself in a yellow shirt hard to come by.
The 22-year-old played a full 90 minutes in the League Cup against Peterborough United and Coventry City respectively. He showed promise in both but not enough for him to force his way into the starting XI in the league.
Maybe that wasn’t his fault? After all, nine of manager Buckingham’s XI to face Norwich City on the opening day played under him last season, with his midfield three crucial to the way he wants his team to play.
Louie Sibley made his mark against Pompey
After nine league games, Sibley only has 38 minutes under his belt, 20 of those coming against Portsmouth last time out.
The former Derby man came on in the 70th minute for Ruben Rodrigues, the attacking flair in the Oxford midfield three.
With the Portuguese playmaker off the field, it was down to Sibley to take on that role and see if he could unlock the Portsmouth defense.
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Only three minutes had passed since he entered the field of play, but Sibley had made his mark.
After helping win the ball on the halfway line, former Portsmouth striker Dane Scarlett released Peter Kioso down the right-hand side. Kioso played the ball inside to Sibley, who smashed the ball home into the bottom right corner, leaving keeper Nicolas Schmid helpless.
The summer signing impressed, showing a real intensity and determination to help push his team forward. He provided them with momentum in the closing stages of the game, which helped salvage a point from a game that Portsmouth felt they should’ve won.
Louie Sibley will need to replace more than just Cameron Brannagan’s goals
Losing Brannagan has been, and will continue to be, a big loss for United. The former Liverpool midfielder is somewhat of a talisman after his years of service.
His eye for goal, especially from long range, is a huge part of his game, as well as his ability to dictate the tempo and control a game almost single-handedly.
But his importance is more than that. The standards he sets for himself and his teammates are a noticeable quality. The tempo at which the ball is moved about when he is on the field is clear to see.
And without him these last few matches, United have failed to control games of football for long periods of time.
If Sibley is going to be effective and stake a claim in this United side, these are the things he will need to be doing.
Derby County exit offers fresh start
Up until his move to Oxford, Sibley had been atDerbyhis entire career. He joined the academy when he was just eight.
The midfielder spent five years as a professional, playing over 170 games across five seasons at the club. That culminated in the Rams winning promotion back to the Championship after two years away.
Sibley’s contract came to an end in the summer and he opted against extending his time at Pride Park.
His decision to join Oxford was clearly an aim to become a regular first team starter for the U’s. But just as importantly, he wanted to be seen as an out-and-out attacking midfielder.
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Louie Sibley at Derby County in 2023/24 (FotMob) |
|
|
Appearances |
38 |
|
Goals |
3 |
|
Assists |
3 |
|
Pass Accuracy |
69.6% |
|
Chances created |
25 |
|
Touches in opposition box |
55 |
At Derby, Sibley played many times as a left-back. In fact, out of his last 50 games, he’s only played one more (16) as an attacking midfielder than on the left side of defence.
So, in order to prove to everyone that this is his best position, he will need to make scoring a more regular occurrence.
Cameron Brannagan set for three months out
Brannagan is set to be out for a little while longer, despite hearing some good news from the doctors this week.
“I was told I would have surgery which would have probably been looking at being out for five months,” Brannagan told BBC Radio Oxford.
“But I got some news this week that all my injections I had gone well.
“It could have been five instead of two or three months, I look at is as a blessing. I’m doing work with the physios and hopefully I’ll be back sooner rather than later.”
Brannagan’s absence is a rare chance for Sibley, he’s had to wait extremely patiently for this moment. And in order to stake his claim in this Oxford side, these next few games are vital for the next step in his career.