Former Southampton striker Rickie Lambert believes James Ward-Prowse is the best set-piece taker in the Premier League.
Ward-Prowse, 24, has built a reputation for his dead-ball expertise over the years and caught the eye after scoring a scintillating free-kick against Everton last month.
Is Ward-Prowse the PL’s best set-piece taker? Five key things to know…
- A product of the Saints’ esteemed academy, Ward-Prowse has made 222 appearances to date, scoring 15, and assisting 25 times.
- Known for accurate deliveries, Ward-Prowse is Southampton’s undisputed set-piece taker.
- The midfielder has previously been compared to David Beckham and admitted modelling his game around the England legend.
- Pep Guardiola labelled him the Premier League’s best corner-kick taker earlier in the season.
- Saints legend Lambert believes his former club have the best set-piece taker in the top-flight.
The Saints are languishing dangerously inside the relegation zone, but Lambert believes his former teammate has taken his game to a new level under Ralph Hasenhuttl and backs his old club to beat the drop.
“Prowsey is one of the best, if not the best, set-piece takers and strikers of a ball I’ve come across,” Lambert told the Daily Echo.
“It’s great to see he’s had a new lease of life and been given a green light to get forward.
“I’ve always said he should be scoring free-kicks to get his confidence and it’s brilliant to see he’s hitting the back of the net now.
“With his technique he should be scoring at least five to 10 goals a season.
“Under the new manager you can see the enjoyment and hunger and desire is back and hopefully he can push on again.”
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Lambert, a boyhood Liverpool fan, also expressed his admiration for Ward-Prowse’s stunning strike against Everton last month, believing the one-time England international has the capacity to find the back of the net from any angle.
He added: “That’s exactly what Prowsey’s about, that’s what I saw in him when he came through.
“He can hit them from anywhere, he’s got a great eye for a pass and can put it on a dime.
“Confidence comes with time. He’s definitely got the ability and will now have the belief in himself that he can do it in the Premier League.
“If this manager can give him that confidence he will come on in leaps and bounds.”
Lambert hits out at former boss
Of Ward-Prowse’s 15 Southampton goals, three have come in his last six appearances for the club, and Lambert believes that is all down to the impact of Hasenhuttl.
The Austrian came in for Mark Hughes in December and has shown more faith in Ward-Prowse, who struggled immensely for game time during the previous regime under Hughes, much to the dismay of Lambert.
“Under [Mark] Hughes it wasn’t going so well,” said Lambert.
“He was changing the midfield a lot and the formation a little which makes it hard for youngsters to get any fluidity to their play.
“But it’s good to see they’re getting back to bringing in youngsters as that’s what Southampton’s renowned for.
“I know they’ve got a young lad [Michael] Obafemi, who can terrify a few defenders from the little glimpses I’ve seen.”
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