Canadians Abroad Roundup: Is Jonathan David poised for a supernova season?
Posted Aug 16, 2022 07:30:00 PM.
Eight months ago, when the Ligue 1 season paused for its winter break, Ottawa's Jonathan David was at the centre of several transfer rumours to some of the world's biggest clubs.
David had scored 16 goals in Lille's first 26 games across all competitions and guided Les Dogues to the round of 16 in the Champions League, which led to many in the Canadian soccer community expecting a marquee transfer in the summer.
Unfortunately for David, that did not occur. Lille finished 10th in Ligue 1 (after winning the title in 2020-21), exited the Champions League with a whimper against Chelsea, and the Canadian's strong start was long forgotten with just three goals in his next 21 games.
There were many theories behind the slump, although this wasn't the first time David experienced a decline in form. He didn't score for Lille until November during his first season in 2020-21, picking up just two goals in 23 matches before finishing with 11 goals in 24 appearances after the winter break. That inconsistency, coupled with Lille's reported asking price, could've scared off potential suitors.
Thankfully, new coach Paulo Fonseca has replaced Jocelyn Gourvennec and it's breathed new life into the 22-year-old.
Fonseca, who prefers a 4-3-2-1 formation with two playmakers behind a striker during his coaching career, has tabbed David for one of those playmaking roles. He occupied that position at Gent where he attracted attention from several clubs, including Lille.
It's clearly comforted David because, like his final season in Belgium, he's started the year in a fury. He has two goals and two assists in two starts, and while it's early days, there's a lot to be excited about.
For starters, David is not a traditional number nine. He is an intelligent runner, but prefers finding pockets of space around the box to manipulate, but prefers finding pockets of space around the box to manipulate, as seen for his two assists.
And here's the first goal for #LOSC midfielder Benjamin Andre, assisted by a FANTASTIC back-heel by #CanMNT star Jonathan David to open the scoring
