Second Season Syndrome Part Three: Oscar Wallin

The area of focus for this series of articles is the players entering their second season at the club - namely Chris Conn-Clarke, Abraham Odoh, Oscar Wallin, and Cian Hayes. Gustav Lindgren and Carl Johnston are not included - with less than a full season under their belt, their circumstances are different to the others. George Nevett did not make enough appearances to qualify.

What can they do to kick on in their second season at Peterborough United?

Photo Credit: Joe Dent / Peterborough United

Next up: Oscar Wallin. 

Signed from Swedish team Degerfors IF last summer, he played nearly 18 months of football without a break before the League One season came to a close. 

He also had to contend with a hiatus hernia injury, which he incurred during the season.

In this context, it is likely Oscar Wallin was not at his best last year. 

Regardless, it is worth considering where he needs to focus to take the next step, and be a consistent partner to captain Sam Hughes.

Aerial work

Wallin was poor in the air throughout last season. Whether outmuscled or out-timed, the Swede ranked lowly in aerial stats in League One, winning a meagre 49% of his headed duels (in contrast, Sam Hughes won 73%).

It may be that ongoing injury concerns hampered his leap, and that with a rest and full pre-season, he could progress significantly. But he has a lot to prove in this area.

Return to aggression 

In the early parts of last season, those of us who went home and away saw a version of Oscar Wallin that was extremely aggressive in duels with defenders. 

If an opponent received the ball facing their own goal, he would be on them like a rash, hoping to force them into a mistake. 

But as the months passed, he appeared to retreat into himself, becoming far more reactive. 

He clearly has the aggression in his locker. Getting him to showcase it on the pitch is the key issue. This is likely a matter of confidence in his own ability - he must find that confidence again. If he does, the entire Posh backline will be benefit.

Use his pace to intercept

Wallin is very quick for a centre back. This was most evident in the FA Cup tie against Everton, where he appeared to be everywhere, chasing down attacks and largely keeping a Premier League team well bottled up. 

But Wallin reserves his pace for situations where an attack has already broken through, and ‘mopping-up’ is required. 

If he is really going to develop his game, he needs to use his pace proactively, and make more efforts to intercept. 

With Sam Hughes alongside him, he has a reliable defensive partner, and can therefore take more risks. If he comes out of the defensive line to attempt interceptions, there should be ample support if the attempt fails.

Verdict

Wallin deserves time before we judge him, because injuries clearly impacted his performances last term. It may be a few games yet before we see him at his best. But without a doubt, the key metric to keep an eye out for is his aerial success, which is his most deficient area. 

Beyond that, showing more of the aggression we have already seen, and using his pace more effectively to break up opposition attacks before they really get going, will determine whether he is able to be starting centre back for Posh throughout the season.