Lars Dendoncker has had his loan from Brighton and Hove Albion to St Johnstone cut short.
Courier Sport assesses the young defender’s contribution to the Perth cause in his short spell, which started in memorable fashion and ended in misery.
The statistics
Jason Kerr’s deadline day transfer to Wigan Athletic left Callum Davidson needing to bring in a right-sided centre-back.
At the time, Liam Gordon was injured, James Brown wasn’t thought of as a potential central defender and Efe Ambrose hadn’t been signed.
Dendoncker made his debut against Dundee on October 2, when Saints won 3-1.
In total, there were seven appearances, five of them starts.
He scored no goals and was yellow carded once.
In the Kerr role, it is to Dendoncker’s credit that his Opta touch map for his penultimate match against Ross County shows he was still endeavouring to link Saints’ defence and attack as the double-winning captain did to such magnificent effect the season before.
Arguably the most telling collection of statistics, though, is possession lost.
Dendoncker’s diminishing success rate with the ball at his feet was laid bare in hat County game when he gave it away 35 times.
His passing accuracy was deteriorating.
For the 20-year-old’s five starts, his retaining possession numbers read – Dundee 77%, Hearts 71%, Hibs 69%, Ross County 67% and Celtic 58%.
Winning aerial duels was also proving to be an issue.
Dendoncker’s Opta statistics in that category were – Dundee 1, Hearts 0, Hibs 2, Ross County 7 and Celtic 0.
The highs
Dendoncker’s debut was the peak.
Saints had a bit of a defensive crisis for the Dundee game at McDiarmid.
Gordon and Brown were injured and Jamie McCart was suspended.
For Dendoncker to make his first senior start in an unfamiliar position – the left of a back three, alongside Ambrose and Shaun Rooney – was a big ask.
And the Belgian youth international should be very proud of his debut.
Debut ✅
Three points ✅Not a bad Saturday for Lars Dendoncker!#SJFC pic.twitter.com/40WMvDHvce
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) October 6, 2021
After a shaky first 10 minutes, he produced a competent and composed performance.
If James McPake had hoped Dendoncker would be a weak link Dundee could expose, that hope was dashed.
Later in the month he also played well in the first half against Hearts before having to be substituted with an injury at the break.
The lows
It wasn’t steep, but until the recent Ross County match you could have claimed Dendoncker’s form and confidence were on an upward curve or at least holding steady.
He wasn’t the worst player on the pitch against the Staggies but it was probably the game in which it was confirmed that learning on the job, when that job is a relegation battle, wasn’t best for player or team.
Then, in terms of an individual low point, you would probably pick out Celtic’s opening goal on Boxing Day when Dendoncker barely got off the ground in his attempt to beat Liel Abada to the rebound from the striker’s shot that had been saved by Elliott Parish.
🗣 "Look at the quality of that cross… it's a brilliant save, he just can't keep it out"
Liel Abada gives Celtic an early lead at McDairmid Park 🍀
📺 Watch live on Sky Sports Football
📲 Live blog 👉 https://t.co/sf1HH1lIHd pic.twitter.com/w64fWiOZVs— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) December 26, 2021
Overall impression
You would have expected Dendoncker to have been behind Efe Ambrose and Hayden Muller in the centre-back pecking order at McDiarmid Park.
That he ended up getting chosen ahead of those two was an achievement of sorts in itself.
Had other areas of the team been functioning better (as they did on his debut, for example) he may well have thrived.
But tough times expose weakness and areas in need of improvement.
I still expect Dendoncker to have a career in football – his qualities were clear to the coaching team on the training ground and, in spells, on a match day.
And, although St Johnstone weren’t his parent club, he cared.
The distraught figure who carried out post-Ross County media duties wasn’t a man passing through without investing in the Perth club.
But the ‘first loan syndrome’ of taking one touch too many and getting caught out of position was prevalent, particularly towards the end.
Dendoncker will have had his development fast-tracked by this half-season but Saints need game-ready defenders and Daniel Cleary should provide that in the position the Brighton rookie has vacated.
