Jorgen Strand Larsen is not yet a footballer who does what it says on the tin.
At 6ft 4in (193cm) with a solid frame, the Norway international has the appearance of a battering-ram centre forward who bullies centre-backs and bludgeons his way to goal.
Fans of Wolverhampton Wanderers — who he joined last summer in a loan that will become a £25million ($32.3m) permanent move from La Liga side Celta Vigo at the end of the season — now know that appearances have so far proven deceptive as far as the 25-year-old is concerned.
His periodic struggles to punch his weight physically in his first season in the ultra-athletic Premier League has brought some criticism from supporters.
But on Saturday at Southampton, he provided a timely reminder of what he does best. Though his brace against Southampton in the 2-1 win were his first goals since December 29, Strand Larsen is a goalscorer who is proving capable of bringing his clinical edge to England’s top tier.
It has not been a trouble-free debut season for Strand Larsen, prompting criticism that if he is not finding the net then his wider contribution to the team can sometimes be limited.
But with nine goals and two assists in his first 27 Premier League appearances, in a team that has spent the entire season toiling near the foot of the table, Strand Larsen can already be quietly satisfied with his maiden campaign in a new league.
One more goal in what remains of the season would make him just the fifth Wolves player to hit double figures in a single season in the Premier League after Raul Jimenez, Steven Fletcher (both twice), Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-chan.
His total of nine league goals from an expected goals (xG) tally of just 6.6 tells the tale of a player who, despite some ups and downs in front of goal — most notably a series of missed chances early in Vitor Pereira’s reign — has proven, over the season as a whole, to be a ruthless finisher.
For a player who, at his past two clubs (Celta and Groningen of the Eredivisie), found his top form in his second season, it is a hugely encouraging start and Saturday’s double at St Mary’s was a well-timed riposte to the criticism he received after the 1-1 draw with Everton, which was his least effective display in Wolves colours.
“I understand the critics, because in the last game he didn’t perform at his level because he got an injury,” said Pereira in his post-match press conference.
“He broke a bone in his hand two days before the game against Everton but he said to us, ‘I want to help the team. I want to try’.
“But for a striker, it’s impossible to do his work with a broken bone because he cannot hold the ball in duels against defenders.
“But after one week he didn’t have the same pain. He’s a player with a strong personality, and they come into games to prove things.
“He’s a team player and for me it was not only about the goals but about the work that he did to help the team today defensively and offensively.”
Given the perceived difference in Strand Larsen’s form between his impressive start and his underwhelming spell since Pereira took over, his statistical picture is remarkably similar.
His expected goals rate per 90 minutes is slightly higher under Pereira at 0.3 compared to 0.28 under Gary O’Neil while his goals-per-game rate has dropped from 0.41 to 0.36, so he has made slightly less of his opportunities under Pereira, but crucially, under both managers he has scored more goals than would have been expected based on the quality of his chances.
As for the data surrounding his ‘big chances’ — defined by Opta as chances from which a player would reasonably be expected to score — he has had more under Pereira (0.72 per 90 compared to 0.68 under O’Neil) but converted fewer (0.24, down from 0.34), representing a drop in his big-chance conversion rate from 50 per cent to 33.3.
But if a few big chances are going begging and Strand Larsen is still outperforming his xG, it underlines how he is grabbing goals from unlikely situations, such as his second at St Mary’s — a crisp shot from outside the box after Southampton had handed him the opener with some appalling defending, albeit he finished it with a good header.
But it is the all-round play where Strand Larsen has been questioned most.
Saturday brought some clever link-up play alongside some selfless running, but the natural progression for Strand Larsen’s game is for him to make the most of his imposing frame in physical clashes with defenders.
Still, though, his output in a first season in a new league is impressive and Saturday brought a new milestone as he finally found the target in a Wolves victory, his previous seven league goals having come in either draws or defeats.
With Wolves tighter in defence under Pereira, Strand Larsen has the chance to be fully rewarded for any goals he scores. Wolves will be delighted if he bags a few more while attacking talisman Cunha serves his latest suspension.
With Saturday’s double moving them within touching distance of safety, Strand Larsen can start to look forward to putting the lessons from his first season into practise in his second.
“For me as a coach, and for the players, when we came from other leagues, we need time to understand the leagues, to understand the players, to understand the opponents too,” said Pereira.
“And I believe that next season everybody will be more prepared to face the season.”
(Top photo: Alex Broadway/Getty Images)
