Duane Holmes is generally considered the biggest “snub” of the Berhalter era thus far. I watched a couple Derby County games last season, but tbh I haven’t watched him closely in a while. With all the (Twitter) outcry over Holmes I wanted to rectify that and give my perspective on his game, but there weren’t any available on ESPN+. That’s certainly changed. There were two on this week and I believe another one scheduled to be on Sunday.

I watched Derby County vs Charlton and Barnsley. This may have flattered Holmes since those two teams are 19th and 23rd out of 24 teams in the Championship, but they were the two I had available.

As usual, I’m not claiming to be an expert on Duane Holmes. I watched these two games very closely and have attempted to draw conclusions from those performances. It would be better if I was a Derby County die hard and watched every game all year, but alas, you’re stuck with me, a USMNT die hard. If you disagree feel free to let me know about it in the comments or on Twitter.

Game Notes

Derby County vs Charlton

Holmes started on the right side of the 3 in a 4-2-3-1 against Charlton. Unfortunately, Derby got a red card 16 minutes into the game and Holmes moved to right center mid in a 4-4-1 for the rest of the game. I understand the need for red cards, but I still hate them. Ruins the game. 😑

Derby County vs Barnsley

In this one Holmes started at right mid in a 4-4-2. He switched to left center mid about halfway through the second half. I thought he looked equally comfortable in both roles.

Strengths

Mentality

I saw a lot that I liked in these two games, but I think my favorite characteristic was his attitude. Derby was down a man against Charlton and when things got chippy Holmes did this:

Look at that irritating smile and shove. How can you not love this man?

For one, he’s stepping in to defend a teammate, which I like. Second, he is clearly being an irritating little jerk. If he gets to #4 and the dude takes a swing at him…the game is even again. Smart.

This was another play I loved:

I know this clip seems innocuous, but you’ve gotta understand the context. This happened in the 98th minute of a game where Derby had been down a man since the 16th minute. It’s a wide open counter with a chance to make it 3-1 and ice the game. Holmes has run the length of the field and then his teammate takes this trash shot. I would have been pissed if I were him. Holmes doesn’t even react. Just turns around and gets back on D.

Progressing the Ball

If Holmes picks up the ball with space to run, he takes it. He’s not a guy that goes one on one and whips in a cross, but he’ll dribble the ball from the defensive third to the attacking third posthaste if he gets the chance.

Nice touch to put himself into space, an aggressive dribble forward, and an aggressive pass. It doesn’t quite come off, but I like the idea.

Again, late in the game Holmes shows nice burst and close control. Draws a foul and completes the pass anyway

I really like the way Holmes carries the ball forward

Defense

I thought Holmes was excellent on defense in these two games. Perhaps a more nuanced watcher would have found issues with his positioning, off the ball movement, body shape, etc, but I was impressed. He was really good 1v1 and I was frequently struck by how he would track back, get a foot in for a deflection, or go in against all odds (and win) on an aerial dual.

Immediately following his volley Holmes intercepts the outlet pass and starts another attack for Derby. 😍

Look at him track back and kill this counter *eggplant emoji*

It looks like he’s beat, but recovers and stands his man up. To channel Mel Kiper – Duane’s got loose hips.

Although he’s small (5’6″ 143lbs) Holmes does a good job battling larger humans

Looks like a good press man corner here for American football

Another example of some 1v1 defense

I’ll throw the competition caveat in again here. Playing defense against Barnsley/Charlton may very well be like dominating FIFA on beginner. You can only defend the guys they put you out against though.

Quickness

I’m not sure how out and out fast he is, but he is very quick. If an opposing player took a bad touch Holmes was there in a split second to poke it away. He closes space very quickly and appears very agile while doing so. This suddenness of movement reminds me of Pulisic/Adams…and those guys are decent. (For the obtuse – I’m not saying he’s as good as Adams or Pulisic. Just that his quickness reminds me of them)

Nothing crazy. Shows a quick closing burst and knocks the ball out.

Shows his quickness here again. Gets between the man and the ball and gets there first even though it looks like the Charlton player has the angle.

Quick feet to get around his defender then draws the foul.

The Pass before the Pass

From what I saw, passing in and around the box was not his strong suit. Passing from a little deeper suited him better. The beautiful through ball he played, only for his teammate to dorf it, has been making the rounds, but there are quite a few other nice moments to see. I think this first one is my favorite:

Does this goal happen without the quicker than expected volleyed pass from Holmes? I don’t think so. Charlton being hapless helps too.

Nice little flick pass here puts a teammate into space

Holmes goes past a defender easily and plays a vertical pass to start an attack. This was also, unfortunately, the play that ended with a Derby player getting a red card.

He hits a ball into space, then makes an attacking run and looks to combine.

Holmes receives the ball under pressure (not intense), keeps it moving, and then plays a nice pass to the advancing right back

Room to Improve

The Final Third

Holmes gets into good spots in and around the box, but not a lot comes from it. In 46 matches and 3,000+ minutes with Derby County over the last season and a half he has 2 goals and 2 assists. That’s a G+A per 90 of less than 0.2…not ideal. If you want to include his Championship minutes with Yeovil and Huddersfield the numbers are worse (full stats). His most productive time came in League 1 with Scunthorpe. There’s a whiff of the Nagbe heat map about him.

Recognizes the space and makes a good run, but doesn’t make anything dangerous out of the chance

Keeps the ball well, drives forward, but hits a poor final ball

Another example of Holmes once he’s in the box

Good job winning an aerial duel against a bigger opponent, but doesn’t decide what to do fast enough around the box

Conclusions

I can’t believe Holmes hasn’t been a regular call up for the USMNT. Here’s the full list of US eligible midfielders I’m confident are better than Duane Holmes:

Tyler Adams. The end.

I think Weston McKennie is better. He’s more physically imposing and plays against better competition, but he has been somewhat inconsistent for the national team. If we are really going to play possession soccer I might even prefer Holmes on the wing instead of Morris or Arriola.

I know Holmes has had a couple injury issues around the same time as FIFA windows, but if he is healthy and available I’m more convinced than ever that he should be with the US at every opportunity. I’m planning on watching the FA Cup game between Derby and Crystal Palace this weekend. If Holmes shows out again then I don’t see why a bottom half Premier League team or a Bundesliga club wouldn’t be interested in him. If this review seems a little too glowing… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Just remember…I’m an idiot. 😂

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Cutting Room Floor

These are just GIFs that I liked but couldn’t find a place for.

Well hit. That woulda been sweet.

Really nice pass, but he also kept possession and kinda started this break about 3 seconds before this clip.

His touch can be a little bouncy

This is in the 81′ of a game where his team has been down a man since the 16′. He keeps the ball, progresses forward, and draws a foul.

I love guys that get a piece of the ball on defense. Here the Barnsley attacker takes a loose touch and Holmes pounces on it to poke the ball away.