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Gorrin's golden form shows value to Oxford United

After finally winning the right to an Oxford United penalty on Tuesday, Alex Gorrin showed all the composure that you would expect from a Spanish midfielder, rather than a League One holding man without a goal in English football.

But the goal was just topping off a scintillating run of form for the midfielder who has been one of the small bright sparks in this United side in recent weeks.

Oxford were undoubtedly poor in the early season and the absence of Gorrin certainly played a role in that.

But the Spaniard has been instrumental in their recent return to form helping United to a points per game of 1.43 in League matches with him compared to only 0.6 when he’s not in the starting eleven.  

This has been partly down to his defensive nous which, though it hasn’t solved Oxford’s inability to keep a clean sheet, has massively helped it. Oxford have conceded 0.5 less goals in league games since Gorrin has returned from injury.

He averages the most tackles per game in this Oxford side, along with the second most interceptions, behind only Rob Atkinson.  

Gorrin’s desire to add some steel to this Oxford midfield is clear having already picked up three yellow cards, adding to his thirteen last season. 

But Robinson will not care about his customary bookings – he manages to avoid a second one with remarkable success, though that could be argued its because he is taken off before he risks being sent off - as his willingness to get stuck in seems to provide the physicality and attitude required for Oxford to challenge sides like Portsmouth – rather than just waiting to beat MK Dons and Rochdale.  


He has also won more aerial battles than anyone outside the back four for Oxford making his defensive role vital for Oxford.

A playmaker too

It is not just defensively that Gorrin helps but also in building attacks for United, and with Brannagan missing there has been more of an onus on Gorrin to be at the heart of the United play.  

The midfielder’s composure on the ball has been instrumental in helping Oxford play – and the fact he had a passing accuracy of 83% in the match against Crewe where the rest of the team could seemingly not string a pass together shows how good he has been in this Oxford side.

A more dynamic approach

All this is helping Gorrin atone for his poor day out at Wembley last season – which saw him hooked at half time.

The impetus brought by Liam Kelly’s introduction seemed to illustrate Gorrin’s slight weakness, but with senior players missing or underperforming this year, he has taken a bit more responsibility for the attacking duties.

Gorrin has averaged more dribbles and shots per game this season than he did last year.

His general play also seems to be aiming to get United playing with more urgency, as he has averaged fewer short passes per game but more long passes per game this season compared to the last.  

It’s not been a complete transformation in style for Gorrin, but this small increase in forward play has created a new dimension for Oxford and his goal against Portsmouth emphasizes his desire to help offensively – whilst not forgetting his defensive duties. 

Oxford have averaged 1.27 goals per game in matches with Gorrin compared to 1 without him, making his presence both a blessing at the back and the top of the pitch.

It is no coincidence that his comeback coincided with a return to some semblance of form for Oxford, and the Spaniard will be key if United are going to keep this run going against Swindon.

Though with his style of play seemingly unaffected by the lack of fans, and tackles likely to be flying on Saturday, it becomes even more crucial that he can last longer than 60 minutes on his derby debut. 

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