When Hammarby signed Charlie Davies for the 2007 season, he was considered by many Hammarby supporters as a huge talent. He had been trying out for Dutch Ajax, had received an offer from MLS League and, most of all, had received praise from Hammarby scout Mikael Hellström as being the best 20-year old he had ever seen on a football field.
Joining Hammarby early 2007, he radiated confidence in interviews with both Swedish newspapers and Hammarby football sites. However, all the time Hammarby coach Tony Gustavsson always stressed that we should consider Charlie to be a very talented youngster but not a ready starter. To make it worse, Charlie played really well in the training matches in the pre-season, showing off much technique and unmatched speed. The result of all this was that most Hammarby supporters and, worse, the Swedish press, had huge expectations on the youngster when the season started.
It was not until the final match of the season, at home against GAIS, that Charlie Davies managed to score for the first time in 2007. He did score in UEFA Intertoto Cup (1-0 against KÍ Klaksvik, Iceland), but everyone’s focus was on the national championship.
Charlie Davies had a rough year. It’s obvious that it’s not easy to go straight from U.S. college football (soccer for U.S. readers) to the highest league in Sweden. The pace is quicker, it’s more physical and most of all it’s more tactical than the perhaps simpler game of the college series. In Boston, Charlie Davies has said, it was easier for him since everyone passed him the ball on the offensive half, giving him the opportunity to challenge the opponents with all his abilities. In Hammarby, there’s much focus on the tactical part of the game, which makes it difficult for a new player to adjust quickly. Especially so if the players is inexperienced and mentally unprepared. Additionally, he received a minor injury at the start of the season, which perhaps threw him off balance.
After the initial shock of not scoring and problems with him not giving 100 percent in the training sessions, Tony Gustavsson saw fit to coach Davies off field. Tony stressed the importance to always deliver 100 % at training sessions and thereby learning the European way of football, both in tactics and mental attitude. Charlie Davies appeared in a number of matches, never scoring, but showing off a pretty nice game. He also did some appearances in Hammarby second Team, where he managed to score and, from all reports, impressed.
Towards the end of the season, it was obvious that Charlie Davies had a totally different attitude towards his own game, the opponents and his teammates. He delivered some assists, but as I said it wasn’t until the final match of the season that everything finally took off for him. Scoring three goals, he was Man of the Match and showed his true potential, whetting everyone’s appetite for the next season.
And now, as you can read in the article here, he’s been called up to U.S. Under 23 for two training caps against China. I think that his chances to appear in next summer’s Olympic Games in China are big, and that’s enormously positive for both himself and Hammarby.
However, to develop his abilities to next season, there are some things that Charlie Davies need to improve. First of all he need to improve his game off ball. Learning to position himself for rebounds and to find space to receive passes from his teammates is a good start. He should then continue on to the finishing, where he’s been too sloppy throughout the season. And lastly, but perhaps the most importantly, he need continue to develop his attitude, to be able to focus on nothing but the next ball touch or finish. If he does all that, I am sure that he will have a fantastic season in 2008, both with Hammarby in Allsvenskan and in U.S. national team.
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