As Gerard Moreno stepped up last week and rolled his penalty calmly into the corner, tantalisingly close but out of the reach of Rui Silva in the Granada goal, he completed his first La Liga hattrick and a 3-0 Villareal victory. Moreno’s 19th La Liga strike of the season put him ahead of Karim Benzema and level with Luis Suarez. Since I’ve spent every round-up thus far bigging up Moreno’s all round play, it only seems fair that I get to capitalise in smug fashion as he claimed 4 goals and 4 assists from three games. Moreno has scored or assisted Villareal’s last 25 goals in all competitions. That Moreno is one of Europe’s top all-round strikers, behind perhaps only Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku, is no longer a hot take.
Before I get any further, Moreno scores a lot of penalties, get over it (suddenly they’re not part of the game?). Thank you.
Saturday’s first game saw Villareal (and more specifically Moreno) put three goals past fellow Europa League quarter final side Granada, Moreno scored two penalties and one brilliant goal created out of nothing. Firstly, both penalties were stroked away with consummate ease, one into the bottom right hand corner and the other into the bottom left. In between came the goal that best demonstrates why Moreno is now reaching the upper echelons of European attacking talent.
As the ball was sent in to his feet from wide, Moreno has his back to goal, about 20 yards out. Usually, with nothing on from this position (surrounded by defenders and no where to go) the ball would be tamely recycled to go again. This was not the case for one of Europe’s form strikers.
As the ball reaches Moreno’s feet realistically his only option should be to hold the ball and release an outlet into the space for Mario Gaspar (Blue line).
Instead he opts to take the ball first time with his left heel and take the red route curling the ball perfectly around the Granada centre back.
With plenty still to do, a less in form player would have lashed at the ball, likely drawing a corner or hitting the side netting. Moreno is neither short of form nor short of touch however. From this position there are two options to such a playmaker, cut the ball back for the run of an onrushing teammate (blue) or take a nearly impossible aerial route over the keeper too his left and dink through on goal (red). Moreno of course completed the latter with ease (last ditch defending ruining the aesthetics by lashing further into his own goal).
Moreno’s passing is probably the most striking thing about his all-round ability. Both Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku are great playmakers but probably only Kane comes close in terms of passing ability to Moreno. Kane has vastly more assists this season but to be fair Moreno does not have Son Heung Min to pass to so that will be a bit of a hindrance.
How many players in the world could curl this pass with such perfection that all it needed was to be slotted home? I’ll change that, how many players for whom playmaking is secondary to goalscoring could curl this pass with such perfection that all it needed was to be slotted home? My guess is probably none (Messi doesn’t count by the way).
Later in the same game (after a pinpoint cutback) Moreno swivelled midway in his own half to curl another perfect ball for teammate Pedraza to score on the break, completing a hattrick of assists.
So no, I’m not losing it when I put Moreno in the same bracket as Kane and Lukaku, both probably have more physical traits which take them a notch above Moreno but as a playmaking forward with a clinical finish these two are his only peers in Europe.
Photo credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UEFA_EURO_qualifiers_Sweden_vs_Spain_20191015_99.jpg
Michael Vince on Sport 
Will we see him at West Ham next season?
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Hmmmmmm
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