Tommy Lowery, Crewe's cult hero who is set to be a hit on the south coast
A man of many nicknames, 'Miniesta' could prove to be a great pick up for Portsmouth
Though Crewe fans and management alike have been resigned to losing him on a free transfer for a while, it is a sad feeling to see that Tom Lowery won’t be playing for The Railwaymen anymore. After several rumoured moves, including a mooted move to Wrexham, I’m glad that Lowery is staying in League One with Portsmouth.
Quality-wise, Pompey haven’t just signed a League One ready player; they’ve snapped up a Championship-level talent. For a few reasons I’ll outline below, Lowery hasn’t yet made it to that level, though I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s playing in the second tier soon.
Still only 24, Lowery has racked over 150 league appearances for Crewe since his debut in 2016, and I would guesstimate he had a good game in 130 of them. Technically gifted, composed on the ball, and a smart reader of the game, Lowery has more than earned his ‘Miniesta’ nickname over the years (mini-Iniesta in case you hadn’t worked out the pun).
Lowery leaves Crewe Alexandra as one of their key players in the last decade, and another success story for their youth development. Though his final season with the club ended up in relegation and a contract saga, Lowery is set to have ‘cult hero’ status at the club for years to come. He played at the club for 15 years and embodies the qualities that Crewe try to install in their young players. A technician firstly, Lowery’s quick feet and mind make up for his slight frame, and at his best, he can produce breath-taking moments of invention. His goals against Salford and Bradford will live long in the memory of Crewe fans.
In this article, I’ll discuss Tom Lowery’s strengths, weaknesses, and his tactical fit at Portsmouth. The data is from Opta and FBRef.
Miniesta is the ideal teammate – knitting together defence and attack
In a horrific Crewe team last season, Tom Lowery stood out. He remained composed, he did his job effectively, and his stock remained high. He ‘raised the floor’ of Crewe’s side and won the club’s Player’s Player of the Season award in recognition of his qualities as a teammate rather than just an individual.
He was often the ‘get out of jail free card’ for Crewe defenders in possession, excellent at starting and building attacks. Typically, Lowery had to support the defence by receiving the ball in difficult areas. His issue was, while he was often the only player taking the ball from Crewe’s defenders, he was the most threatening final third player at the same time. Two Tom Lowery’s would have been very handy.
Lowery led Crewe’s 2021/22 in terms of creativity. He put up 0.15 Expected Assists per 90, which was middling for a League One midfielder, but was far ahead of his teammates. A strong controller of tempo, he is happy to take risks and hit incisive through balls and longer passes when needed, but alternatively, he’s happy to keep the ball and recycle possession. He also crosses the ball well from the right-hand side, striking the ball with inviting pace and curl.
Lowery also led Crewe’s side in carries per 90, with 14. His low centre of gravity and two-footedness make him difficult to shrug off the ball. He’s especially good at dribbling in tight central midfield areas. His top speed isn’t the best, but he is agile and nippy, and he accelerates well in short spaces. This makes him well suited to ‘press resistance’ - taking the ball deep in his own half and dribbling past a high-pressing opponent, which opens attacking options for his side.
Earlier in his career, Lowery played in better teams, and was allowed a freer role. At his best in 2019/20, he managed to fill 2 creative roles for the side, sometimes drifting into the number 10 space between the midfield and defensive lines, other times pulling wide to the right and delivering crosses. He emerged as a key Crewe player at the same time as several others who are now mostly playing in the Championship - Harry Pickering, Perry Ng, Charlie Kirk and Ryan Wintle. Lowery, ability-wise, is as good as all these peers.
More of a creator than a goalscorer, when Lowery does hits the back of the net, it is usually spectacular. The best example of his goal of the season against Salford in 2019/20 :
Able to shift the ball quickly into shooting positions on the edge of the box, Lowery has a powerful shot with either foot, and has the individual flair and invention to beat defenders on his way to goal.
Though his game is mostly ‘between the boxes’, I could see a world where Lowery develops into a more advanced midfielder. This would mean missing out on his midfield ball progression skills however, which stand out as his best traits. His data from the most recent season shows this, as displayed in this Thomas Lane graph:
The small issue of his size
An obvious place to start when considering Lowery’s weaknesses is his size. At around 5”5, Lowery is nicknamed ‘Miniesta’ for a reason. He’s tiny.
‘Moneyball’ is a term thrown around a lot when applied to football, but I think Lowery could be considered a fitting example of a ‘Moneyball’ player. A lot of traditional coaches and scouts will take one look at him and say, “he’s too small” and that would be the end of it.
His size certainly doesn’t help him in certain situations. If you want a central midfielder to win headers, then don’t bother with Tommy. Also, in defensive duels, he works hard and can show tenacity, but again his size means he lacks weight. He brings less than 50 to 50/50 situations. It’s rare to see a midfielder contest as many challenges as he does without winning many of them. In its own strange way, it’s admirable.
A related issue is injuries. Lowery’s 31 starts last season were the most he’d managed in a Crewe shirt. While stamina isn’t in doubt, it’s fair to wonder if Lowery’s durability is impacted by his size. League One football can be physical and for better or worse, Lowery isn’t one to shirk a challenge, even when he perhaps should. He tends to miss 10-15 games a season through injury. While far from the end of the world, it’s another possible reason Championship clubs didn’t want to take the risk.
Aside from his size, His headline numbers aren’t great either. He's never been a big goal scorer, and his assist numbers are solid rather than spectacular. Lowery’s top goal return in a season is 5 goals, and he’s never managed more than 8 assists. Lowery isn’t likely to get behind the defensive line of an opponent and may struggle in teams that rely on counterattacking. The more of the ball your team has in midfield, the more you’d back Lowery to make an impact.
Scratch under the surface into Lowery’s underlying numbers shown above and an absolute gem of a player emerges. Those of us who had the privilege of watching him every week would also say he passes the ‘eye test’ with aplomb. He has a silky smoothness to his first touch, and he reads play excellently, both with and without the ball.
Slotting him into Portsmouth’s midfield
Tactically, Lowery has played his best football in the ‘number 8’ position. Ideally, you’d want him in a midfield 3, with one deeper midfielder and one more advanced. This way, he can help stitch things together, and have the freedom to drift into wider spaces when the team is attacking. He can play either on the left or the right of a three with equal ease. While he prefers his right foot, he is confident and skilled on his left side.
The Cowley’s have typically used 4231 shapes throughout their manager career, though seem to have started Pompey’s current term with a 442 shape. In both formations, Tommy would be best suited to playing in the midfield two, picking up the ball in deeper areas. His press-resistance as highlighted earlier on make him a good fit for this role, though he would need to be paired with a more defensively minded and physical partner to really shine in this shape.
Lowery has played for two seasons at League One level and never looked out of place. I personally hoped that a Championship side would take a chance with him. He most certainly has Championship level technical ability. He just needs the right team around him to tick. One thing in his favour at Pompey is re-kindling his connection with Owen Dale, which proved handy for Crewe in the 2020-21 season. With Dale’s pace and directness keeping the opposing left back pinned back, Lowery had more space to drift into between the lines. From there, he can create magic.
Portsmouth have likely bagged themselves a bargain. Lowery was nicknamed ‘The Smiler’ by some Crewe staff for his infectious personality around the training ground. Miniesta certainly put a smile on the face of Crewe fans like me over the years, and Pompey will be hoping he can repeat the trick on the south coast. I have a suspicion he will.