Plymouth Argyle don’t just have Steven Schumacher to replace after Middlesbrough blow: View | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle suffered a major setback when manager Steven Schumacher left the club in December.

It seemed as if a lot of good work had been undone and that wasn’t the end of the misery in Devon.

Attacking midfielder Finn Azaz was poached by Championship rivals Middlesbrough, something which Argyle are yet to recover from fully.

The brilliance of Finn Azaz

Azaz excelled in green and white both at the League One level and in the Championship as well.

He struck up a dynamic relationship with the likes of Morgan Whittaker and Ryan Hardie on and off the field for Plymouth, instantly buying into the strong team chemistry.

Prior to joining Argyle on loan from Aston Villa, Azaz had registered a very respectable seven goals and seven assists in League Two for Newport County.

Azaz then rose to the occasion both times when stepping up to a higher level, contributing to 17 goals in his first season in Plymouth.

He was on course to go one step further in Argyle’s romantic return to the second tier before Villa then swooped in and burst the bubble.

Schumacher was tempted away by Stoke City, Azaz was sold to ‘Boro by way of returning to Villa and all the other loanees were recalled by their respective clubs too.

Luke Cundle and Kaine Kesler-Hayden, whilst both very solid footballers, didn’t have quite the impact that the Irishman had, though, and the club are still suffering to this day.

Ian Foster brought in his own man to fill the void and that hasn’t worked out, further emphasizing the importance of Azaz on this Argyle team.

Devine a struggling Tottenham Hotspur loanee

Foster signed two youngsters on loan from Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window: Ashley Phillips and Alfie Devine. Both of whom have endured up-and-down seasons at Home Park.

Devine showed promise in his first few games, assisting the first of two Ryan Hardie goals in a debut win over Cardiff City.

The Spurs man set-up Mickel Miller the following month as Argyle played out a dramatic 2-2 draw with Coventry City, only for him to not to contribute again in the subsequent eight appearances.

It all came to a head with the Green Army when he was sent off in the 1-0 defeat at the hands of Bristol City, an outing that proved to be the final straw for manager Foster.

Devine certainly hasn’t been able to live up to the levels set by Azaz and, in general, Argyle have lacked that connection between the midfield and the attack.

Whittaker was very much deserving of his place in the EFL Team of the Year, but he and Hardie haven’t been quite as effective in the absence of Azaz.

That creative option has been lacking - Whittaker can only provide solo moments of magic so often without having an Azaz-like figure.