MOHAMMED KUDUS: AJAX’S NEWEST PROLIFIC GOALSCORER

UDINESE: ENJOYING THEIR ROARING START TO SERIE A

ROBERTO DE ZERBI: WHAT HE WILL BRING TO BRIGHTON

TFA Magazine
#73
October 2022

CHRISTIAN
ERIKSEN
CU L O U S P E
A DEE NDERR R O L E
M I R
THE DONA’ A U
A G
E N H
‘KVA R A ERIK T

1
 DATA VIZ:
21 // PREMIER LEAGUE 2022/23:
WHY IVAN TONEY FULLY DESERVED HIS ENGLAND CALL-UP

41 // LA LIGA 2022/23:
HOW DO THE TEAMS FARE SO FAR ON XG AND XGA?

61 // SERIE A 2022/23:
STANISLAV LOBOTKA’S IMPRESSIVE START TO THE SEASON

88 // BUNDESLIGA 2022/23:
HOW SHERALDO BECKER HAS STARTED THIS SEASON STRONGLY

111 // LIGUE 1 2022/23:

LIONEL MESSI’S RETURN TO FORM

131 // EFL CHAMPIONSHIP 2022/23:

WHY ILIMAN NDIAYE IS SHEFFIELD UNITED’S BEST PERFORMER
SO FAR

WHAT YOU’LL FIND

CLICK TO NAVIGATE

3 // MOHAMMED KUDUS: 78 // RICCARDO SOTTIL:

AJAX’S NEWEST PROLIFIC GOALSCORER THE ITALIAN WINGER AT FIORENTINA

10 // CARL HOEFKENS: 83 // KHVICHA KVARATSKHELIA:

FINALLY GETTING HIS MANAGERIAL CHANCE WHY NAPOLIANS CALL HIM “KVARADONA”

16 // MALO GUSTO: 91 // CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN:

THE YOUNG RIGHT-BACK AT LYON ADAPTING TO A DEEPER ROLE UNDER ERIK TEN HAG

2
202
23 // ARMEL BELLA-KOTCHAP: 97 // REBUILD OR RUIN:
SOUTHAMPTON’S FLEDGLING CENTRE-BACK A DATA ANALYSIS ON TRANSFER OVERHAULS
R
29 // NICO WILLIAMS: 105 // MOHAMED-ALI CHO: T O BE
WHY THE ATHLETIC CLUB STAR EARNED A SPAIN CALL-UP REPLACING ISAK AT REAL SOCIEDAD OC
35 // ROBERTO DE ZERBI: 113 // MATT O’RILEY:
WHAT HE WILL BRING TO BRIGHTON CELTIC’S ENGLISH STAR DESTINED FOR A PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN

43 // WILLIAM PACHO: 120 // JELENA CANKOVIC:

ROYAL ANTWERP’S YOUTHFUL CENTRE-BACK WHY CHELSEA PICKED UP THE SERBIAN THIS SUMMER

48 // TETE: 125 // ANEL AHMEDHODZIC:

WHY HIS LOAN SPELL AT LYON HAS BEEN A SUCCESS THE CENTRE-BACK IMPRESSING AT SHEFFIELD UNITED

55 // UDINESE: 133 // MATHYS TEL:

ENJOYING THEIR ROARING START TO SERIE A IS THE 17-YEAR-OLD READY TO FILL LEWANDOWSKI’S BOOTS?

64 // OSCAR GARCIA: 143 // SAVANNAH DEMELO:

EXPLORING THE CRUYFF-INSPIRED THE “STANDOUT MIDFIELDER” ON
COACH’S NON-NEGOTIABLE PHILOSOPHY THE BRINK OF HER USWNT DEBUT

72 // CASPER WIDELL: 150 // DATA ANALYSIS:

THE SWEDISH TEENAGER PLAYING FINDING LEICESTER A NEW GOALKEEPER
CENTRE-BACK FOR HELSINGBORGS IF

2
MOHAMMED KUDUS:

AJAX’S NEWEST PROLIFIC GOALSCORER

ADAM SCULLY // @ascully24

3
In the summer, Ajax were the club that suffered
the most extensive open heart surgery of any
side in European football. PLAYER PROFILE
The club lost 13 first-team players permanently,
accumulating a transfer income of more than
£200 million. It wasn’t just players either; the
K udus’ role within Ajax’s first team has been
really flexible over the past 12 months. It
seemed as though Ten Hag saw the Ghanaian
Dutch giants also lost their manager Erik ten as a utility player — someone who can operate
Hag, as well as his assistant manager Mitchell in several different positions.
van der Gaag, with both men now sitting in the
dugout at Manchester United. Given how fluid Ten Hag’s tactical system was,
and how pliable Kudus is, it was quite a good
Club Brugge boss Alfred Schreuder was placed match. The versatile attacker was used as
in charge and the board began to work closely a number ‘8’ on the left and right side of the
with the manager to stitch up the gaping wounds midfield trio, as a number ‘10’ in Ajax’s 4-2-3-1,
within the squad. as well as on the flanks and even occasionally
leading the line.
Schreuder has done a wonderful job thus far,
with the side sitting top of both the Eredivisie as
well as second in the team’s UEFA Champions
League group, which includes Rangers, Liverpool
and Napoli.

The departed players have been seamlessly

replaced with summer additions as well as
younger players within the squad. One star who’s
stepped up to the plate is Mohammed Kudus.

Last season, Kudus scored just once in 20 This image displays Kudus’ heatmap from
appearances for the Eredivisie champions, 2021/22 for Ajax. As we can see, there is quite a
so when Schreuder called upon the Ghana lot of action in the advanced areas of the pitch
international to fill the massive boots of Sébastien where an attacking midfielder would operate, as
Haller, it raised a couple of eyebrows. However, well as in the deeper areas and half-spaces.
already this season, the 22-year-old has repaid
the manager’s faith, bagging 7 goals in merely However, when Schreuder came in, replacing
10 appearances. the outbound Manchester United manager, he
found a much more refined role within the team
This tactical analysis piece will be a scout report for the young and nimble Kudus.
of Kudus’ strengths and weaknesses. It will also
be an analysis of how the Ghanaian has slotted This season, Kudus has primarily been deployed
into Schreuder’s incredibly fluid tactics this as a number 9, starting as the lone striker. While
season. he still drops deep to receive and is sometimes
even pushed out to the flanks, the 22-year-old
has had much more involvement in the final third
than in the previous campaign.

4
Respectfully, Kudus is a rather slight player. This
is a massive contrast from Haller, who led the line
last season under Ten Hag. The centre-forward
is 5’10 which is a nice height for a frontman, but
he weighs merely 154lbs or 70kg, meaning he is
definitely on the leaner side.

Regardless, Kudus uses his body impeccably

well and is certainly no pushover for any centre- Here, Kudus has received the ball by dropping
backs. He is aggressive, tenacious and dogged deep and calling for a progressive pass. Once
but has a plethora of wonderful qualities in his the ball reaches his feet, he quickly controls it
locker too. Let’s analyse the striker’s overall but gets pressed by two Rangers players.
game.
Using his low centre of gravity, Kudus dribbles

BALL-CARRYING his way out of danger and switches the play

out to the right-back who is free on the wing,

AND DRIBBLING progressing Ajax to the edge of the box where

the fullback can then look to cross into the area.

O ne of the left footer’s best traits is

undoubtedly his dribbling ability. Kudus is
extremely useful for Ajax when he drops short to
Kudus averages 4 dribbles per game in all
competitions, boasting a success rate of 50%,
overall.
receive, as the Ghanaian is excellent at receiving
in tight areas before spinning and looking to This was an example of Kudus using his talents
drive forward. to help free up teammates on the flanks, but
the player is also incredibly adept at just turning
Upon reception of the ball, opposition defenders on the ball too and driving forward when a
instantly jump the attacker in order to close him defending player jumps him from behind. Kudus
down before he can turn on the ball. Usually, this often waits for the pressure to come before
drags at least two players out as the defensive swiftly flicking the ball to his right or left and
side attempt to press Kudus. In turn, this frees dribbling past his man.
up space elsewhere for his Ajax teammates to
get the ball in space.

5
In this example, again against Rangers, Kudus
waits for the fullback to step up to close him Again, using his sumptuous talents and low
down before he pushes the ball to his right and centre of gravity, the Ajax forward has registered
takes it into the vacated space down the left. 12 progressive carries into the box this season
in all competitions for the Dutch giants. All of
This all happens in a matter of seconds, so is these carries have come from the central areas
inexplicably difficult to defend against. The too, the most congested area of the pitch, which
22-year-old is rapid and once he turns his man, is even more impressive.
all hell can break loose. The forward is so efficient
at progressing the ball into higher areas of the
pitch with his dribbling and progressive runs, A PROLIFIC
which makes up for his lack of creative nous in
the final third. GOALSCORER
A s stated earlier in this scout report, Kudus was
not notoriously known for his goalscoring.
While Ten Hag saw him as a useful squad player,
capable of playing in a plethora of different
positions, the Right to Dream academy product
was certainly not efficient in front of goal.

This data viz shows us just how good Kudus is at

ball progression, without even needing to pass,
proving that the Ghana international is a menace
while running with the ball. Kudus is also deadly
when it comes to taking the ball into the penalty
area.

This data visual displays all 14 of Kudus’ shots

last season for Ajax’s first team across his 20
appearances. The young talent bagged merely
one goal. Kudus actually underperformed his
xG of 2.13 while each shot averaged an xG of

6
around 0.15, which isn’t terrible but is definitely
something that could have been improved upon.

Kudus has absolutely improved on his poor

output in front of goal. This season, the Ajax
frontman has been nothing short of prolific.

As Steven Berghuis cut the ball back to Kudus

In the 2022/23 campaign, as of writing, Kudus in the box, he used his quick movement to drop
has taken the same number of shots as last term. his shoulder, pushing the ball to the right using
This time though, the Ghanaian has scored seven his stronger left foot, which caught Virgil van
times, six more than in the previous season. Dijk out.

Kudus is also overperforming his xG now of The Dutch defender couldn’t get out fast
3.82. His xG per shot has massively increased enough and opted to drop off to block the shot.
from 0.15 to 0.27, almost doubling, meaning With Van Dijk in his sights blocking the far post
he is getting himself into far better goalscoring and Alisson’s large frame in goal, Kudus still
positions while his overall finishing has improved managed to smash the ball home by aiming for
significantly. the top left corner to equalise for the visitors on
the night.
Of course, this has been helped by the fact
that Schreuder has trusted Kudus as the team’s While the finish may have looked simple, it
leading centre-forward but it’s still impressive, certainly wasn’t which is a great testament to
nonetheless. Kudus’ improved prowess and potency in the
penalty area.
A recent goal at Anfield against Liverpool
showcased how Kudus is now using his strengths
in the box to aid his newfound fruitfulness. SOLID PRESSER
W hile in the olden days, a striker’s job was
simply to score goals, complex pressing
structures and defensive systems have refined
the role.

Kudus has proven himself capable of leading

the line for Ajax with regard to his finishing but

7
centre-forwards now need to be able to press as Ghanaian is tasked with pressing the opposition’s
well, and press he certainly can. centre-backs and goalkeeper, angling to his run
to cut off access to one side of the pitch and
force the ball-carrier to play to the wide areas.

So far this season, Kudus has registered 6 high However, on far too many occasions, it can be
regains for the Eredivisie champions. On top of really easy for Ajax’s opponents to play around
this, he also boasts 6 counterpressing recoveries him and his pressure, regardless of his intensity,
and 2 dangerous recoveries. because of his poor cover shadowing.

As already stated in this scout report, Kudus Kudus is no good when it comes to blocking
is rapid and can put defenders under pressure passing lanes behind him which is certainly an
within a split second. area the 22-year-old needs to improve. Instead
of nonsensically running at a defender to press
them, Kudus needs to also consider the options
behind him.

Here, in the side’s UEFA Champions League

bout against Liverpool, the home team’s Alisson
took a heavy touch on a backward pass. Having
initially sat off, Kudus jumped at the opportunity For instance, here, Van Dijk simply played
to steal the ball. around Kudus’ pressure into Matip as the centre-
forward didn’t consider the centre-back who was
Alisson panicked and hoofed it up the pitch supposed to be in his shadow.
but was just a moment away from conceding
a nightmarish second goal. You could almost Kudus has all the right attributes to lead his side’s
see the dismay in the Brazilian keeper’s face as pressing system given how quick he is off the mark
Kudus bore down onto him like a lightning bolt. but little tweaks to his game such as improving
his application of cover shadows would make
The biggest issue that Kudus needs to work on him far more menacing for defenders during the
concerning his pressing is applying successful opposition’s build-up phase.
cover shadows. When sitting in a high block, the

8
 CONCLUSION
K udus is almost a completely new player from
last season when he interchanged between
the first team and Jong Ajax in the Eerste Divisie.

Everton were keen to sign the Ghana international

during the summer transfer window, but a move
never materialised. Perhaps this was for the best
as the Ajax star has a full season now to develop
at the Johan Cruyff Arena before moving to a
top-five league in the near future, which is the
likeliest scenario.
RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

9
CARL HOEFKENS:

FINALLY GETTING HIS MANAGERIAL CHANCE

BRANDON LISS // @brandthebeast

10
A fter another successful season in which they
won a third consecutive Belgian Pro League
title, Club Brugge were once again on the hunt
through his. However, in more recent matches,
the Belgian tactician has opted for a back four
system, more specifically a 4-3-3. As this tactical
for a new permanent manager. After Phillipe analysis moves on, it will be illustrated how, at
Clement left to join AS Monaco at the beginning times, Hoefkens may alternate between a back-
of the year, the club brought in Alfred Schreuder three and back-four shape.
for the second half of last season. The Dutchman
was a success, leading the club to the title, but
he was offered the Ajax job in the summer,
which proved too good of an opportunity to
BUILD UP PLAY
turn down.

After a short search, the club decided to

T he first thing that will be analysed closely
in this piece is the way that Club Brugge
look to build up play under Carl Hoefkens.
promote within, handing the reins over to former The Belgian champions have normally been
player Carl Hoefkens. The Belgian had been a possession-based side, and this season has
a youth coach for the club for the few seasons been no different. So far this term, Club Brugge
prior, primarily working with the U18 and U21 have averaged around 56% possession, which
teams. He also was regularly involved with the shows their tendency of being a side that likes to
first team, working as an assistant coach under build out from the back has not changed under
both Clement and Schreuder. The early results their new manager.
have been mixed, with Brugge not having the
greatest start domestically but flying in the UEFA This section will highlight Club Brugge’s build-
Champions League so far. This tactical analysis up shape, as well as how positional movements
and scout report will take an early look at some are key to them quickly progressing the ball into
tactics and trends that Hoefkens is starting to the attacking areas of the pitch.
implement, and analyse how even though results
have been mixed at times this season, the future
is bright for Club Brugge under Carl Hoefkens.

FORMATIONAL SETUP
Though it is still early days in Carl Hoefkens’
time in charge of Club Brugge, two formations The image above shows an example of one
are starting to stick out. shape that Club Brugge look to set up in during
the build-up phases of play. It is essentially a 4-3-
3, with the weak side full-back pushing higher
up and the winger on the weak side tucking
inside centrally to allow the full-back space to
get forward down the flank.
As the graphic above shows, through over
half of the young season so far, Hoefkens has The ball side full-back stays deeper, almost
stuck with the 3-5-2 formation that Phillipe becoming a third centre-back during this phase
Clement started to implement near the end of of play. The midfield three form a triangle, and
his tenure and that Alfred Schreuder carried on the more advanced two frequently will make

11
movements off the ball, with former West Ham shows the next pass he played, to right winger
United target Hans Vanaken usually looking Andreas Skov Olsen. Standard were operating
to split the attackers and make runs in behind out of a 3-5-2 formation, with the wingback for
the defence. The front three stay rather flat, Standard stepping out to engage Skov Olsen
with them looking to pin the defenders back so as he received the pass. Former Leicester City
Brugge can build slowly through the backline player Kamal Sowah makes a run behind the
and midfield. defence, dragging the right centre-back of
Standard out of position.
At times, however, the defenders will look to play
the ball long into the wide channels, with Club With the midfielder for the home side stuck
Brugge looking to create overloads in these in two minds over who to go towards, this
wide areas. Though they would rather look to left Casper Nielsen free, and with a gap to
build up slowly, playing it long is an option if run into as a result of the right centre-back
they get the matchups that they are looking for. being dragged out of position by Sowah’s run.
Unfortunately, Skov Olsen is not able to notice
this quickly enough and gets it poked away from
him, with the ball going out of play. Judging by
the reaction of Hoefkens as the ball went out, he
also noticed this intelligent movement to create
space and knew that a good attacking chance
went begging.

The image above again shows the build- CREATING OVERLOADS

up shape for Club Brugge, with it essentially
being a slightly off-centred 4-3-3 shape. In IN THE WIDE
this example, however, the left winger, Kamal
Sowah, is positioned between both the striker
and right winger, allowing Hans Vanaken a more
AREAS IN ATTACK
free-roaming role on the left side, but still tucked
in to allow the weak side fullback room to get W hen analysing Club Brugge in attack so
far this season under Carl Hoefkens, two
forward. The next image goes over how this things stand out when watching them in this
sequence develops, and what Hoefkens ideally phase of play. The first is their ability to create
wanted to happen. overloads, notably in wide areas. Under the
Belgian manager, Club Brugge look to utilise
the width, with their wide players being key to
how they develop attacks and create chances.
In Andreas Skov Olsen and Kamal Sowah,
Hoefkens has two extremely talented wide
players at his disposal — the former becoming
one of Brugge’s best players since joining from
Bologna in January of this year.

In the previous image, Dennis Odoi was in

possession for Club Brugge. This next image

12
 between him and the other centre-back for the
midfielder to run into behind him. This allows
Skov Olsen the time and space on the ball once
it is played to him, which opens up the crossing
option towards former Barcelona striker Ferran
Jutgla making a run into the box.

Even though Jutgla does not get onto the

end of the cross, this can illustrate the danger
that these attacking principles can cause. This
is especially true when attacking down Skov
Olsen’s side, with the Danish playmaker having
five goals and three assists so far this season in
all competitions.

The data viz above shows Andreas Skov Olsen’s

winger actions for Club Brugge so far this season
in both the Belgian Pro League and UEFA
Champions League. As illustrated above, he is
heavily involved in the attacks, with a majority of
the attacking moves finding their way to his side
of the pitch. Following are a couple of examples
of these overloads that Club Brugge looks to The image above shows another example of
create in these wide areas, as well as keeping Club Brugge looking to exploit the space in the
the width and attacking the wide channels as wide channels by creating overloads. It must
their primary route of attack. be prefaced by saying this attack resulted in
the Cercle Brugge press breaking down, but
the same general ideas are still prevalent in this
example.

Once again, Club Brugge were able to exploit

the opposition’s defence, creating an overload
in this wide channel, with the three attackers
again forming a triangle like the previous
example. In this match, Club Brugge played a
The image above shows a good example of 3-5-2, with the player on the ball, Clinton Mata,
the attacking overloads that Club Brugge look being the right-sided centre-back. Skov Olsen
to create in the wide areas, with Skov Olsen is once again operating as the wide player, with
eventually being the creator of the goalscoring Hans Vanaken shifting over in this sequence
chance. As the example above shows, Club have to create a numbers-up situation. The ball is
created a 3v2 overload in this wide channel, with played to Skov Olsen, who is able to get in
the FC Porto centre-back circled not stepping behind and send another dangerous cross into
out of position to make attempt to make the box, which unfortunately is cleared away
numbers even as this would open up the space by the Cercle Brugge defender. Again, another

13
dangerous attack resulted from the same type especially with the talent that Hoefkens has at
of sequence. his disposal in these wide areas.

KEEPING A HIGH
LINE AND DEFENDING
AGGRESSIVELY
This final example shows another overload
situation, but this time in a bigger section of
W hen it comes to the defensive setup of
Club Brugge under Carl Hoefkens, the
most noticeable thing is how the backline is
the pitch, along with the intricate movement to positioned. They normally hold a very high line,
occupy spaces left free by teammates. In this with the centre-backs positioning themselves
phase of play above, Skov Olsen is in possession, near the halfway line when Club Brugge have
but occupying a deeper midfield position. The possession in the attacking third. While this is a
left winger, Kamal Sowah, has turned up in risky strategy, it pairs well with their philosophy
Skov Olsen’s position, occupying the space and of trying to win the ball back quickly and
becoming a wide option in this nearside wide aggressively. In this section of the analysis, we
channel. will look more closely at this defensive strategy
from Club Brugge, and why there are benefits,
Noticing the potential of an overload, Ukrainian and detriments as well.
striker Roman Yaremchuk drifts a bit wide,
becoming a passing option for the Danish
playmaker. These intricate movements cause
the Standard Liége backline to get stretched,
allowing Hans Vanken the space to run past the
blind side of the defenders and into the box
unmarked.

Skov Olsen’s ensuing pass finds Yaremchuk

centrally, who can play it first time to Sowah, The image above shows an example of the high
who after not being tracked, is free in behind defensive line that Club Brugge like to try and
to send a cross into the box. Vanaken also runs hold. In this phase of play, Standard Liége won
through unmarked, but unfortunately, Sowah’s possession back just outside their penalty box,
cross is hit straight at the goalkeeper, preventing and this image shows the backline’s position after
a very good goalscoring opportunity. the first pass from Standard into the midfield.

As this section has shown, while the attacking While holding a high line in this fashion could
tactics that Carl Hoefkens has implemented at be beneficial for offside traps, it is very tough
Club Brugge are not complex, they are highly to always get right, with a perfectly timed pass
effective. Utilizing this space out wide and putting a forward through on goal for a 1v1
creating overloads has created quality chances opportunity against the goalkeeper. Nothing
for the Belgian champions so far this season, good comes of this attack from Standard, but

14
 it can illustrate where the centre-backs of Club
look to position themselves in transitional
defensive moments.

As mentioned earlier, Club Brugge have also

become a highly aggressive side defensively
under Carl Hoefkens, with an example of that
from their UEFA Champions League match
against FC Porto above. Once again, the Club
Brugge backline is holding a high line, and this
is where we can see some aggressive defending
from the Belgian side’s defenders. In this specific
instance, the right-sided centre-back, Brandon
Mechele, steps way up into midfield to
challenge the Porto player after possession is
turned over. The ensuing slide tackle results
in a recovery of possession for the Belgian
side, which allows them to continue to
build.

These couple of examples were able to

give a brief look at the type of defensive
style that is starting to develop at Club
Brugge under the management of
Carl Hoefkens. While this is a high-risk
defensive style of play, it could be huge
for a side in creating chances going
forward, when successful.
RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONCLUSION
A s this tactical analysis and scout report
piece has shown, Club Brugge are
beginning to develop an identity under Carl
Hoefkens. Although it is still early in his time in
charge of the Belgian giants, the early returns
are promising for the future.

15
MALO GUSTO:

THE YOUNG RIGHT-BACK AT LYON

LEE SCOTT // @FMAnalysis

16
L yon have long been lauded as one of the
most efficient and effective talent developers
in French football. The list of French footballers PLAYER PROFILE
who have developed at the club’s academy
before going on to achieve success across
European football is extensive. This is, of course,
in line with the marketing of French football as
a whole as Ligue 1 is marketed as the League
of talents across the world. In all fairness, there
is some truth to this as French football tends to
place a real value on the use and development
of young players.

The latest player off of the Lyon production

line appears to be the 19-year-old right-back
Malo Gusto. He is predominantly a right-back,
although, as a younger player, he developed as
an attacking midfielder, which shows when he is
in possession of the ball, and at 179cm | 5’11”,
he has a good frame and size for the right-back
position. At the time of writing, despite only
being 19 years old, Gusto has been capped five
times by a very talented French U21 side. T his pizza chart shows Malo Gusto’s data from
this season so far compared to all other
fullbacks who are playing in Ligue 1. The data
Gusto is a very modern full-back in that he is is from Wyscout and the raw per 90 data is
comfortable in the attacking phase of the game converted into percentile rankings.
and can attack dynamically down the outside to
provide genuine width in the attack. He is also, So far this season, Gusto’s data has been largely
however, extremely capable in the defensive excellent. He is in the 78th percentile for goal
phase and his ability to win 1v1 duels for his side contributions and the 88th percentile for expected
before starting the attacking transition has really goal contributions. He sees a lot of the ball for
stood out so far since Gusto has broken into the Lyon and is in the 98th percentile for passes per
Lyon first-team. 90. Crucially, though, he is very good in terms of
using the ball when making those passes. He is in
He has predominantly played so far in his career the 96th percentile for dangerous passes and the
as a more traditional right-back, although he 97th percentile for progressive actions. He also
does move to a much higher line in the attacking gets the ball into the area effectively and he is in
phase of the game. We would suggest that given the 95th percentile for area entries.
his physical capacity he also profiles as a player
who would fit as a wing-back for several teams. He has also, however, impressed in the defensive
phase of the game and at the time of writing,
In this article, we will break down Gusto’s profile Gusto is in the 95th percentile for defensive duels
and explain what makes him such an intriguing per 90, but only the 50th percentile for the % of
player going forward. defensive duels won, and the 80th percentile for
positioning (blocks and interceptions).

17
 in this position, two opposition defenders look
to move and engage the fullback.

Gusto is not a player who wastes time trying

to show off or do something fancy when
he takes possession. Instead, as soon as he
takes possession in the final third he looks for
opportunities to get the ball into the area. He
reads the movement of attacking teammates
Here, we see the heatmap and pass map for and is capable of putting the ball into dangerous
Malo Gusto so far this season. As you can see areas to meet those runs. Here, we see him just
from his heatmap, he moves high often and gets getting the ball out of his feet and curling the ball
into advanced positions in the final third. He is to the near post to meet the run of the attacker.
a good passer of the ball but again most of his
attempted passes tend to come in the wide
areas of the pitch as he accesses central spaces.

GETTING THE BALL

INTO THE AREA
In the attacking phase of the game today, full-
backs have to become wingers as wide forwards
increasingly move inside to occupy space in the
Gusto shows great composure in the final third,
especially for such a young player, and even
half-spaces. This means that the full-backs have when he is put under significant pressure he
to be comfortable pushing forward and taking rarely panics or looks to force the ball into the
possession in wide areas. From these positions, area.
they have to be able to beat an opposition player
and find angles to play the ball into the area. We see this here as Gusto once again is in
possession wide in the final third. There are two
opposition players close to him and looking to
put immediate pressure on the ball, and there
are six players in total between the young
fullback and the Montpellier goal.

Once again, we see how effective Gusto is when

it comes to reading space and putting the ball
into the best area to create threat. He crosses
deep into the opposition area to find the run
of the teammate who is bursting through the
In this example, we see Gusto taking possession central area into the penalty area.
of the ball right on the touchline in the final third.
He is adept at getting forward and providing
significant width for Lyon. As he receives the ball

18
 DRIVING IN
POSSESSION OF
THE BALL
W hile it is true that Gusto very rarely takes
much time when he receives the ball in
the final third, he always wants to put the ball
into dangerous areas; that does not mean that Here we see an example from the match between
he cannot drive forward in possession of the ball Lyon and Angers as Gusto again receives the
to get the ball into those positions on his own. ball tight to the touchline. As the defender looks
to move tight to engage the ball Gusto again
He is tall for a full-back, and he’s quick and slows the pace down and looks as though he is
dynamic in his movements. This makes it difficult going to check back or go into the centre of the
to easily stop him when he moves in possession pitch. This, again, slows the defender down and
and gets into his stride with the ball at his feet. as he plants his feet Gusto simply drives past on
the outside and attacks the space.

Gusto is dynamic and very effective in the

attacking phase.

1V1 DEFENDING
F or all that modern full-backs have to be able
to contribute effectively in the attacking
phase and going forward, that is not enough
Here, we see Gusto in possession of the ball as for a player to play at the very highest level as
he is driving forward through the middle third a full-back. At that level, full-backs also have to
and into the final third of the pitch. He has a be able to defend and Gusto has shown not
nice ability to slow down his movement when only the ability to defend aggressively in 1v1
travelling in possession of the ball, as he almost situations but a real appetite for doing so.
pauses on the ball and this, in turn, forces the
opposition player to also slow down.

In this instance, the defender has to also be

aware of the threat of Gusto either driving inside
or passing inside to the player in the half-space.
As soon as the defender plants his feet to look
to make a challenge on the ball, we then see
Gusto drive down the outside and into space.

19
 Here, we see an example where Anthony Lopes Indeed, the player on the ball does attempt to
in the Lyon goal puts his team in trouble with feint inside before then looking to dynamically
a poor pass that was low and straight to the attack Gusto down the outside to get to the
Feyenoord player at the edge of the final third. As touchline. Instead, though, Gusto steps across
that player starts to move forward in possession, and cleanly takes the ball away from the winger
he has a huge area that he can attack into before without having to go to ground. He is then able
being engaged by the deeper Lyon defenders. to drive forward and start an attacking transition.

Instead of this, however, we see Gusto working

hard and showing his pace to get back into a
position to make the challenge. Not only does
CONCLUSION
he challenge for the ball though. He wins
possession back cleanly and then is in a position A
t just 19 years old, Gusto is a player who
is likely to continue to develop and we
to start an attacking transition for his team as believe that he has the potential to become
they move forward. one of the best full-backs in World football. He
has a profile that appears to be ideally suited to
modern football.

He is likely to stay at Lyon until at least the end

of next season given his relative inexperience at
first-team level but after that, we would expect
to see the biggest sides in Europe moving to
attempt to sign him. It would not be a surprise,
however, to see Gusto make his breakthrough at
senior international level for France before that.

This time, we see Gusto defending in a more

traditional 1v1 situation in the match between
Lyon and West Ham in European competition.
He is faced with a difficult situation in an isolated
position against a wide attacker who has
managed to get turned into a positive position.
From this position, the player in possession has
the ability to go inside or outside and drive into
the area.
RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

20
DATA VIZ PREMIER LEAGUE 2022/23:
WHY IVAN TONEY FULLY DESERVED HIS ENGLAND CALL-UP
VENKATANARAYANAN VENKATESAN // @VenkyReddevil

T here is no story spoken about more right now than Ivan Toney’s rise from League Two to the
English national team. The 26-year-old’s journey should inspire a lot of young players in the
modern era. Toney, originally of the Northampton Town academy, signed for Newcastle United in
2015 and went on multiple loan spells before finally finding a home for himself at Peterborough
United in 2018. Since then, Toney has not looked back and his career has been on the rise.
The following visualisation shows Toney’s rise over the last three seasons at Peterborough United in
2019-20 and at Brentford since then.

If there is one thing that Toney’s rise from League Two to the Premier League shows, it is that Ivan
Toney has become one of the most complete strikers in the world, as the above visual indicates. In
2019/20, at Peterborough United, Toney won the League One Player of the year scoring 24 goals
and ended up as the league’s top scorer.

This secured him a move to Championship club Brentford the following season. In his first season
at Brentford, he set the record for the most goals in a single season in Championship with 31 goals
and helped Brentford secure promotion to the top flight of English football. In his first season in the
Premier League, Toney finished with 12 goals for Brentford.

21
Ivan Toney over the years has developed his game so much. He has gone from an out-and-out
goalscorer to playing an important role in creating and building up chances for his teammates.
As you can see in the visual above, Toney has gone from taking a high volume of shots to taking
shots less often recently. His creativity numbers have also grown, as indicated by his percentile
ranks for Key Passes per 90 minutes. The number of touches that Toney takes inside the box has
also gone down, showing that he drops deep more often to hold up and link up play with his
teammates. An aspect of his game that has maybe gone down is his goal conversion (%).

Ivan Toney is currently one of the most all-round strikers in the Premier League right now. At 26
years old, Toney is also at the right age and has been linked with a move away from Brentford for
quite some time now. It will be interesting to see if Toney gets his chance to impress for the national
team and if he can become England’s No.9 in the long term.

22
ARMEL BELLA-KOTCHAP:

SOUTHAMPTON’S FLEDGLING CENTRE-BACK

MARCEL SEIFEDDINE // @MarcelS_O2

23
A rmel Bella-Kotchap recently arrived at
Southampton for a fee of around £9 million
and has very quickly become a formidable
This mobility and physical prowess allow Bella-
Kotchap to excel in many different styles of play,
whether it is in a low-block or a high press where
opponent for Premier League attackers. The there is lots of space left behind. The heatmap
20-year-old has been a part of a new recruitment from the current Premier League season shows
process conducted by Southampton, with a the young German playing in his favoured role
focus on signing young, unproven players, who as a right centre-back, with dark areas on the
they believe have the ability to gain first-team side showing how comfortable Bella-Kotchap is
minutes instantly. While it may seem a risky at defending in wider areas as well.
approach, Southampton’s superb scouting has
seen them start the season strongly, although
injuries to key players have slowed down the
progress made.

The young German defender’s impressive

performances have not gone unnoticed, with
Hansi Flick deservedly promoting Bella-Kotchap
to the senior German team for the first time in his
career. The timing of this call-up is crucial, and
if he impresses during the international break,
he may be heading to the World Cup at just 20
years of age.

This article will contain a tactical analysis in the

form of a scout report to show exactly what made
Armel Bella-Kotchap impress from the get-go.
The analysis will highlight the skills Bella-Kotchap
possesses that make him so strong defensively
and the tactics which have helped him to thrive.
A MATURE DEFENDER
PLAYER PROFILE
A
lthough he is only 20 years old, Armel
Bella-Kotchap has shown promising

T he young German defender has comfortably

adjusted to the intensity and physicality of the
Premier League in central defence — a position
signs of intelligent defending, which
have allowed him to be so secure defensively
with relatively little experience in the position.
in which many players peak in later parts of their The heatmap below shows the areas in which he
careers. Bella-Kotchap has displayed both the has covered for the Saints this season. It is clear
physical and mental skills required to play in the to see that Bella-Kotchap nearly covers an entire
Premier League, skills which are usually associated quarter of the pitch, thanks to a combination of
with the elite-level defenders in the league. At his defensive qualities and physical presence.
6’3”, Bella-Kotchap is one of the taller players in The width of the area shows his ability to defend
the league, which combined with his pace and wide channels, while the height of the area
power, as well as his lean body, allow him to be shows that Bella-Kotchap is comfortable in both
one of the most mobile players in central defence. a high line and inside his own box.

24
 Furthermore, Armel Bella-Kotchap has displayed
high levels of defensive IQ, by maintaining
control of situations even when outnumbered.
The Southampton defender understands how to
restrict space, by cutting off passing lanes in 1v2
situations. This tactic wouldn’t necessarily work
Arguably his biggest strength is his ability to for most defenders, but his pace and power
comfortably defend in 1v1 situations, in wide allow him to concede small amounts of space.
channels when the ball is played behind the full-
back. Bella-Kotchap has the pace and power The picture below shows Bella-Kotchap
to keep up with even the quickest forwards in completely cut off the passing option, forcing
the league. Furthermore, the young German’s Raheem Sterling to engage in a 1v1. The young
defending stance and lean body allow him to German has the confidence to go up against
easily keep up with quick changes of speed and one of the best dribblers in the league, and
direction from opposing attackers. still come out successfully after gifting Sterling
a small amount of space. The ability to quickly
Pictured below, we can see the 20-year-old increase the length of his strides allows the
forcing his opponent to keep running down 20-year-old to cover short amounts of distances
the line, with the confidence that if the ball is in next to no time.
knocked into the space, Armel will win the foot
race and recover the ball. If the attacker tries
to turn inside, as Mount attempts in the image
below, Bella-Kotchap has displayed excellent
footwork to reduce the length of his stride, thus
allowing him to be able to change direction
more easily and prevent Mason Mount from
turning inside.

Bella-Kotchap’s intelligent footwork and physical Another key skill which helps the Saints centre
presence allow him to control most 1v1 scenarios back to be a commanding defender is his bravery
and have success in most ground duels. This when defending his own box. In the image
season, he has won 78% of ground duels from below, Christian Eriksen has a free shot from
5.5 duels per 90. This impressive return means six yards away, which Bella-Kotchap instantly
that Bella-Kotchap ranks third-highest in the recognises and closes down. Furthermore, the
league in that regard. ability to quickly form a k-shape barrier with
his legs optimises his chances of blocking the
shot by cutting off any central space and forcing

25
Eriksen to either find a corner or see his shot Bella-Kotchap such an exceptional defender is
blocked. his positional intelligence in so many different
defensive scenarios.

In the image below, we can see the young

German correctly position himself in a place
where he prevents a central through ball, whilst
also being appropriately positioned to cut out
a potential passing option. Armel Bella-Kotchap
always seems to have the situation figured
out, even when faced with so many different
Another important trait the ex-Bochum defender defensive problems. His ability to turn so quickly
possesses is his impressive ability to defend the allows him to be in a prime position for a foot
box through excellent positioning and reading race back to goal, in case a pass is played in
of the game. In the instance below, Bella- behind. When the pass is played behind him,
Kotchap quickly scans to locate a free attacker Bella-Kotchap can easily turn to intercept the
at the back post and closes down the potential ball and prevent a dangerous situation.
cross across the face of the goal. His ability to
predict this outcome allows him to be in the right
place to easily clear the ball away from danger.
In addition to the great awareness, Armel’s body
orientation also allows him to be able to deal
with both cut back’s and aerial passes, as he can
quickly pivot around his right foot to turn and
face the space by the penalty spot in case the
ball does get delivered there.
Armel Bella-Kotchap is not only extremely
mobile, but he also is very strong in the air.
The 20-year-old is very strong, despite a thin
frame, which allows him to spring high and
hang in the air. He can jump early, and hang in
the air, preventing the opposition striker from
even attempting to challenge for the aerial
duel. Engaging in 6.2 aerial duels per 90, Bella-
Kotchap has a 54% success rate, which makes
After spending his career in German football, him the 16th best in the league at aerial duels.
Armel Bella-Kotchap has faced many transitional
situations when defending. This experience in
transition football has helped him develop the
necessary skills to calmly deal with counterattacks.

It has already been made clear that he has the

physical capabilities to handle defending large
amounts of space, and the 1v1 skills to defend
against ball carriers in transition. What makes

26
Armel Bella-Kotchap has also displayed great
abilities to perform a different role in the back
line. While playing as a leader and holding the
defensive line, the 20-year-old also has the
ON BALL FRAILTIES
reading of the game, and aggression in duels to
jump out of position and intercept passes when
possible. While moving towards his own goal,
T he biggest thing preventing Bella Kotchap
from taking the next step in his career so far
has been his lack of belief in his team on the
the Southampton defender has proven that he ball. While he isn’t bad at this aspect, the level
can quickly change direction and move into the required to consistently play out from the back
lane of the pass. This smart trait allows him to has not yet been reached.
prevent attacks before they even get close to
the goal. The young German defender has shown
glimpses of strong ball-carrying abilities. When
faced with an opponent and space behind,
Armel has displayed close control over the ball
through his use of body feints to unbalance his
opponent and carry the ball beyond them. He
has also, at times, displayed a good ability to
turn with the ball on either side, evade pressure
and retain possession.

Armel Bella-Kotchap’s great reading of the game

is highlighted below, with him already having
intercepted numerous passes in the opposition
half, only six appearances into his time at the
club. The cluster in the bottom right corner
further highlights just how comfortable he is in
wide areas, even near the halfway line.

Bella-Kotchap has at times displayed strong

passing over long distances. His ability to
strike through the ball allows him to spray the
ball over long diagonal distances in behind
for his teammates to chase. While he has the
range, Armel hasn’t always been accurate with
the trajectory of his passes which makes him
unreliable in these situations.

27
 Armel Bella Kotchap’s passing in tight spaces
under pressure has prevented him from being a
reliable player in possession. His pass selection
hasn’t been up to standard, which prevents
him from keeping possession consistently. In
the image below, the Young German releases
the ball too late and gives away possession in
his own third. Bella-Kotchap doesn’t have the
awareness, or the footwork to open up another
angle for himself and find a spare teammate
when there are two on his left side. Instead, he
opts for a risky line-breaking pass which doesn’t
pay off.

CONCLUSION
His pass map below displays his preference, to
play the ball to either his right-back or central
defensive partner on his left hand side. The
A rmel Bella-Kotchap has shown over the
past six games just how dominant he is
in defensive scenarios. His amazing physical
pass map only displays completed passes, with abilities, agility and balance, and defensive
Armel Bella-Kotchap being hesitant to play intelligence have helped him to shine in what
passes which are harder to complete, but more is one of the hardest leagues in the world. With
likely to move the team upfield. In future, he can just over a month to go until the World Cup,
mask these problems by going long, as long as Armel Bella Kotchap has to maintain these
there is an outlet upfront to bring the team up standards and will likely be on his way to Qatar
the pitch. as a 20-year-old defender. This is a monstrous
defender, who is unlikely to be beaten by any
opponent due to his physical presence and
experienced mentality.
RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

28
NICO WILLIAMS:

WHY THE ATHLETIC CLUB STAR EARNED A SPAIN CALL-UP

ALFIE PEARSON // @alfiepear

29
S ince 1912, Athletic Club de Bilbao have
employed a unique policy of only using
Basque players. Players can be recruited from PLAYER PROFILE
other Basque clubs, but most are brought
through the ranks at Los Leones. As one of the
three Primera División founding members that N
ico Williams (181cm/5’11”, 67kg/147lbs)
is a two-footed winger with a slim build.
have never been relegated from the top division The Spaniard’s ambipedal ability is particularly
since its creation in 1929, their academy and effective when combined with his devastating
Basque criteria continue to bear fruit. acceleration. As a result, every full-back that
faces Williams is troubled by his quality in 1v1s
Some players, like Kepa Arrizabalaga at Chelsea and when carrying possession forwards for
and Aymeric Laporte at Manchester City, leave Athletic Club. Nico’s threat in the final third is
the club in big-money moves, but most remain also developing with his time in senior football,
at San Mamés. Athletic Club are well-respected with Los Leones’ 3-2 win against Rayo Vallecano
for their homegrown player development and being the first occasion both the Williams
loyalty. Captain Iker Muniain has been at the brothers scored in the same game.
club his whole career, registering over 500
appearances. Goalkeeper Unai Simón thrived Spain’s newest call-up has appeared on the
after Kepa Arrizabalaga’s departure and has left-wing before, but Williams is best, and most
since picked up 25 caps for Spain. Attacker Iñaki frequently, used on the right. The figure below
Williams is a Primera División record-breaker, displays his heatmap from La Liga so far this
appearing in consecutive games for over six season, under Ernesto Valverde.
years. However, the next crop of Basque talents
are coming to prominence, with Nico Williams,
younger brother of Iñaki, headlining.

Nico Williams, born in Pamplona to Ghanaian

parents seeking asylum from civil war, is an exciting
winger that has become an integral member of
Ernesto Valverde’s squad. Registering two goals
and two assists in the opening six games of
the La Liga season, Nico has earned a call-up
to Luis Enrique’s Spanish national team. He has
appeared for Spain at younger age groups, but
a call-up for the September international break
was his first for La Furia Roja at senior level.

With Ińaki Williams recently choosing to

represent Ghana ahead of 2022 FIFA World
Cup, some have speculated that Nico’s call-up
is a tactic from Spain to prevent the talented
attacker’s allegiance to Ghana. However, this
tactical analysis, in the form of a scout report, Nico’s emergence as a starter at San Mamés
will identify why Nico Williams deserved this couldn’t have come at a better time with
call-up to represent Spain. Valverde’s return to the club. After taking two

30
years away from management after his time at de Marcos operating as the right width-holder.
Barcelona, Valverde returned to Athletic Club forCádiz prepared to overload Nico by lining up
a third spell. When he departed for Barcelona with Alfonso Espino and Santiago Arzamendia,
in 2017, he left a successful yet ageing squad two left-backs, but de Marcos’ movement
needing an overhaul. However, since his return helped to create situations where Nico could
in 2022, Valverde has obtained a much younger face only Espino. This is an example of Nico
squad with younger players trusted in crucial drifting infield and drawing Espino between
roles. the lines, creating space to penetrate behind
the Uruguayan defender. Williams can utilise his
Employing an expansive 4-3-3 shape, Valverde pace and dynamic superiority to burst beyond
has deployed 20-year-old Williams on the right Espino and receive Mikel Vesga’s clipped pass
wing. The wingers typically hold maximum in behind, with Nico winning a penalty against
width to stretch opposition defensive structures Espino for handball.
and expand the space between the lines for Iker
Muniain and Oihan Sancet, another U23 starlet, His acceleration from between the lines to then
to receive. Valverde’s decision to line up with break in behind the opposition defensive line
Sancet and Muniain in central areas ensures has proven to be useful at times already this
Williams receives from high-quality creative season. When able to receive on the half-turn
players. The electric winger is a go-to passing in central areas, he can be a threat in transition.
option for the midfielders in structured attacks However, the winger can struggle receiving with
and in attacking transitions. his back to goal with pressure from defenders,
potentially preventing him from becoming a
centre-forward long-term as Iñaki has become.

1vs1 QUALITY
N ico Williams has displayed quality to face
off with opposition full-backs and beat them
1v1 with overwhelming success. His pace is
Despite often operating in the widest channel, unmatched by opposition defenders with his ball-
Nico Williams also provides tactical flexibility carrying profiting from the numerous impressive
and value in central areas. Valverde looks to be physical attributes in the Spaniard’s skill-set. Out
developing Athletic Club into a control-heavy, of the 76 wide players and attackers to play over
ball-dominant side without weakening their 300 La Liga minutes so far this season, Williams
attacking prowess. This requires Los Leones to is top ranked for successful attacking actions per
maintain the core responsibilities of positional 90 with 7.54.
play, in turn bringing Nico inside occasionally.
Nico can come inside when the right-back The figure below shows Nico’s penetrating
carries so far in this La Liga campaign. We can see
operates as the width holder, but can also drift
Nico receive a lot of possession by the touchline
infield to facilitate Iñaki’s tendency to move wide
before attacking central spaces. before driving at the defence. Typically, Spain
manager Luis Enrique lines up in a 4-3-3 with
In the image above, Nico left the widest the wingers making the pitch big and pinning
channel against Cádiz due to right-back Óscar the opposition full-backs, similar to Valverde’s

31
set-up at Athletic Club. Comparing Williams to In the image below, Nico has chased down
Spain’s other winger options, the Athletic Club a long punt upfield to relieve pressure from
youngster’s 1vs1 ability is unrivalled. Athletic Club’s defensive third. He uses his sharp
pace to keep the ball in play and then draws a
The likes of Villarreal’s Yeremi Pino can hold sliding challenge from Álvaro García, which he
width or Real Madrid’s Marco Asensio can drift skips past with ease. By beating García, Williams
infield for central overloads, but neither possess has attracted three more Rayo Vallecano players
the blistering pace that provides another option towards him before releasing the ball at the
to break down opponents. Barcelona’s Ansu Fati optimal time for Iñaki’s run in behind.
and Real Sociedad’s Mikel Oyarzabal can offer
penetrative carries, but both have experienced
recent injury struggles allowing Nico Williams to
impress for La Furia Roja.

With his dribbling ability and pace being so

threatening, Nico naturally draws in multiple
opponents. Some opponents will attempt to
create 2vs1’s against Nico, while others will tilt
their defensive structure to provide additional
cover on the right side of Athletic Club’s attack.
The figure on the right of the above image This can help create space on the opposite flank
shows Williams’ capacity to beat his man on the for left winger Álex Berenguer, who has three
outside and by cutting inside. There is a balance goals and two assists in the opening six games
between the two to sustain his unpredictability of this La Liga campaign.
when dribbling, not showing a particular
preference for either. This is aided by his comfort As opponents try to prevent their full-back
using both feet. There is a uniqueness to Nico’s from being isolated with Williams, the winger
dribbling in that he often carries the ball with must make these opportunities count when he
his left foot rather than his supposedly stronger is able to face the defender 1vs1. In the figure
right foot. below, Nico receives Oihan Sancet’s pass by
the touchline, holding maximum width isolated
The Spaniard’s ambipedal ability is crucial for against the Elche left-back Nicolás Fernández.
his dribbling success. Nico Williams ranks 5th
for dribbles per 90 so far this La Liga season
with 7.11, alongside an impressive success
rate of 60.61%. Only Vínicius Júnior, Ousmane
Dembélé, Raphinha and Valencia’s Samuel Lino
have attempted more so far. Spain’s latest call-
up also ranks 4th for progressive runs with 4.09
per 90.

32
Upon Williams receiving, Fernández attempts to in cup competitions though, including a late
usher the winger down the line. However, when winner in the Supercopa de España semi-final
Nico takes a touch inside, the full-back spins against Atlético Madrid. However, his data from
and gets caught square, allowing Nico to burst the last La Liga season was quite promising,
past the left-back with a large touch into space. despite the glaring absence of goals and assists.
The Spaniard’s next touch is another large touch So far this season, Nico’s statistics have improved
towards the byline, so Nico can utilise his pace further, with the addition of two goals and two
to remain ahead of Fernández. Nico’s cutback assists.
was missed by Iñaki but the arriving Iker Muniain
found the back of the net via a Berenguer
deflection, who was in an offside position to
disallow the goal.

His two-footedness can strike a resemblance to

that of Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembélé, with
their ability to create shooting angles in the final
third but also their ability to progress possession The figure above displays the latest Spain call-
through ball-carrying. Xavi’s Barcelona are very up’s winger actions so far this season. Out of the
ball-dominant, with an average possession of 76 wide players and attackers to play at least
66.2% so far this season, but Dembélé’s individual 300 minutes in La Liga this term, Nico ranks
dribbling is a regular option for progressing and seventh for crosses per 90 with 4.74. He ranks
penetrating opposition structures. 11th for passes into the penalty box with 3.88
per 90, alongside a fine accuracy of 61.11%.
Both Luis Enrique’s Spain and Ernesto Valverde’s The winger also gets involved inside the penalty
Athletic Club take a more vertical attacking box as well, often looking to attack the box for
approach than Xavi’s Barcelona, but Nico deliveries from the left wing. Williams ranks 11th
Williams’ ambipedal ball-carrying can be used for touches in the box per 90 with 4.74, also
to help create gaps and penetrate opposition using his ball-carrying to enter the box.
defences like Dembélé at Barça.
An example of this can be seen below, also from

FINAL THIRD IMPACT Los Leones’ away win at Elche. Right-back Óscar
de Marcos picks up the loose ball and spreads
play to Nico wide on the right wing. Athletic

In La Liga last season, Nico Williams’ output was Club midfielder Oihan Sancet begins to drift
underwhelming, with no goals or assists in his wide to provide a passing option but peels away
1,322 minutes spread across 34 appearances. alongside his marker Gerard Gumbau, allowing
The Spaniard provided three goals and an assist Williams to attack his opponent 1v1.

33
 Williams executes a couple of stepovers to shift
the ball into a crossing position before cutting
back and facing up the opponent. From a static
position, Nico showcases his tricky dribbling
with two more fluid stepovers to unbalance the
defender and power inside the box on his left
foot. His next touch is to release a lethal left-
footed strike into the top corner beyond Elche
goalkeeper, Édgar Badía.
CONCLUSION
N ico Williams is an electric winger with exceptional
1v1 and ambipedal ability, flourishing in Ernesto
Valverde’s expansive system at Athletic Club. Taking
on important roles alongside other young players
like Oihan Sancet, the Basque policy continues to
produce and develop homegrown talent. Many Los
Leones players, past and present, have turned out
for the Spanish national team and Nico is the latest
Similar to his dribbling, Williams has a balance of after his first call-up by manager Luis Enrique.
left-footed and right-footed goals. His ambipedal
skill enables the Spaniard to attempt shots from Nico could have partnered his brother Iñaki for
various angles with conviction. He has also Ghana at the 2022 World Cup this winter but
proven he can convert chances against settled has instead taken on the challenge of battling
defences and in rapid counterattacks, able to against Spain’s vastly talented player pool.
provide a solution and shooting opportunity However, Spain lacks Williams’ unstoppable 1v1
against any type of defence. ability and extraordinary speed; as an exciting
but effective ball carrier, the winger provides
The figure below is an xG map from Nico’s last another dimension to the Spanish attack for
RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

two seasons at club and international level, for Luis Enrique. With Nico also developing his
Athletic Club and Spain’s U21 side. We can attacking output this season, expect shouts for
see the winger’s ability to find the left corners the Athletic Club star to be in the La Furia Roja
of the goal, a common target for right-wingers squad for the World Cup if his form continues.
cutting inside. The development of his left foot
to match the strength of his supposedly stronger In this tactical analysis, in the form of a scout
right foot allows Nico to perform these shots. report, we have looked at Nico Williams’ game-
Williams has also been a reliable penalty-taker changing attributes that have thrived at San
for Athletic Club’s B team, converting into the Mamés to earn the youngster a call-up to the
bottom corners. Spanish national team.

34
ROBERTO DE ZERBI:

WHAT HE WILL BRING TO BRIGHTON

MAT CHILDS // @_Em_Jay_Cee

35
B righton have moved quickly to appoint a
replacement for the departed Graham Potter
— who became Chelsea’s new Head Coach on
He gets his players to stretch the opposition
vertically as his own attacking line presses high
up against the opposition defence, leaving
a five-year deal on September 9th — by hiring space to be exploited in the midfield. When an
the promising young Italian manager, Roberto opportunity occurs, a quick burst of tempo sees
De Zerbi. De Zerbi has made quite a name the ball played directly to the midfielders, who
for himself in his native Italy, with provocative pick out the forwards with a penetrating pass or
football that has been applauded for its bravery send the ball wide to overlapping midfielders
and criticised for its perceived riskiness. who work the ball into the box.

De Zerbi’s first success came from winning Rather than attempting to avoid the press by
the Copa Italia Lega Pro with Foggia in 2016 playing away from it, De Zerbi likes his teams to
before being appointed manager of recent provoke a press so that the ball can be played
Serie A additions, Benevento, after a brief over or around the opposition players in a quick
stint at Palermo. Despite being unable to save build-up often mistaken for a counterattack. In
Benevento from relegation, he remained in Serie the images below, you can see how Shakhtar
A when hired by Sassuolo, where he took a team initially use short passes between the defence
that had finished in the bottom half of the table before laying the ball off to one of the central
five times in the previous six seasons to back- midfielders, who launches a diagonal ball into
to-back top-10 finishes. Finishing eighth in his space to be crossed in and converted by the
last two seasons, Sassuolo narrowly missed out attacker.
on Europa qualification by two goals to seventh-
placed Roma at the end of the 2020/21 season
— his final year with the club.

He departed his homeland to manage Ukrainian

side Shakhtar Donetsk, taking over in May
2021, taking them to Super Cup success a few
months later against arch-rivals Dynamo Kyiv in
a Klasychne derby final. He managed the team
for 18 games of the Ukrainian Premier League
before the season was cancelled due to the
conflict with Russia.

In this tactical analysis, we will take a look at De

Zerbi’s approach, how it works, how it can be
undone, and what to expect at Brighton.

PROVOKING THE PRESS

D e Zerbi has drawn his fair share of plaudits
for his attacking football, which relies heavily
on his defenders patiently sharing possession
and provoking a press from opposition forwards.

36
The images below demonstrate how closely the De Zerbi is clearly an advocate of moving the
players in the low block stay to each other in opposition by keeping the ball stationary
order to pass the ball around the opposition rather than moving the ball around a stationary
once they initiate a press, beating the opposition opposition and has been quoted as saying that
with superior numbers. The first image shows passing the ball is ‘gambling’.
Shakhtar’s Marlon holding onto the ball long
enough to provoke a press from Benzema, who This system-based approach relies on defenders
he immediately circumvents. recycling possession between themselves and
the goalkeeper, often against the ‘keeper’s
own goal line, inviting oncoming forwards to
press the ball in order to play around them.
This method was labelled ‘risky’ by some Italian
journalists, as it involves having a very low block
and encourages the opposition to press very
near to the goal. But De Zerbi’s logic is that the
closer the press is to his own goalkeeper, the
less area of the pitch there is to defend.
Below, Marlon, this time whilst playing for De
Zerbi at Sassuolo, holds onto the ball long Below, we can see an example of this in a
enough to provoke a reaction from the Napoli friendly against Schalke 04. The low block starts
forward Piotr Zieliński, again, playing around at the goal line. As Shakhtar goalkeeper, Trubin,
him to exploit the gap he leaves in his pressing. passes to Marcos Antonio (1) to initiate a press
from Idrizi. Antonio then passes to Marlon (2),
who passes back to Trubin (3), which initiates a
press from two Schalke players before he passes
into space over the head of Antonio (4) for him
to carry the ball into the opposition’s half.

The below image is taken from a clip that shows

Marlon holding onto the ball for a full 8 seconds
in a friendly against Crvena Zvezda, controlling
it with the sole of his foot and provoking a press
from Aleksander Katai, before launching the ball
into space for David Neres to attack, leading to
a goal just seconds later.

37
 ON THE ATTACK
D espite attacking from wide and stretching
the opposition defenders across their
penalty area, Sassuolo didn’t rely on crosses
into the box for goals, instead patiently passing
the ball and probing the area waiting for the
opportunity to make a through pass to someone
better positioned. Wingers would stay wide, but
only to stretch the opposition defence whilst the
midfield joined the attack, usually ending up in a
2-3-5 shape. No other team in Italy had as many
shots from inside the box as Sassuolo at the end
of his first season, nor had made as many short
passes.

Below is an example of De Zerbi’s Sassuolo back

line retaining possession in the opposition half DEFENSIVE
and patiently waiting for opportunities to exploit
space that opened once Napoli pressed; in this
image, we can clearly see 8 players ahead of the
VULNERABILITIES
ball that Gian Marco Ferrari can choose from.
W hile De Zerbi gets his teams to play
on the front foot and prioritise attack,
overwhelming the opposition box with
overlapping midfielders that stay high, this often
led to the Sassuolo and Shakhtar defence being
greatly exposed. In his 3 seasons as manager
at Sassuolo, they conceded 179 goals with an
average goal difference of just +2.3 per season.
As Italian football has always taken pride in its
Again, De Zerbi can play around a press with his defensive discipline, this led to criticism from
team’s strength in numbers and ability to exploit journalists who claimed that his teams just
the gaps left by presses that pull the opposition’s couldn’t defend.
formation out of shape. In Sassuolo’s 2-1 win over
Milan, shown below, we can see Manuel Locatelli As De Zerbi has his teams constantly press the
is swarmed by three Milan players, leaving space opposition on the wings, this can leave gaps
for Giacomo Raspadori to pass the ball out wide to be exploited in the centre of the pitch and
to an unmarked Jeremy Toljan, who can break opposition players not being swarmed by
into the box unchallenged to play a short pass Sassuolo often enjoyed lots of space. Once De
back to Raspadori in the centre, who scores. Zerbi’s men regrouped to defend, they would
stand off the opposition and would rely on the
aerial abilities of the centre-backs to clear any
crosses into the box.

38
The images below from Shakhtar’s 5-0 Meanwhile, despite Tariq Lamptey’s patchy start
Champions League loss to Real Madrid show to the season, we can expect to see him used
gaps in the back line that Karim Benzema and in a similar way to how De Zerbi used Dominico
Luca Modric exploit for Vinícius Jnr to score. The Berardi on the right wing — someone who can
first shows all four Shakhtar players focussing use their pace to beat defenders and carry the
solely on Benzema, unaware that Vinícius is ball once the opposition forwards have pressed
already making a run into the space made by and left gaps for him to exploit, stretching the
the defenders swarming towards the ball. The defence.
second image shows all six Shakhtar players
looking toward Modric, now in possession, who Below is a classic example of Lamptey’s physical
cues up Vinícius to score a deft chip over Trubin. play against Liverpool, where he peels off his
Both images show De Zerbi’s men ball-watching marker as soon as Brighton regain possession in
and leaving gaps from pressing in high numbers. their box, plays a one-two with Adam Lallana,
and carries the ball to the opposition box after
and cutting inside to feed Trossard.

ADAPTING THE
BRIGHTON PLAYERS
It will be interesting to see how De Zerbi will
use the players he has inherited at Brighton
between now and the January transfer window.
Potter left the Seagulls as a team that could use
three defenders at the back, adapt their tactics
depending on the opposition and rely on the Because of the less athletic demands of Italian
skill and speed of midfielders Alexis MacAllister, football and De Zerbi’s tactics stretching the
Leonardo Trossard, and Pascal Groß. opposition vertically, Sassuolo saw Berardi in a
much higher position, often receiving the ball in

39
 the corner of the pitch from a diagonal ball or
a midfielder who had carried the ball through
the centre. Berardi would then go on to either
play a through ball or cut inside for a shooting
CONCLUSION
opportunity, rarely crossing the ball as per De
Zerbi’s demands, as seen below against Milan. W ith his unique approach, De Zerbi has
made lower reputation teams, such as
Foggia and Sassuolo, overachieve, much like
Potter did with Brighton. His football is not
necessarily complex — stay compact, pass it
short, play around the press to attack — and
is not reliant on a team of superstars who can
take multiple opponents on or play 40-yard
passes. Potter left Brighton as a team that could
use three defenders at the back, adapt their
tactics depending on the opposition, and rely
on the skill and speed of midfielders MacAllister,
Trossard, and Groß.

All of this will suit De Zerbi, who has already

been called a “natural fit” by Brighton owner,
Tony Bloom. He has already promised to play
brave football, use the talents of the current
squad, and strive to keep Brighton in the top 10.
Fans of the Premier League love to see coaches
committed to exciting attacking football and,
given De Zerbi’s record in just trying to score
more than the opposition, we may see a gung-
ho approach not seen since Kevin Keegan’s
‘Entertainers’ at Newcastle in the mid-90s.

Considered a box-to-box wing-back, Lamptey

might have to curb his desire to make progressive
runs as often as he does (ranked seventh at the
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end of the 2021/22 season), and although his

crossing last year was fairly respectable with
19.8% accuracy, he will no doubt have to develop
a more patient style of play under De Zerbi.

40
DATA VIZ LA LIGA 2022/23:
HOW DO THE TEAMS FARE SO FAR ON XG AND XGA?
VENKATANARAYANAN VENKATESAN // @VenkyReddevil

T he La Liga 2022/23 season is up and running and going into the first international break, there
are not a lot of surprises at the top of the table. Real Madrid are top with six wins out of six
and Barcelona are second with five wins and one draw. Real Betis are third in the table and former
Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic Club are fourth in the table. Osasuna are the surprise
package of the season so far — currently fifth in the table and Unai Emery’s Villarreal close out the
European spots at sixth.

The following visualisation shows how the teams have fared so far in terms of Expected Goals(xG)
and Expected Goals Against (xGA). The teams are ordered from top to bottom as per their position
in the league table.

Barcelona, who have scored the most goals in the league (18), also have the highest xG in the
league so far (18.04). The Catalans also have the best defence in the league — conceding just
one goal so far from six games with an xGA of 3.83. Table toppers Real Madrid are the second-
best attacking side in the league with an xG of 12.94(17 goals scored). Defensively, Unai Emery’s
Villarreal are the second-best — conceding only 2 goals with an xGA of 5.38.

41
The most surprising of all teams is Sevilla. The club that finished fourth last season is languishing
at the bottom end of the table at 15th. Julen Lopetegui’s men have one of the worst defensive
records in the league, conceding 11 goals from an xGA of 12.43 and scoring just 7 goals from an
xG of 7.75. Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid, 7th in the table, have scored 10 goals from an xG of
8.47 and have conceded 6 goals from an xGA of 6.57

Elche are the worst team defensively conceding 16 goals from an xGA of 16.63 and Cádiz are the
worst team offensively, scoring just 1 goal from an xG of 2.95.

42
WILLIAM PACHO:

ROYAL ANTWERP’S YOUTHFUL CENTRE-BACK

BRYANT MARQUES // @bryantmt_

43
A t just 20 years of age, William Pacho became
one of the most interesting and promising
signings of Royal Antwerp last season, following
Royal Antwerp like to play a possession-based
style of football with a very high line giving full
responsibility to the centre-backs on the ball
a quality professional debut campaign with during the build-up phase.
Ecuadorian team, Independiente del Valle —
probably the best team in Ecuador in terms of Normally, Pacho is a very solid player when he
youth player development. The Belgians didn’t has to jump out of his line and intercept a pass.
hesitate to sign him but gave him half a season In fact, this is the best part of his defensive skills.
to adapt to the Belgian Pro League. After only Not everyone has this capacity to go out and
three games and six months of preparation for intercept an incoming and dangerous pass to a
the 2021/22 campaign, Pacho has finally arrived. striker or an advanced player. William has the
right timing and judgement to go and make a
Close to turning 21 years old now, Pacho has great interception.
transformed into one of the cornerstones of
Mark van Bommel’s Royal Antwerp that has As we can see below us, Pacho made a good
started the season rampant, dominantly winning interception, blocking a pass that was going to
nine from nine league games. The excellent and turn into a key one if the Ecuadorian hadn’t been
shocking start of his team in the Belgian top there to force the turnover and stretch his long
division couldn’t be taken into account without leg to block a brilliantly executed pass.
his display in all nine games that he has started
and contributed to the team with his quality
skills.

This performance has gotten him called up to

the Ecuadorian national team for the first time,
two months before the World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
The evolution of Pacho has been very quick
and exciting. No one expected him to be the
starter alongside Toby Alderweireld this season, When defending his box, although the first-
producing in the manner that he has. division leaders aren’t constantly threatened in
these areas, because of their top and composed

DEFENSIVE SOLIDITY rest-defence, Pacho does a great job of keeping

out the chances the other sides try to create
against them. He has the intelligence to wait

P acho’s a very tough defender, physically and

mentally. At 6’1” tall, Pacho possesses all you
want in a defender when talking about physical
for precisely the next pass/cross and clear it
to a corner or out of the defence. Aerially, he
almost wins every duel; even if he’s pinned by
aptitudes. Mentally, his concentration is one of a striker and needs to be very strong, powerful
the keys to his game. He’s careful to cover his and smart to win it — it’s not a problem for him.
back, jump out of his line and make rigorous In him, Antwerp have a safe player that can be
actions to help his team out from the back. Also, so difficult to go and dribble past or drag out
he’s very committed and disciplined. He can go of his zone. He’s what strikers would call a very
and help his teammates when they are in a risky annoying defender to play against.
situation, but he makes it without a foul, timing
his attempts perfectly.

44
Above, we can see his penalty box awareness, In transitions from attack to defence, William’s
as his team was in a very threatened position, very committed to running back with all his
but he tracked back the movement of the wider strength and stamina. In every attacking corner-
player and positioned his body perfectly to wait kick, you can see Royal Antwerp man running
for the delivery, and send the ball for a corner- back to stop the counter-attack, and the
kick. Ecuadorian is the first to accelerate and stabilise
the defensive line, as he’s quite a pacey defender.
The key to this Royal Antwerp side is the Even in isolated plays, where opponents find the
collective way they move and cover everyone space to make these quick transitions, Pacho is
on the pitch. As a very mature character on the going to come back rapidly and help his team.
team, he ensures to cover for his teammates.
When a full-back advances into the attack, he
has the ability to go and cover the spaces left
open by them and clear out the threat. He’s not a
IN-POSSESSION
defender who waits and times runs or orientates
to tight spaces, but he makes decisions in a very W illiam Pacho, left-footed, has shown good
abilities and safety when he’s in possession
agile way and likes to win it back properly or of the ball. Royal Antwerp’s desire to build up
clear it all to the other side of the field. from the back isn’t that vertical when talking
about centre-backs. In fact, they want to attract
Forwards are always trying to run in behind the the opposition pressure with lots of passes
last line of the defence, and Pacho is extremely between Alderweireld and the Ecuadorian, to
attentive with these kinds of runs. It’s very difficult then progress the ball to the wing, with their full-
to catch the 20-year-old out with these kinds of backs to accumulate opponent players in these
runs because of his intelligence to recognize zones, and free spaces through the middle.
these types of situations. When a lofted ball is
sent by the rival team, and a forward is making So when Pacho’s on the ball, it’s almost automatic.
the run, he’s already in a better position, ready His movements are the same in every build-
to steal the ball and make the right decision. up phase; he waits patiently for the first line
of pressure to come, before then turning and
Below, we see an example of what he offers passing it to the left-back, who almost every time
when playing against a high block. The ball is is a little bit closer to him on the build-up, as
delivered from the back, the forward is looking he joins to make a back-three. This shows that
for the long ball in a wide position, Pacho has the Ecuadorian is a very diligent player within
recognized his opponent, and comes back to the tactics of his manager. If Mark Van Bommel
defend with impressive pace, arriving first with wants these moments to be like that, and not risk
space and time to safely pass the ball back to line-breaking passes from the back through the
the goalkeeper. middle, he hears it and does it as the manager

45
wants it. Below, we can see these lateral passes to dribble past an opponent and escape these
that offer progression to the team in the build-up. situations alone. He does not have this skillset
in his playing style, but still, he solves these
tough moments with simple and good passing
decisions, aiming to give it to the closest free
teammate.

Below we see two pictures, where in both actions

he’s solving high-pressure moments. The first
one was a 1v1 battle, where the striker pulled
the trigger and went full speed to try and steal
You can also confirm this tactical intelligence the ball from him. Pacho passed to his left-back,
and maturity from Pacho by reviewing his stats which was a sensible choice. Then you can see
from past years in Ecuador or in the CONMEBOL him receiving a back pass, also from his left-
Libertadores, where the difference is very wide: back, making a turn, feinting to go to the right
this season, he is registering 4.21 passes to before going to the left and, once again, finding
the final third per 90, while In South-American his full-back.
competitions, he recorded 8.05 passes to the
final third per 90 — almost doubling the stat.
Therefore, Pacho can be a top player to speed
up build-ups in direct attacking teams, or in
possession-based sides that like to attract and
break through the middle. However, of course,
you’ve got to do what the coach asks of you.

The picture above illustrates to perfection what

is he capable of: a clinical pass from the back As also requested by Van Bommel, he doesn’t
to find his winger, that has seen the free space, make progressive runs to help his team beat
ready to receive, turn and transform the calm the pressure. This is another risky situation
and patient possession to attack. avoided by the Dutch coach, but an ability that
Pacho demonstrated back in Ecuador. Again,
Under pressure, he shows some very relaxed if you review his metrics, he’s registering 0.28
body language and always finds the best option progressive runs per 90 this campaign, but taking
to escape from attackers. He frees the ball a look at his stats from when he was playing in
very quickly from his feet, as he doesn’t show South America, it’s an astonishing difference —
a tendency to do long retentions with the ball. 1.91 per 90.
Pacho’s not the kind of centre-back that is going

46
 Below, we see another example. The Ecuadorian

WEAKNESSES has been dragged out of his line by the attacker,

tries to orientate him out but finds a pass to the
middle. He then goes there and tries a tackle

P acho’s a very solid defender, good in the air, before being ultimately beaten and taken to the
committed and mature for his age. Also, a floor.
safe option in possession and even could be
a great player in a more vertical team when
playing out from the back, but he has areas to
get better, as every player has.

Defending could be tough to find weaknesses

in his game, and it really is. Because he does
everything with incredible precision and
discipline which could see him occasionally In possession, he needs to add another
make a perfect game, without mistakes that automatism to escape the pressure. As
could compromise his team. mentioned before, he doesn’t dribble that
much and doesn’t find new angles in his passing
Even so, William has to start making better because of this. When the rival cavalry arrives, he
tackles. When strikers pin him outside his line, automatically passes the ball to a teammate. In
they easily defeat him because he doesn’t try to the future, his game is going to be well-known,
tackle them. It seems like he doesn’t do it for and he could start making mistakes with these
fear of making a mistake or a foul. Sometimes, passes.
you can see him also going out wide, making a
slide tackle and failing to hit the target. Fouls
could start coming if he doesn’t time them well
and constantly take these decisions to either
CONCLUSION
not do it or do it in a situation where it wasn’t
necessary. W illiam Pacho is a promising player that
could be on his way to a big move in the
following years, given the strengths of his game.
Teams from the top five leagues in Europe very
much admire a player that can be imposing in the
attack, while then being sensitive and rigorous
in the elaboration of the game. Jhon Lucumí,
Genk’s latest sale, was this kind of player. A
RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

tall, strong and powerful defender that has the

ability to take the ball and help his team out
from the back, while also possessing the ability
In the picture above, Pacho tried to stop the and pace to play in a high line. Antwerp has a
striker from Cercle Brugge by making a slide very interesting player on their hands, who can
tackle, but he missed, and the forward ended up help them pose a serious challenge to become
getting into a good position after this moment, champions of Belgium, and who will develop,
making a cross to the box that, luckily for William, individually, over the course of this season.
wasn’t that threatening.

47
TETÊ:

WHY HIS LOAN SPELL AT LYON HAS BEEN A SUCCESS

CAIO MIGUEL // @osegundovolante

48
I n an effort to assist those affected by the
Russia-Ukraine conflict, FIFA introduced various
transfer policies to facilitate the movement
Though the Brazilian does not provide much
positional versatility, he is extremely adaptable
and flexible as it pertains to roles. Through
of players in those areas. Shakhtar Donetsk, different managers, he has displayed the ability
who had a significant number of international to adapt and perform under distinct tactical
players, were one of the most affected teams. setups.
With numerous promising players, their squad
slowly fell apart throughout the year. As a result
of Shakhtar’s regular appearances in the UEFA
Champions League each year, the demand for
these players was significant.

Some of these deals were loans, such as Vinícius

Tobías to La Liga’s Real Madrid and Manor
Solomon to Premier League’s Fulham, while
others were permanent such as Dodô and
Marcos Antônio’s respective moves to Italy’s
Serie A. The most notable transfer, however, was
in France.

Mateus Cardoso, also known as Tetê, is grabbing

all the headlines while on loan with Lyon. The
22-year-old made 108 appearances during
his time in Ukraine — 19 of them being in the
Champions League. For the French side, the
Brazilian has already made 19 appearances.

This scout report, in the form of a combined

data and tactical analysis, will examine Tetê’s
positioning, strength, and characteristics. Overall,
this analysis aims to identify why the Brazilian
winger has been so impressive in Ligue 1.

POSITIONING Additionally, his heatmap above highlights his

involvement in multiple phases. While he is

T hroughout his career, Tetê’s positioning

has been fairly consistent; the left-footed
22-year-old plays on the right wing. In both Lyon
obviously heavily involved in the final third, Tetê
also drops in the middle and initial third to help
in progression and build-up. As we will see in
and Shakhtat’s tactics, he has been mostly used this analysis, Tetê is very dynamic and, during his
as an inverted winger, with the role of driving time with Shakhtar, developed into a complete
inside after initially providing width. Under and intelligent player.
Roberto De Zerbi, however, Tetê would also
feature as an inside forward, positioning himself This dynamic involvement can be further
in the half-space instead. illustrated by looking at his combinations in

49
OL’s 4-1 win over Troyes. As seen in the image In Ligue 1 alone, he is averaging 41.36 passes
below, Tetê has balanced combinations with per 90 with an 83.45% completion rate. Of
multiple teammates. While he is able to link with these 41.36 passes, 7.27 (78.43%) are forward,
the right-back, Malo Gusto, he also regularly 11.41 (96.25%) are back, and 15.55 (76.15%) are
connects with midfielders and centre-forwards. lateral. While his completion percentages are
not necessarily high, a lot of these passes are
creative, taking the risk to progress forward or
create chances.

His pass map in the 2022/23 season further

illustrates his passing profile. A few are in his
own half, demonstrating his ability to drop deep
and assist in the build-up. However, the majority
are from the right wing, with a balance between
the wing channel and the half-space. Overall,

PASSING the location and range of his passing vary.

W hile Tetê has notable characteristics that

make him an extremely important piece
in possession, his output is what stands out the
most. In Ligue 1, the 22-year-old has averaged
0.43 goals per 90 along with 0.57 assists per 90.
His movement and finishing are excellent, as we
will see in the next section. However, his passing
is his most notable strength.

Whether in early possession phases or in the final

third, the Brazilian is able to get heavily involved
through his passing ability. Being developed
at clubs that tend to value possession, with
Lyon averaging 58.6% this season, Tetê has
significantly improved this aspect of his game in
recent years.

In the 2020/21 campaign, the former Grêmio

player averaged 0.16 assists per 90 and 34.45
passes per 90. Contrastingly, this season, he
is averaging 0.36 assists per 90 and 40.24
passes per 90. While multiple factors have also
influenced this growth, he has undoubtedly
improved his passing ability.

A further dive into his metrics allows us to gain

a better understanding of his passing profile.

50
In the final third, Tetê demonstrates an impressive tend to sit deep and limit the space, this ability
awareness and vision of the environment around to deliver quality passes to difficult places is
him. He is able to constantly find his teammates extremely valuable.
in very dangerous positions, regardless of how
difficult it may be. In the instance below, from
the half-space just outside the box, he plays a
soft chip in between the defenders to leave his
teammate in front of the goal.

FINISHING
In another instance, he displays a similar vision. In
a transition scenario, where chaos is maximised,
I n addition to creating chances for his teammates,
Tetê is also able to create for himself. Through
intelligent movement and positioning, he often
Tetê is able to remain composed and conscious. enjoys high-quality opportunities. His finishing
As he enters the final third, Tetê makes a very ability is very impressive, but his ability to
smart decision. Rather than making a premature intelligently position himself and create space in
pass, he holds on to the ball and dribbles inwards tight areas is what makes him such a threat.
as he penetrates the final third. This drags the
defender inside and creates a channel for his In this season’s Ligue 1, Tetê has scored 0.57
teammate to run into. Disguising his intentions, goals per 90. Unsurprisingly, his xG per 90 is not
he delivers a perfectly weighted through pass far behind at 0.39. Consequently, this output
for his teammate to score. has a good foundation and should be expected
to continue. His seamless transition to French
football, where the environment is much more
competitive and difficult, is also notable. Overall,
in his whole career, Tetê has scored 0.4 goals per
90 from 0.38 xG per 90.

His xG map further illustrates this goalscoring

ability. From 73 shots, he has averaged an xG
per shot of 0.14. This figure is relatively high and
In addition to being able to deliver in chaotic further highlights his ability to find himself in
transition scenarios, he has also demonstrated extremely high-quality chances. Despite playing
the ability to break down low blocks. With on the right wing, he is able to drift inside and
similar creative and intelligent passes, he is finish chances in optimal areas.
able to find teammates in dangerous positions
and create high-quality chances. In the instance
below, he plays a long ball over the top to find
his teammate on the far post. Against teams that

51
 While his movement and positioning are
significant factors in his goalscoring output,
his finishing ability cannot be underrated. The
22-year-old is also able to finish much more
difficult chances. In the example below, he finds
the bottom left corner with a curved shot.

This movement can be further illustrated in the

example below. Tetê significantly drifts inside
and positions himself in between the centre-
backs. As Shakhtar progress into the final third, he
moves into the defender’s blind spot and makes
an intelligent run into the space behind. Despite
being a winger, he is able to not only position
DRIBBLING
himself in central areas but also effectively move
throughout the defensive organisation. In addition to the weapons identified above,
Tetê, as a traditional Brazilian winger, has an
incredible dribbling ability. At 175cm, with a
low centre of gravity, his quick movement and
acceleration enhance his flair and skill. During his
career, the Brazilian has averaged 7.66 dribbles
per 90 with a 55.1% success rate. In addition
to quick dribbles, he also has 3.42 progressive
runs, highlighting his ability to burst and drive
into large areas of space.

In another instance, he similarly creates a When looking at his winger actions, there is a
high-quality chance for himself through his healthy balance between dribbles and crosses.
movement. Shakhtar have three players as they At any rate, the map below identifies some
try to create on the right wing. In order to stretch patterns in his behaviour on the wing.
the opposition and create space, he moves into
the box. Behind the defenders, he moves into a
passing lane and receives the ball before scoring
Shakhtar’s second goal.

52
 Finally, his penetrating carries map allows us to
see how often he is able to enter the box with
Though it is a short sample size, we are able to the ball. It is notable how some of these carries
have a further look at his dribbling behaviour in begin deep into the half, highlighting his ability
possession. It is not as frequent at Lyon, with him to cover large distances with tight control and
only averaging 5.42 dribbles per 90 this season. great speed.
Nonetheless, it is still a resource he frequently
resorts to. In his own half, he performs more
dribbles, especially since the space tends to
be smaller. Further up the pitch, he performs
progressive runs quite often to drive into space
and create opportunities. Additionally, the
majority of these are inwards, cutting inside
from the wing.

53
 CONCLUSION
W ith a current market value of £25.20M, Tetê
is quickly rising to the elite of European
football. With an extremely well-rounded profile,
he is a dangerous and creative winger. In addition
to playing an important role in progression, his
output in the final third is excellent. It will be
interesting to see how the Lyon deal works out,
as he is still on loan. Regardless, it will not be
long before Europe’s elite is going all out for the
Brazilian star.
RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

54
UDINESE:

ENJOYING THEIR ROARING START TO SERIE A

CHRIS WINTER // @ChrisW_D

55
U dinese have enjoyed their best start to a Serie
A season. The Bianconeri have won their last
five games — a run of fixtures that includes two
As a team, Udinese is aggressive in their pursuit
of the ball. Once they win the ball, they look to
hit the opposition with quick transitions, and
impressive victories over Inter Milan and Roma. they look to attack through the wide areas.
They are currently lying third in the league and
are the most in-form team in Serie A. Although the 3-5-2 tactic is considered a primarily
defensive system, the 3-5-2 formation that Sottil
New boss Andrea Sottil — the father of current has implemented is proving to be effective for
Fiorentina winger Riccardo Sottil — took charge Udinese at the other end of the pitch as they
of the team in the summer after leaving Ascoli have the joint best attack in Serie A, in terms of
by mutual consent. Sottil guided the Picchi to goals scored.
the Serie B playoffs last season.
The 3-5-2 formation provides both good
The Stadio Friuli will be familiar territory for attacking and defensive balance. The formation
Sottil as he played for the club as a defender gives up the wide areas by keeping a numerical
from 1999 to 2003, making 87 appearances. advantage right through the centre of the pitch
as Udinese does with the centre backs, the
In recent times, Udinese have recruited well. centre midfielders and two centre forwards. So,
With signings such as Gerard Deulofeu, Roberto the team can keep it balanced at both ends
Pereyra, Ilija Nestorovski and youngsters Beto, as they transition fully between attacking in
Lazar Samardžić, and Becao they have a good numbers and defending in numbers if the system
mix of experience and youth that will help them is applied correctly.
challenge for the European qualification spots.

This article will be a tactical analysis of the tactics

that Andrea Sottil has implemented at Udinese
ATTACKING STAGES
this season, and the role they have played in
pushing the club towards the top end of the
Serie A table.
T his season, Udinese have favoured a
defence-first and then counter-attacking
approach under their new manager. They have
been happy to go through a period of the

FORMATION game without possession, and then only look to

regain it when their opponents are vulnerable
presenting a greater opportunity to attack.

In the seven games played so far, Sottil has set

Udinese up in a 3-5-2 formation. Apart from a The amount of possession they have averaged
period in the match against Sassuolo, the 3-5-2 so far this season reflects that. The chart below
formation has been used all the time. shows Udinese have only averaged 44.7%
possession in their games which is the fifth-
lowest in Serie A.

56
 When they play out through the defence, they
Udinese does not refrain from keeping work the ball out wide, and they tend to play
possession when the opportunity arises. It is just out through the right-hand side more. The three
that Sottil’s tactics require them to be quick and central defenders shift across to allow the wing
decisive in transition, therefore it brings a greater back to push higher up the pitch.
risk of losing possession When they do hold
possession their attacking style is varied and is The structure they follow enables them to
not specific to a certain type of attack, they will overload the right-hand side, this pulls Roma’s
go long, sometimes they will retain possession players towards the ball. This build-up phase
and build their attacks. The one common trait of acts as a decoy because once Udinese get into
their attacking approach is they like to get the the position they are in below, they then look to
ball in the attacking third quickly. switch the ball to the left-hand side.

BUILD-UP PHASE
T he same tactics apply during the build-
up phase. Udinese alternate between
two separate ways of building up. Sometimes
they will go long directly from the goalkeeper
and sometimes they will play out through the The overload drags Roma away from their
defence. defensive shape and over to that side of the
pitch, leaving more space on the left.
Both build-up styles bring a common trait.
Whether it be long or through the defence, they
focus on playing through the wide areas. Beto
is the aim for the long ball, and he positions
MIDDLE THIRD
himself in the wide channel and becomes the
focal point. The aim of this is to get the team
higher up the pitch.
T he nature of Udinese’s tactics under Andrea
Sottil means they do not spend too much
time attacking from the middle third. This is
because they do not look to retain possession in
this area of the pitch.

Instead, this part of the pitch acts as a starting

point in Udinese’s attacking transition. In
possession, Udinese will play passes into space
for players to run onto and attack. Once the ball

57
is played into the middle third the movement
from this area is crucial to how Udinese succeed
in the attacking third.

This example below shows Roberto Pereyra as

the ball carrier as Udinese build down the right,
look at the movement from the two forward
players and two of the centre midfielders.
Immediately focused on attacking the space in The example shows the Udinese attacking shape
Roma’s half. as they enter the attacking third. The wing-backs
joining the attacking line and playing as high
as they do is fundamental to the attack even if
they just function as a decoy. It allows Udinese
to overload the opposition defensive line and
stops the defence from sitting in a compact
shape as it stretches them laterally.

Overall Udinese attacking efficiency has been

positive before this first international break. The

ATTACKING THIRD first seven games of the season have seen them
score fifteen goals which is the joint highest
amount with Napoli, they are averaging 1.97

U dinese’s attacking play in the final third is goals per 90 minutes which is the highest in
coy and more structured compared to their Serie A, just ahead of Napoli who are averaging
other phases of play. When they attack the 1.96 goals per 90.
opposition’s penalty area, they attack with good
rotation and movement, and they show more What might concern Andrea Sottil moving
patience in possession forward will be the expected goals ratio Udinese
are achieving. Although they have scored fifteen
Beto plays as the focal point that the other plays goals, their xG is only 9.59. This means they
will rotate their position around him, and he will have scored more than they should have based
hold his position centrally. Gerard Deulofeu, on the quality of chance they are creating.
who plays as a centre forward alongside Beto,
will move from the attacking line and roam
around the attacking third, he has been key to
how Udinese attack this season. His movement
between the lines in the image below enables
Walace and Tolgay Arslan to make runs into the
space he vacates. This type of movement is hard
to defend as it happens in a split second the
centre-backs will momentarily forget what space
to cover.

58
 Udinese have the fourth-lowest challenge

DEFENSIVE STAGES intensity in Serie A this season and allow the

opposition the seventh-highest number of passes
to be made before engaging them in a press.

T he reason Sottil has started the season

playing the 3-5-2 formation is for defensive
solidity when they are out of possession. The
Rather than pressing the opposition, Sottil wants
Udinese to retain their defensive shape and not
3-5-2 formation transitions to a 5-3-2 defensive actively engage in winning the ball back until
shape when playing against the ball. This allows the right moment.
Udinese to be difficult to break down as the
defensive shape naturally allows them to protect
the pitch centrally and force the opposition out
wide.
LOW BLOCK
Udinese allows their opponents to have the ball, B ecause Le Zebrette keeps their defensive
shape, their defensive block can change
but they try and control the space the opposition situationally throughout a match. As they will
can pass to by forcing them into certain areas look to keep minimal space between each
before attempting to win the ball back. position both vertically and laterally, they move
as one defensive unit.
Rather than pressing the opposition in pursuit of
the ball, Udinese’s defensive tactics are to block The image below shows how they defend in a
the passing lanes that surround the ball carrier low block. A defensive 5-3-2 shape with each
and close the space in front of the ball carrier. central midfielder man to man with a Roma
player in midfield. Udinese will still put pressure
The data analysis below measures the number on the ball as Gerard Deulofeu is, but his run to
of passes that Udinese allows their opponents block the passing lane into Bryan Cristante.
to make before performing a defensive action
(PPDA), against how many duels tackles and
interceptions they make per minute of their
opponent’s possession (challenge intensity).
This data shows us how active Udinese are in
the pursuit of the ball.

As you can see, Roma’s centre-back Ibañez

cannot make that pass into Cristante because of
Udinese’s defensive positioning.

Udinese’s shift through each defensive block

is triggered when the other team passes the
ball back into their own defence. Which usually
comes from the ball being played into the wide
channels. This is when Udinese press with the
intent of winning the ball

59
 So, Udinese looks to apply a man-to-man

MID-BLOCK pressing system and control the space. This

example shows how the team from Friuli-Venezia
Giulia box Roma into a specific area, the only way

W hen they move into a mid-defensive block José Mourinho’s men get out in this situation is
in the middle third of the pitch, their by playing a long or conceding possession
defensive shape changes from a 5-3-2 to a 5-2-
3. The same defensive method applies; it is just They have shifted over to the left to condense
that one of the central midfielders will move to the space horizontally and pushed right in to
the right or left of the attacking line. close the space vertically.

This enables the two centre-forwards to stay

central and keep the shape. They still aim to cut
the passing option off into midfield as they do
above only now because they moved higher up
CONCLUSION
the pitch. It is at this point Udinese start to try
and funnel the play and force the opposition
into a specific area.
T his is a tactical analysis in the form of a scout
report that focuses on Udinese’s tactics this
season, and what impact they have had on their
positive start. We have covered each phase of
Udinese’s preferable defensive block this season play both in and out of possession and have
would be a mid-block, which enables the team provided data analysis to help give another layer
extra space for the attacking transition when to the tactics that Andrea Sottil has implemented
possession is won and if they are successful in since taking control this summer.
forcing the play backwards instead of winning it,
it forces them back into their half.

HIGH BLOCK
RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

T he image below shows how Udinese defend

high up the pitch. When they defend high
up the pitch, the system is deployed with one
player pressing the space in front of the ball-
carrier set-up, only this time, the 5-2-3 or 5-3-
2 defensive formation is dependent on the
number of players the opposition has during
their build-up.

60
DATA VIZ SERIE A 2022/23:
STANISLAV LOBOTKA’S IMPRESSIVE START TO THE SEASON
VENKATANARAYANAN VENKATESAN // @VenkyReddevil

N apoli have had an excellent start to the season so far. They are unbeaten in all competitions
sitting top of the Serie A table as well as their Champions League group. We have seen some
excellent individual performances that have helped Napoli to be in a position of dominance in most
of their games so far. One player who has stood so far with his performances is midfielder Stanislav
Lobotka. The defensive midfielder signed from Celta Vigo in the summer of 2019 is currently in his
fourth season for Napoli. The midfielder had an injury ridden 2020/21 season, but he seems to have
started this season well and has already played for more minutes in the league this season than last
season.The following visualisation shows where Stanislav Lobotka ranks for some of the key metrics
when compared with other Serie A midfielders from the season so far.

27-year-old Lobotka’s biggest strength seems to be his passing ability. The midfielder ranks
96th percentile for Received passes per 90 minutes. This shows that he participates in his team’s
building up of an attack. He ranks 87th percentile for Passes to the final third and 60th percentile for
Progressive passes per 90 minutes. This allows him to regularly create chances for his teammates,
putting him 64th percentile for Key Passes per 90 minutes.

Defensively, he is not as aggressive as one would expect a defensive midfielder to be, ranking only
40th percentile for PAdj. Sliding tackles. His awareness is an aspect of his game that might have
to improve as he ranks a lowly 49th percentile for PAdj. Interceptions per 90 minutes. He is not
hesitant to make those late runs to the box as he ranks 69th percentile for Progressive runs per 90

61
minutes. He ranks 79th percentile for Goals per 90 minutes and assists per 90 minutes. However, he
doesn’t rank very high for the Expected Goals (xG) & Expected Assists (xA) per 90 minutes.

Stanislav Lobotka has grown to be a very important player for Napoli gradually over the last couple
of years or so but injuries have not helped him to establish a consistent run of performances.
Lobotka will be looking to become a regular in that Napoli side and help them push for trophies
this season. He has started the season so well and will want to continue his performances in the
coming months.

62
63
ÓSCAR GARCÍA:

EXPLORING THE CRUYFF-INSPIRED COACH’S NON-NEGOTIABLE PHILOSOPHY

FINTAN O’REILLY // @FintanFootball

64
W hen Johan Cruyff became Barcelona’s
manager in 1988, he spearheaded a
revolution at the Catalan club in several ways,
Another lesson García learned from ‘El Salvador’
during his time playing under the visionary
coach at Barcelona was, in his words from a
none more significant than his impact on the recent interview with The Guardian: “you can
club’s famed ‘La Masia’ youth academy. change a lot of things but you can’t change the
philosophy.”
Cruyff’s vision for La Masia, from his intent to
use the club’s youth system extensively to his In that same interview, García shed some light on
demands on what kinds of players would be his managerial philosophy, explaining: “I like to
recruited to the academy altered La Blaugrana’s develop players while being really competitive”
history, acting as a key catalyst for their evolution while discussing his open approach to using
into the club we recognise today with their players from Reims’ youth academy before
distinct style of play and, concurrently, the types going on to elucidate that, for him, the specific
of players that have become legends at Camp system of play “always depends on your squad”
Nou, from Pep Guardiola to Xavi, Andrés Iniesta and “only the players know how we are going
and, of course, Lionel Messi. to play”.

At 182cm tall, Óscar García is a La Masia graduate So, the former Brighton & Hove Albion, Watford,
who advanced to Barca’s first team during the Saint-Étienne, Olympiacos and Red Bull
Cruyff era and would’ve still made the cut with Salzburg (among others, again, at just 49 years
the minimum height limit prior to the Cruyff-led of age) coach evidently believes in sticking to a
academy overhaul. clear philosophy but not one concerning style
of play or systems, rather one that emphasizes
However, it’s evident that the now-49-year-old the existence of a clear pathway from academy
manager learned a key lesson from the Dutch to first team and relies heavily on youth players
legend whom he played under, which was while “being really competitive”.
the importance of the coach stamping their
authority on the club’s youth academy and It’s, of course, difficult to achieve maximum
ensuring this natural resource is used exactly as success with inexperienced players yet to reach
they want, to supplement their work with the their prime. Still, young players have benefits
first team. too, with Sir Alex Ferguson famously relying on
youth throughout his decorated Manchester
After García took charge of Ligue 1 Reims, the United tenure. It’s been said that Ferguson
Sabadell-born coach directed an overhaul of his valued the fearlessness that often came with
new club’s youth system and shoved Les Rouges youth and perhaps this, along with the increased
et Blancs into an era in which they present a opportunity to mould a player in his image and
clear pathway from academy to first team which, help them grow into a greater asset, is something
last season, saw Hugo Ekitiké rise to stardom, García values too.
leading to a significant sale to PSG where he now
calls himself a teammate of the aforementioned In any event, García guided a Reims side that
Messi, resulting in a healthy windfall for Reims in boasted the youngest average age (24.2) in
the process — highlighting one potential benefit France’s top flight last season to a respectable
of this academy-reliant approach to managing 12th-place finish while developing Ekitiké
the first team. from an unknown into one of France’s hottest
commodities last term — not a bad first season

65
at Stade Auguste-Delaune. Reims still have the opponent really has time to organise themselves
youngest squad in Ligue 1 this season (23.7) in a settled defensive shape.
and sit in 16th place on the table, at the time of
writing.

So, how is García attempting to make his non-

negotiable philosophy work at the Ligue 1 side?
This tactical analysis piece aims to provide some
insight into the 49-year-old’s tactics at Reims via
analysis of his team’s performance this season
so far and over the entirety of the previous It’s common to see Reims go long directly from
campaign. We’ll look at some key tactical a goal-kick, aiming for one of their forwards or
components of the Catalan coach’s Reims side even the number ‘10’ if they’re utilising one at
to highlight what he’s doing to get the absolute that time, with García having primarily utilised a
most out of his young team. 3-4-1-2 shape this term, but also having regularly
used a 3-4-3 and 3-5-2 over the last calendar

VERTICALITY year.

IN POSSESSION Les Rouges et Blancs don’t have a forward who

provides a significant aerial presence but they
do operate with a structure designed to pounce

D espite the major Cruyff influence, García’s

team is not heavily possession-based in
the slightest. In fact, Reims ended last season
on the second balls resulting from these aerial
duels after the goal-kicks, as we see in figure 1.
Two midfielders position themselves close to the
with the second-lowest average possession aerial duel, ready to jump on the second ball,
percentage (42.9%) in Ligue 1, while they’ve should the ball bounce in their area.
currently got the lowest average possession
percentage (38.7%) this term. Organisation, spatial awareness, pace, power
and work rate are all key components for the
Reims also ended last season with the lowest players to possess in such situations in order
passing rate (13.2 passes per minute of to emerge from the ensuing duel with the ball
possession) in Ligue 1, while they’ve currently in their feet. Reims’ midfielders must possess
got the second-lowest passing rate (13.1 passes these traits and attributes in this team given
per minute of possession) in France’s top-flight the importance of winning second balls to their
for 2022/23. team’s offensive game.

García’s side is extremely comfortable playing

very direct and vertical in possession, with
Reims often aiming to get the ball upfield
quickly, either finding a player in space who
can take the ball down, turn, drive forward and
link up with an attacking teammate or winning
the second ball after sending it long upfield —
with both situations designed to quickly put the We’ve already concluded that García’s Reims
opposition’s backline under pressure before the side is not a heavily possession-based team and

66
this is evident from observing their build-up play. number ‘10’ position’s movement behind the
As García has said, the players at hand ultimately opposition’s midfield line in figure 3.
dictate his team’s style of play, and Reims’
defenders/goalkeeper are not comfortable
enough with the ball at their feet to play a high-
risk game out of the back.

Even with the limited amount of time they’ve

spent with the ball at their feet passing around
in deeper areas, they’ve been caught out and
put under serious pressure via a high transition
following an error in possession; this is clearly Then, moving on to figure 4, we see that the
not an area in which this team excels. attacker did well to control the ball, turn and lay
it off to Junya Ito in the right-sided second-striker
However, they do still attempt to draw some role he’s primarily performed this term, while his
pressure from the opposition at times in order strike partner on the left tries to provide him with
to create extra space further upfield for the a passing option by targeting the space behind
goalkeeper or centre-backs to find an advanced the opposition’s backline with their probing run.
teammate in space.
This is a typical example of how we see Reims’
This kind of play will typically not see Reims’ attacks form and their attacking trio set up in
deep-lying players perform a plethora of passes terms of positions and roles this term; expect to
but given that they’re often targeted with see García’s side trying to get the ball forward
aggressive pressure due to the knowledge of quickly, find a way to create some link-up
their unsuitability for ball-playing tactics, they between the front three and aim to create a quick
do, at times, try to get away with playing some overload versus the opposition’s unprepared
safe passes around the back, drawing the press backline following the extremely quick vertical
and thus creating space further upfield before progression.
then launching the ball forward, targeting a
player in space.

We can see an example of this in figures 2-4,

with figure 2 above showing Reims drawing the
opposition’s aggressive press to create space
behind the pressing players.

Reims don’t focus too much on accurate long

balls out from the back right into a teammate’s
feet, even if the previous passage of play
showed an example of the ‘keeper performing
a pinpoint ball to find the ‘10’ in between the
lines. If the accurate ball is on, they may well go
We see that the ‘keeper’s long ball was well for it but the main focus is often on just drawing
placed to meet his dropping teammate in the the opposition press upfield and getting the ball

67
sent forward to an area in which they have players
ready to put the opposition under pressure.

This, of course, still requires passing accuracy

REIMS’ PRESSING
but less so than when aiming to find a teammate.
Figure 5 shows an example of one passage of
play in which Reims pulled off this long ball from
G arcía’s side ended last season with the
eighth-highest PPDA in Ligue 1 (13.49),
while they’ve currently got the ninth-highest
the back, launching the ball to an opposition PPDA in France’s top flight for 2022/23 (12.08).
player surrounded by Reims shirts pressing Les Rouges et Blancs evidently aren’t the most
aggressively. aggressive team in France without the ball, just
about falling on the more passive side of things
While the first tackler fails to dispossess the in terms of PPDA for the last two campaigns.
opposition man, he does well enough to force
the opposition ball carrier into a 50/50 duel with Their focus when defending is not on winning
another Les Rouges et Blancs man who had the ball as closely as possible to the opposition’s
followed the initial press closely. This next player goal or winning it back as quickly as possible
was successful in dispossessing the opposition through super aggressive pressing. Reims
ball carrier and ultimately ended up driving play with a very organised defensive structure
forward with the ball, leading to a big overload that’s, yes, designed to win the ball back high
over the opposition’s defence for García’s side. and create counterattacking opportunities from
dangerous positions for Les Rouges et Blancs,
Again, this is exactly how García’s team wants to but that’s also designed to lure the opposition
attack — getting the ball forward quickly, either into certain positions before getting aggressive
finding a teammate in space, dispossessing with their pressure in specific zones where
an opposition player via aggressive pressure García’s men have prepared to do so.
or winning the second ball resulting from the
initial direct play and quickly forcing an overload García’s side typically defend zonally, in a position-
versus the opposition’s unprepared backline. oriented manner. The strikers will orientate
themselves in relation to the ball at times, while the
Reims can surprise the opposition defence midfielders/wing-backs may move towards players
via attacks like this that hinge upon defensive who enter space in their designated zones but the
organisation, spatial awareness and system is largely very disciplined and organised in
compactness, along with certain physical traits a position-oriented zonal marking style.
and a good defensive work rate.
Occasionally, the centre-backs may get drawn
Technical skill on the ball is important in any into high duels as well, but generally, they tend
team and particularly comes to the fore for to avoid engaging high, remaining the most
Reims when they get the ball to the front three disciplined of all within this squad and typically
and those players look to link up with one only running out to engage if Reims are in
another. However, these aforementioned traits serious trouble when defending a counterattack,
are more evident during the earlier stages of which can happen if the opposition breaks
Reims’ vertical, direct attacking tactics — they beyond their rest defence structure, particularly
rely heavily on their skills and tactics without the the midfield line which is generally comprised of
ball rather than with the ball. the two central midfielders and two wing-backs
when defending transitions.

68
Reims set specific pressing traps to lure the We see another example of Reims’ press working
opposition into an area in which they feel exactly as described above in figure 7. The
comfortable aggressively closing down the ball big difference here is that Reims can be seen
carrier. They tend to press from out to in from operating in a mid-block rather than the high-
the front, aiming to force the opposition to play block they went with in figure 6.
centrally.
García’s side like to play in the mid-block,
After the ball is forced forward to the midfield drawing the opposition out a bit before forcing
line centrally, Reims’ press goes from quite the central pass and creating the opportunity to
passive to very aggressive as they look to close transition. This allows more space to form behind
in on the central receiver like the walls closing in the opposition’s backline for Reims’ attackers
on our heroes in a film thanks to a dastardly trap to target — and throughout his time at Stade
laid out by the villain. Auguste-Delaune, García has had a player in his
forward line in most games who loves to attack
Following this, Reims’ pressing players will either the space in behind, from Ekitiké last season to
look to engage the ball carrier in a defensive on-loan Arsenal man Folarin Balogun this term.
duel to dispossess them or, even better as it
avoids the Reims players from even having to So, the organised pressing structure described
get their shorts dirty, their pressure will force theearlier and central pressing traps seen in figures
opposition player into an error which they can 6 and 7 are key elements of García’s defensive
capitalise on. We see an example of the latter tactics in that they prevent the opposition from
result, as well as the other steps in this process building out from the back comfortably but also
in figure 6. the 49-year-old’s offensive tactics in that they
can force high turnovers that then lead to great
Note that Reims don’t tend to apply a great deal counterattacking opportunities for Les Rouges
of pressure to the opposition’s backline and are et Blancs from threatening positions.
typically happy to give these players space and
time to pick out a pass, but they will look to block
off passes to the wings and press from out to in, BUILD-UP AND BALL
in order to influence this player to pass through
the centre, triggering Les Rouges et Blancs’
press to really start as figure 6 demonstrates.
PROGRESSION
So, we’ve already established that García’s side
is not a heavily possession-based one and
often tends to go long from goal-kicks with the
aim of winning second balls in midfield before
charging forward aggressively to try and put the

69
opposition defence on the back foot quickly by in the build-up phase but, again, Les Rouges et
creating an overload following the direct play. Blancs are not perfect in this phase and can still
be vulnerable to aggressive pressure.
However, Reims also sometimes start their
attacks with some quick, short passing plays from
the goal-kick to draw the opposition’s press high
upfield and create space behind those pressing
players that they can then target with their long
ball.

This can be risky for Reims as they don’t really

have many players in deep positions who are Reims typically retain this structure when moving
comfortable under pressure on the ball, but it’s further upfield into the ball progression phase,
a tactic that can pay off for them as we observed as we see in figure 9. The newly-formed back-
in the first section of our analysis. four remains intact while one midfielder remains
deepest, just behind the opposition’s first line of
pressure.

Their midfield trio will typically not sit alongside

each other on the same horizontal line to make
themselves more difficult to mark and help
create better passing angles for each other and
their other teammates, while it’s common to see
When playing short passes around the back in Reims’ forward duo stagger their positioning
this fashion, it’s common to see Reims shape up too, with Ito typically dropping deeper this term
as we see them in figure 8. Their back five shifts and his strike partner — in this case, Balogun —
to the right, with the right wing-back pushing remaining higher, threatening the space behind
high up the wing, right centre-back converting the opposition’s backline.
into a right-back, and the rest of the backline
shifting over until they’ve got the left wing- Again, this movement in opposite directions
back in a typical left-back position as figure 8 poses a significant threat to the opposition
demonstrates. defenders as it makes the players much more
difficult to mark and gives their teammates
Meanwhile, one of their midfielders will drop greater passing options.
deeper to provide a central passing option just
behind the opposition’s first line of pressure.
With this player coming under pressure from
behind himself in figure 8, he intelligently
WING PLAY
uses himself to just receive the ball and attract
pressure towards himself before laying the ball F or the final section of this tactical analysis
piece, we’re going to shine a light on Reims’
off to the right centre-back, who could then look wing play. Particularly in transition, it’s common
to get it forward. to see Reims targeting the opposition’s wings.
This may be a result of the fact that their
This is a typical structure to see Reims using opponents often leave the wings open when
when aiming to draw the opposition high upfield they attack and send their wing-backs/full-backs

70
 forward, creating space for Reims to target on for them to ultimately spend plenty of time in
the counter after regaining possession. those areas.

However, Reims make a clear, deliberate effort Driving forward in transition to attack space that’s
to target this space with great regularity through been left vacant on the wings is another way
movement from their wing-backs and in-to-out in which Reims can overload the opposition’s
runs from their forwards, all of whom are typically backline after quickly moving from one end
very comfortable operating in the wide areas. of the pitch to the other — a key goal of their
offensive play, as we discussed earlier in this
tactical analysis.

CONCLUSION
T
o conclude this tactical analysis of Óscar
García at Reims, the Cruyff-inspired coach
performed well with Ligue 1’s youngest side last
Take figures 10-11, for example. Just before season, finishing in a respectable position on
figure 10, Reims regained possession just inside the table and he’ll hope to guide Les Rouges et
their own half. After the ball carrier here gets Blancs to similar success if not even better this
into some space where he can get his head up term, even after the departure of Ekitiké to PSG.
and assess his forward passing options, he sees
the in-to-out run from Ito targeting the space García is a major believer in a clear pathway from
that the opposition have allowed to open up on academy to first team and evidently believes in
the wing for Les Rouges et Blancs to target. tactical flexibility from his own standpoint while
being open to moulding his tactics to suit the
available players.

At Reims, his young side’s tactical approach

sees them focusing on creating chances via
quick, direct attacks and vertical possession,
with a large portion of Les Rouges et Blancs’
goalscoring opportunities coming from
moments of transition or direct passing plays
As the play moves on into figure 11, we see that quickly overwhelm the opposition’s backline
RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

that the ball was drilled through for Ito to chase with unexpected urgency.
down the wing and carry it into the final third for
his side. Only time will tell if García can develop another
Ekitiké at Reims this season but it certainly
Reims’ intent to exploit this space on the wings appears as though the La Masia academy
in transition and their desire for their forwards to product has fostered an environment designed
perform in-to-out runs like this with regularity is to nurture his club’s natural academy resources
likely one key reason why García usually utilises and is providing them with every opportunity to
a forward duo comprised of players who are grow into something exciting in the Ligue 1 side.
very comfortable on the wings — the intent is

71
 CASPER WIDELL:

THE SWEDISH TEENAGER PLAYING CENTRE-BACK FOR HELSINGBORGS IF

JACK MANSHIP // @JManship19

72
F ollowing their promotion back to Sweden’s
top flight in the 2021 campaign, Helsingborgs
IF have struggled in 2022’s Allsvenskan. With
At 6’3”, Widell brings a physical and aerial
presence that lends itself nicely to any backline
he slots into. Naturally right-footed, Widell plays
just four wins from 23 leaving them in the drop as a right-sided centre-half in a back four, as we
zone, they find themselves a single point away can see from his heatmap below.
from the relegation play-offs, and seven points
adrift of total safety.

While things haven’t gone to plan as a

collective, there have been a couple of
players whose stock has risen as a result of
their individual performances, one of those
being Casper Widell — a 19-year-old central
defender who has appeared 16 times in the
league this year after impressing in his 15
appearances last year.

This scout report will provide an analysis of

Widell: his defensive capabilities (his 1v1
defending, anticipation, ability in duels, etc.) will
be assessed, along with his ability in possession,
particularly his passing. We will provide an
analysis of how he operates in Helsingborgs’
backline and his role in their tactics.

PLAYER PROFILE DEFENSIVE

C asper Widell came through the ranks
at Helsingborgs and is enjoying his first
DOMINANCE
full season in Sweden’s top division. With 38
total appearances for the club so far, he is fast
becoming an extremely important player; with
In some ways, Widell has the qualities of an old-
fashioned centre-half — aided by his tall but
thin frame. His defensive ability trumps his on-
relegation looming for Helsingborgs, Widell the-ball attributes, but his role in Helsingborgs’
may have to think about leaving the club if they tactics don’t require him to be anything special
do go down as sticking around to play in a lower in possession. This segment provides an analysis
division may hinder his development. of Widell’s defensive contributions.

His development so far has not gone unnoticed

as he has nine caps for Sweden’s U19 side, at the
time of writing. Being selected consistently at
that international level is a good indicator of his
development and the opinion of those running
things behind the scenes for Sweden.

73
 putting himself in harm’s way. A blocked xG
of 0.75 also suggests he has blocked shots of
quality and danger.

A key skill for any defender is the ability to read

the game and adjust themselves accordingly
to make an effective contribution. We can see
Widell demonstrating that in the analysis above,
and it came at a very important moment as
Helsingborgs’ right-back got himself involved in
the duel further up.

As the opposition midfielder lofted a ball into

the channel, Widell was forced to act quickly.
He did so, with good timing and composure,
shifting across to shut the space down and limit
the attacking opportunity for the opposition. Widell has an element of composure to his
Instead of diving in rashly, Widell stands off a game, as demonstrated above. After a loose
yard or so, which also allows him to keep tabs ball found its way into the Helsingborgs box,
on the attacking midfielder joining the attack. guarded by Widell, the opposition launched
The midfielder attempts a floated ball across thea two-man press which put immense pressure
box, but Widell’s positioning and height allowed on the young centre-back, but he handled it
him to deflect it away from danger via a header. well. Having defended the ball effectively, he
eventually found the pass to his teammate at
Blocking seems to be a skill of Widell’s and right-back, who was left unmarked thanks to the
not just with crosses. The visual below gives us second man joining the press.
an idea of how he gets himself in the way of
opposition shots. This pass not only relieved pressure on
Helsingborgs’ backline but presented an
opportunity for a transitional attack/move into
the midfield third. Credit should also go to
Widell for the accuracy of his pass under such
pressure — another display of his composure.

With 11 shots blocked so far in this season’s

Allsvenskan — four of those occurring inside the
box — he doesn’t appear to think twice when

74
Here, we see another example of Widell’s ability
to adjust his positioning with good timing to stifle
an attack. Caught on the break, Helsingborgs
had a tough task presented to them in stopping
this quick attack from the opposition. However,
as the pass was fired through to the opposition
forward who initially had some space ahead of The visual above gives us a clearer idea of his
him, Widell’s exceptional timing allowed him ability to leave his line and apply pressure,
to close the ball down and recover it, making it specifically in the opposition half — 13
look easy in the process. counterpressing recoveries highlight a real skill.
He has also made five high regains, recovering
the ball in the attacking third. Widell winning the
ball in these dangerous areas gives his team a
chance of breaking quickly.

A tendency in Widell’s game is to leave his

defensive line to apply unexpected pressure –
this occurs more in the opposition half, usually
when the risk is low if he loses out. The timing
of this move isn’t random either, he gauges He does, however, misjudge when to execute
when to pounce based on the positioning of his this type of press on a rare occasion, which
teammates. His height and strength give him obviously leaves the rest of his defensive unit
a great advantage in these kinds of duels, as slightly vulnerable, which can be seen in the
does the element of surprise. Another thing that image above.
triggers his press is the opponent receiving the
ball whilst still facing his own goal, sometimes With a high number of players committed
with the quality of the pass being poor. forward, there are no midfield players central
to immediately stop the counterattack. The
mistimed press allowed the opponent to control
the ball and play a pass to a teammate. This is
where he has to master the timing and execution
of this press to lower the risk of failing and being
vulnerable to a transitional attack.

75
One of his biggest weaknesses is a physical In most games, you will see a centre-back trying
element — his pace. It is understandable that, a hopeful punt forward as a long pass. Widell
given his height and build, he isn’t blessed with has demonstrated the vision to make more
pace, which can see him at risk in some situations productive long passes, as we see in the image
where pace is required. This also adds to the risk above. Widell identifies that there is significant
of leaving the backline to apply the press, which space in the centre circle with two teammates
is where his timing comes in handy. available for a pass and coolly executes a lofted
ball into that space. His long pass accuracy rate
Statistically, Widell doesn’t shine as much as stands at 39.4%, and this stat includes long
when you see him in action, but it still highlights passes while under extreme pressure and which
a need for improvement. One of the more are almost clearances.
concerning defensive areas is his aerial ability
overall. Despite being a tall, commanding figure
who often comes up best in aerial duels in his
own box, he has an overall win rate of 53.6%
aerial duels.

We mentioned his blocking ability earlier when

it came to defending opposition shots, which
links to his average of 6.8 interceptions per 90,
highlighting his ability to break up play, usually Widell has also shown the ability to play clever
in the defensive third. forward passes on the ground, as seen above.
While the obvious options for the next pass

PASSING RANGE would’ve been the right back or the goalkeeper,

Widell has shown the attacking determination to
progress the ball quickly when suitable. In the

M any centre-backs in the modern era are image above, he notices spaces between the
required to have a certain level of ability opposition midfield and plays a line-breaking
on the ball — the style depends on the club’s pass into an attacking midfield teammate who
tactics, some clubs need CBs who can carry is in plenty of space. The pass was played with a
the ball out of the backline and into midfield, good pace, making it easy for his teammate to
while others prefer defenders who have a good collect and progress.
passing range in their locker. This segment
analyses Widell’s ability to identify a pass and He averages 16.09 forward passes per 90 minutes
execute it accordingly to progress the ball with an accuracy of 63.4%, showing some
through the thirds. consistency in progressing the ball higher up
the pitch. Meanwhile, his overall pass accuracy
of 81.8% could use some work, though that will
come over the next couple of years, especially if
he stays in the top flight.

76
 CONCLUSION
It is often difficult to look good in a struggling
team, especially as a defender in a team
facing relegation, but Widell has put in some
performances of a smart defender with a bright
future ahead of him.

As mentioned, he needs another season or

two and some fine-tuning in certain areas to
take this game to the next level, and the most
important thing for him now is that he stays
in the Allsvenskan, even if his hometown club
Helsingborgs fail to earn survival.

Widell has a good set of attributes, from

his defensive strength to his 1v1
defending, with good passing
ability as well. In summary,
he’s a defender that you may
hear more about in the coming
years, with the potential of him
being a full Sweden international
in the process.
RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

77
RICCARDO SOTTIL:

THE ITALIAN WINGER AT FIORENTINA

LEE SCOTT // @FMAnalysis

78
D evelopment within football is never linear.
There is no one way for footballers to
develop to reach the top of the game and, at PLAYER PROFILE
times, players do not show their true ability or
potential until they are in an environment, with
the right club and coach, to allow them to do so.

This was famously the case with the Leicester City

and England international forward Jamie Vardy
who had played non-league football before
moving to Fleetwood Town and then Leicester
City. Vardy ended up leading Leicester to the
Premier League title and playing for England.
Since then, of course, the whole footballing
world has been looking for the next Jamie Vardy
in their respective leagues.

The reality is, though, that finding a player in

non-league football that can make an impact at
the top level is extremely difficult. Instead, we
are more likely to find a player who can play at
the highest level closer to that stage already.
Players who are already at clubs in the top-flight T
his pizza chart shows Sottil’s output as
compared to other wingers so far this season
but for whatever reason are yet to really push on in Serie A. All data is from Wyscout, and per 90
as they edge towards their mid-20s. data is converted to percentile rankings.

This is the case for the subject of this article, the So far this season, he is in the 75th percentile for
23-year-old Italian wide attacker Riccardo Sottil goal contributions but only the 52nd percentile
of Fiorentina. Sottil is a tall (listed at 180cm | 6’), for expected goal contributions. He is also in the
right-footed attacking player who likes to play 71st percentile for shots per 90 but interestingly
off of the left but is comfortable playing across he is in the 92nd percentile for the % of shots
the pitch. He does not possess top-level pace taken that are on target. Sottil is a dynamic ball
but his movement — as he comes in and out of carrier and is in the 98th percentile for carries
pockets of space and then operates on the blind and the 79th percentile for progressive actions.
side of opposition defenders — allows him to He also gets the ball into the area effectively and
gain an advantage. he is in the 86th percentile for area entries.

Sottil is actually the son of the current Udinese

coach, Andrea Sottil, who is actually also featuring
in this month’s magazine, and it is fair to say that
Riccardo grew up in football. He has been quoted
previously as saying that “football is life”, and it is
his work ethic and willingness to prove himself that
has seen the winger develop into a key first-team
player for Fiorentina under Vincenzo Italiano.

79
These two charts, a heatmap and a progressive We see an example of this here, as Sottil takes
carry map, give us an insight into the kind of possession in his own half in the match against
areas in which Sottil tends to operate and how Juventus. Fiorentina are attacking here in
he likes to attack the area. He is naturally right- transition and as such, the game is stretched
footed but will play from the left side of the open. These are situations when Sottil is at his
attack. Positionally, within that, he is flexible most dangerous, with his ability to find space
and will not just look to hold a wide position allowing him to get on the ball without direct
to receive on the outside of the opposition contact from the opposition defenders.
full-back. He likes to drop into the half-spaces,
finding pockets in which he can receive the ball As he takes the ball here and gets turned, he
from deeper teammates. then has the quality and vision to break the next
line with a driven through ball that breaks the
When in possession in these areas, he is a real last line and sends the forward through on goal.
threat to attack through direct runs as he looks
to attack the penalty area from an angle.

He is also, however, a threat to find line breaking

passes from deeper areas.

CREATIVE PASSING
R iccardo Sottil has developed into an extremely
creative player from deeper positions. He
sees the game very well and his ability to drop This time we see a more typical position for Sottil
into pockets of space to receive the ball from to have possession of the ball and this example
deeper teammates means that he can act as the comes from the Italian winger’s loan spell with
link player between the defensive third and the Cagliari.
attacking third for Fiorentina.
As you can see, he has possession wide and there
Sottil is an aggressive attacking player. His first are a lot of players between him and the goal.
thought when taking possession of the ball is Sottil does not force the ball in this situation but
to find a way to progress into dangerous areas, also does not turn and check the ball backwards.
whether that is via a dribble or a pass. He is not Instead, he pauses on the ball and slows the
a player who will typically just receive and then game down as he waits for teammates to make
look to link the play, instead, he will aggressively movements ahead of the ball to open up passing
look to get turned and play beyond the next line lanes.
of the opposition defence.
As the striker makes a diagonal movement
towards the near side corner of the penalty area,
we see Sottil clip a through ball with the outside
of his right foot that is angled perfectly into the
feet of the striker.

80
 Riccardo Sottil is also a wide player who has the

DELIVERY vision to play more difficult crosses. He rarely

just puts the ball into an area in the hope that

FROM WIDE AREAS someone will be in position to attack the cross.

Instead, he finds teammates who are making
intelligent runs centrally.

A s we have already seen in the player profile

section of this article, Riccardo Sottil is
in the 98th percentile for carries and the 86th
We see this here, with Sottil in possession in the
wide areas. This time, he threatened to go down
percentile for area entries. When receiving the the outside but then checked back inside on his
ball in wide areas, he is a real threat to drive at stronger foot. As he crosses the ball, he does
the opposition defender and then look to find so with a low trajectory across the face of goal
ways to access the penalty area. He can do this as the near-side player for Fiorentina makes an
through carries into the area or when looking to aggressive move toward the ball.
create a yard of space before getting crosses
into the centre.
1vs1 DRIBBLING
Even though Sottil is not a wide attacker who
is blessed with absolute pace, he is more
than capable of beating a man while dribbling
with the ball. He can take possession of the
ball and then beat a player on the inside or the
outside, and even when closely marked, he has
the balance and agility to comfortably outplay
We see an example here of Sottil choosing to defensive players.
attack the opposition fullback on the outside.
Even though the Italian winger is naturally
right-footed, he is still capable of crossing with
accuracy on his left-foot while on the run.

As he attacks the defender in this game, he

performs a step-over to create some space and
then, as he reaches the touchline, he clips the
ball high to the near post to meet the run of the
central player for an easy chance on goal.

Here, we see an example when Sottil receives

the ball on the outside of the opposition full-
back. As the opposition player comes to close
down the ball and looks to engage the winger,
we see Sottil receive and instantly twist and open
his hips as he pushes the ball past the defender
and drives into space.

81
 This time, Sottil received the ball on the opposite
side of the pitch with one defender looking to
close him down and another offering cover.
Sottil feints to go on the outside of the defender
before quickly cutting back inside. Before he
even makes his first move, however, he slows
the pace down and forces the defender to slow.

Now Sottil cuts inside and then drives through

the gap between two defenders and accesses
the penalty area.

CONCLUSION
A t 23 years old, Riccardo Sottil has developed
into an extremely important player at first-
team level for Fiorentina. He is yet to make an
appearance for the senior Italian national team
but it certainly will not be long before he is part
of the squad.

There have already been links to the likes of

Brighton and Southampton in England, and
RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

Sottil’s profile and performances are sure to

attract transfer speculation at the end of this
season.

82
KHVICHA KVARATSKHELIA:

WHY NAPOLIANS CALL HIM “KVARADONA”

LORIHANNA SHUSHKOVA // @LorihannaSh

83
A fter failing to finish where they wanted last
season, Napoli’s 2022/23 campaign started
impressively with them sitting atop the league HIS ROLE IN
at the time of writing and winning back-to-
back UEFA Champions League games against
Liverpool and Rangers.
NAPOLI’S TACTICS
Their successful start is a result of their settled
tactics and improved connection, but also a
result of their smart summer transfer business.
They secured the likes of Min-Jae Kim, Mathías
Olivera, Giovanni Simeone and Khvicha
Kvaratskhelia who settled quickly and are turning
into leading figures in the team.

While all of them have made their contribution to

the team’s unbeaten run since the beginning of
the season, there’s one player that’s come under
the spotlight with his outstanding displays and
impact in attack. The left winger Kvaratskhelia,
who just arrived from Dinamo Batumi,
immediately adjusted to Serie A and fit Napoli’s His 2022/23 heatmap for Napoli, showing his
tactics well, helping with ball progression and occupation of the left flank and the half-spaces
increasing their efficiency in attack. as well.

The 21-year-old’s technical abilities and attacking

flair have earned him the nickname “Kvaradona”
and the comparisons to the late Napoli legend
T
he team parted ways with two of their key
figures in attack over the summer – Lorenzo
Insigne and Dries Mertens. It was expected
Diego Maradona due to the immediate impact that their departure will affect the productivity
that he had on the team’s performance and the in front of the goal and decrease their chances
immensely. Unexpectedly for many, the new
hopes that he can lead them to their first title in
32 years. signing Kvaratskhelia managed to replace Insigne
and bring a new creative spark to the team in a
Napoli’s attack is currently the most efficient slightly different role than his predecessor.
in the league, along with Udinese’s, with
Kvaratskhelia being the top goalscorer with four The 21-year-old brings a lot of intensity on the
goals in seven games. left and supports ball progression while also
creating opportunities for the team. Contrary
In this scout report, we use tactical analysis to many of the wingers, Kvaratskhelia prefers to
to examine his strengths and explain his threaten the goal on his own by carrying the ball
contribution to the team’s tactics. to dangerous areas and shooting frequently.

He does contribute with crossing as well, but his

strongest asset is his ability to hold on to the ball
and beat players in 1vs1 situations with ease,

84
which makes him a much more valuable addition
in and around the box, where he can gain an
advantage and shoot. TECHNICAL
His movement off the ball is equally important ABILITIES AND
though, as his football intelligence results in him
occupying key areas and offering quality passing
options to his teammates. This directly impacts
BALL PROGRESSION
the team’s ball progression efforts.
T he new addition’s technical abilities are what
make his movement unpredictable and his
attacking actions efficient. His smart movement
drags the opposing players out of position in
an effort to stop him, while his composure and
dribbling skills allow him to take on them and
carry the ball to the box unbothered.

His work under pressure is impressive and helps

The 21-year-old drags his marker deeper by Napoli to progress the ball successfully through
dropping to receive the ball and then takes on their opponents’ pressing structures and his
him through dribbling and progresses the ball to movement provides his teammates with time
the final third where he tries to combine with his and space to take on advanced positions.
teammates.
His exploitation of the left wing is successful
The team’s new approach is to focus on players thanks to his ability to receive the ball in space
who can carry the ball forward and quickly and then carry it to goalscoring areas. He
disposition the opposition. Luciano Spalletti’s averages 3.3 progressive runs per 90, which
most frequently used 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 help the team in breaking through defences and
formations allow the Georgian more freedom quickly moving the ball forward. Moving the ball
on and off the ball, thanks to the improved to the half-spaces increases the team’s options
coverage of the whole team. up front and makes it easier to create one-touch
pass combinations and be creative.
This way, he can either stroll out wide, combining
with his teammates or cut inside and provide an
additional threat, freeing up space for the full-
back on the left.

While Napoli’s pressing efforts are well-measured

and they wouldn’t focus on high press intensity, the
players are required to use their positioning smartly
and rely on their anticipation skills for ball recovery.

Kvaratskhelia’s contribution in that aspect helps

the team gain back possession in the advanced A map of his penetrating carries in the current
areas and his efforts often lead to the team season, which underlines his importance for the
creating a goalscoring opportunity. actions in the penalty area.

85
His composure, combined with his 8.46 dribbling
attempts per game, make him difficult to be
marked by the opposition and result in him ATTACKING
moving to key areas. His ability to play with both
feet makes it easier for him to escape pressuring
situations, while his spatial awareness helps him
CONTRIBUTION
in exploiting quality areas and creating multiple
opportunities per game. His set of skills helps K varatskhelia is efficient in ball progression
and creating opportunities for his team, but
the team in taking advantage in 1vs1 situations he is equally as efficient in taking advantage of
and retaining possession for longer periods of such opportunities and converting them into
time. goals. The 21-year-old often cuts inside and uses
his positioning to threaten the goal both inside
the box and from distance. He prefers to use his
ball control to move out of his position on the
flank and move centrally so he can disposition
defenders and shoot.

His use of the half-spaces has provided the

team with a whole different dynamic in attack.
Averaging 6.02 touches in the penalty area
is an impressive number for a winger and his
placement in front of the goal makes it easier for
him to demonstrate his distinguished finishing.
Kvaratskhelia’s 4.16 shots per game result in
increased attacking numbers for Napoli, whose
A map of his progressive runs and dribbles attacking strategy has improved this term.
showing his impact on the left and the intensity
of his actions in the advanced areas.

His technical abilities and pace are crucial in

taking on the opposing players and exploiting
the freed-up spaces, although his judgement
of the situations needs some improvement.
There is still certain immaturity in his actions
and his decision-making can sometimes be
questioned, but he starts to develop a better His positioning in the half-spaces is crucial.
tactical understanding with the more experience
he gains. This season they average 18.78 shots, compared
to last season’s 14.62. The Georgian has a direct
contribution to these stats as he doesn’t only
threaten the goal from close range but also
frequently attempts shots from distance. His
movement in and around the penalty area can
be beneficial for the team in other aspects as
well.

86
 The opposing players often struggle in Kvaratskhelia represents Georgia since June
defending against skilful players like him and he 2019 and has already contributed to 18 games,
suffers 1.58 fouls per game, which could result in scoring nine goals and assisting six more.
attacking set-piece opportunities. He can have
an impact in that area through his ability to take His role for his country is even more direct. He is
free kicks as well. used as a main threat in front of the goal and the
manager Willy Sagnol employs him in different
systems, including 3-4-2-1, 3-4-3 and 5-3-2,
sometimes seeing him as a striker in the latter.

CONCLUSION
He uses his body language to lure defenders in
A s our analysis shows, the youngster is the new
hero in town and many of the expectations
for a better performance this season lay on his
the direction he wants. In this case, he pretended back. At the time of writing, Napoli have shown
that he is about to cross the ball, but instead the most consistency compared to Milan and
dribbled past his marker and left him no choice Inter, who are expected to be the other title
but to dive into a direct challenge which resulted contenders this term and a lot of his has to do
in a foul. with Kvaratskhelia’s consistently strong displays
that help the team in being that productive in
The new addition does still have his “winger” attack.
responsibilities and has to supply his teammates
with crossing attempts, however, the accuracy of
his actions isn’t very high, which makes him more
valuable when being used as a direct threat. His
ability to shoot and score with both feet makes
his actions more unpredictable and he can easily
lure defenders and goalkeepers in the direction
he wants so he can finish the attacks successfully.
RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

87
DATA VIZ BUNDESLIGA 2022/23: HOW SHERALDO
BECKER HAS STARTED THIS SEASON STRONGLY
VENKATANARAYANAN VENKATESAN // @VenkyReddevil

U nion Berlin are top of the Bundesliga table going into the first international break of the season
with 17 points — two ahead of second-placed Borussia Dortmund. If you thought that was
surprising, there is something else that stands out in the Bundesliga season so far. 27-year-old
Sheraldo Becker leads the goalscoring charts so far, with 6 goals to his name. Becker has been one
of the star performers for Union Berlin so far. Becker, in his fourth season at the German club, is
already close to overtaking his best scoring tally of seven in a season (in 2018/19).

The following visualisation shows Sheraldo Becker’s numbers from the season so far.

Becker had missed a chunk of games over the last couple of seasons because of injuries and fitness
concerns. However, the forward has started all of Union’s games so far.
The most incredible thing about Becker’s abilities is his finishing. The centre-forward ranks a lowly
38th percentile for Expected Goals (xG) per 90 minutes, but his impressive finishing ability means
that he ranks 96th percentile for Goal conversion (%). He also ranks an impressive 98th percentile
for assists per 90 minutes among other centre-forwards in the Bundesliga.

His percentile rank of 38th percentile for Touches in the box per 90 minutes means that he usually
drops deep to hold up play for his teammates. This allows him to create chances for his teammates
more often than one would expect him to — ranking 98th percentile for Key passes per 90 minutes.
He also gets in good crossing positions and ranks top tier for crosses attempted per 90 minutes.

88
Becker however is not a strong dribbler and that may be an aspect of his game that needs to
improve.

Union Berlin’s rise to the top of the Bundesliga is a story that has not happened overnight. It will
inspire many other teams to follow suit, even though it is very unlikely that Union will continue to
stay at the top for a long time. Similarly, Becker’s influence on this side has also grown steadily over
the years. He will now want to avoid injuries and regularly play and help his team to push as much
as possible to stay at the top.

89
90
CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN:

ADAPTING TO A DEEPER ROLE UNDER ERIK TEN HAG

KARIM SHAHINE // @karimshahine

91
W hen Manchester United signed Christian Dane was left exposed on the second goal as
Eriksen on a free transfer during the David De Gea attempted to play out from the
summer transfer window, few expected him to back.
be starting week-in, week-out. For many, he
was mainly regarded as a backup option for
Bruno Fernandes in the No.10 position, a rare
opportunity in the market that was worth a crack.

Fast forward a couple of months, and the Danish

international has established himself as a key
player at the heart of United’s set-up under Erik
ten Hag, operating in a deeper role as a “free
eight”. The 30-year-old has started every single Following the embarrassment in London, Ten
game for the Red Devils so far, amassing nearly Hag decided to take Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw
530 minutes of Premier League football. Diogo and Fred (who lasted 53 and 45 minutes on the
Dalot is the only other outfield player to have pitch in both games respectively) out of the
done so as well, claiming the right-back spot team. Eriksen was paired with Scott McTominay
in every Premier League and Europa League in a pivot behind Bruno Fernandes. The Dane
fixture so far. was charged with a more advanced playmaking
identity while McTominay was viewed as the
As an integral piece of the midfield, Eriksen offers destroyer. The move immediately benefitted
something that has been missing for many years both players and has seen an unchanged
now at Old Trafford — the creative spark from midfield in four consecutive league wins since.
deep with the composure to be comfortable on
the ball.

Who would have thought, after his tragic collapse

at Euro 2020 and six-month stint at Brentford,
that Christian Eriksen would be running the
show at the Theatre of Dreams?

POSITION Eriksen has brought a sense of calm to the

middle of the park and has provided much-

T en Hag’s new side endured a nightmare needed clarity and quality in possession. We
start to the campaign, losing their opening have not yet seen the ideal way that Ten Hag
two matches against Brighton and Brentford. wants United to play over 90 minutes — it has
Against Brighton, Ten Hag started Eriksen in been a mixed bag so far. In some instances, they
the false-nine position due to Anthony Martial’s control games with possession-based football
injury and Cristiano Ronaldo’s lack of match and in others, they rely on quick counter-attacks
fitness. He looked out of sorts and ended the – it largely depends on the situation.
game as a holding midfielder. On his return to
the Community Stadium, Eriksen played in the At Leicester, we witnessed a brief period of
No.6 role from the off and experienced a horrid total domination from Manchester United, with
afternoon. United got humiliated 0-4 and the players taking up interesting positions. Eriksen

92
dropped deepest of the midfielders to support
Raphaël Varane and Lisandro Martínez. Diogo
Dalot and Tyrell Malacia drifted inwards as
inverted full-backs, positioned so high on either
BALL PROGRESSION
side of Marcus Rashford. Fernandes enjoyed the
freedom to roam and exploit any gaps. T he greatest quality Eriksen has added to
this United team is his ball progression. The
Red Devils have been crying out for a player to
transition the play from defence to attack. Very
often, Fred and McTominay have been criticized
for playing with their backs to goal. The duo
cannot spot the gaps, execute and/or time
the perfect passes. This leads to the ball being
played backwards to the defenders, placing the
entire team under pressure.

“We put him a little more down on the pitch,” McTominay has benefitted from having an outlet
said Ten Hag, referring to the Dane’s deeper in Eriksen to lay the ball off to. Bruno no longer
position. “Like a six, eight role, he has a lot of has to find himself dropping deeper time and
freedom, he has to interchange with the spaces time again to help with ball progression. United’s
where he has to be and the rest have to adapt first goal in the win vs Arsenal highlights the
to that.” impact of moving the ball more quickly through
the lines. Eriksen’s pass into Bruno takes three
Arsenal players out of the game and opens up
the pitch.

In the second half, United found themselves

under the cosh and had to defend deep. With
the score at 1-1, the home side won the ball
back and Dalot quickly finds Eriksen who has
His heatmap demonstrates the amount of space moved into space. As the ball makes its way
Eriksen has covered during the first eight games towards Eriksen, Fernandes makes a forward
and the license he is given to drift all over the movement, knowing the ball will reach him. Fred
pitch. Surprisingly, Eriksen has covered the most or McTominay might have opted to play the
distance of any United player in the PL this ball back to Martinez and slow the game down,
season, 10.69km per 90. McTominay is second for instance. Marcus Rashford goes on to give
with 10.36km. United the lead.

93
 LONG PASSES
T he former Inter Milan man has also been
integral in getting his team out of pressure
in their own third with his ability to spray long
passes from deep. In previous seasons, United
Earlier in his career, Eriksen played as an orthodox struggled to move the ball out of tight spaces
No.10, tasked with making key passes into the when playing from the back and sometimes
final third. He has also shown glimpses of that ended up launching hopeful long balls forward.
when United are high up the pitch and shifting
the ball around the opposition box. His swift Here, Eriksen receives the ball from Malacia
interchange with Anthony Elanga on the left led after a throw-in. Immediately, he has the vision
to the crucial opening goal against Liverpool. to spot Elanga on the far side and quality to find
him with a pin-point cross-field switch.

“You feel that in the team, you feel it as a player

on the training pitch and in the games,” said
Eriksen in a post-match interview. “We’re starting
to understand each other, to know where to pass
the ball, where to stand, so it makes it easier.”

In addition to passing, Eriksen has found other

means to progress the ball, in the form of
penetrating carries — with 15 being carries into
the penalty area.
He ranks in the 82nd percentile for attempted
long passes among midfielders in the Premier
League this season. His completion rate from
those is only 44%, however, partly due to many
long passes being played in the dying stages
of games when United are clinging on to a
narrow lead. For short and medium passes, he is
averaging an 88.2% and 84.3% pass completion
rate, attempting around 48 passes per 90 overall.

94
 tackles in the defensive third. Defensively, he
is mainly covering the left half-spaces between
Martínez and Malacia and closing down the
edge of his box to support McTominay. He is
averaging 4.27 interceptions and engaging in
3.5 defensive duels per 90.

The Scot, on the other hand, is averaging 8.84

defensive duels and 5.79 aerial duels per 90. He
has also picked up four yellow cards — the most
in the side — showcasing his aggressive nature.
Eriksen still has room to improve defensively, as
sometimes players with more physicality or pace
have easily shrugged him off or passed him by.
United fans are hopeful added security will arrive
in the form of Casemiro, as he gets to grips with
Eriksen has also been a threat from set-pieces, a new team, system and league.
designated with whipping in free kicks and
corners. This maximizes the benefit from what
he excels at and, ultimately, makes United a
team that is significantly better than when he
isn’t present in the XI.

His ability also benefits United’s pacey forward

players who are happy to make runs in behind
anticipating that the ball will arrive — knowing
they have an elite two-footed passer behind
them.

Ronaldo calls for the ball but Eriksen spots

Rashford’s run in between the centre-backs.

In the attacking phase, the Dane’s off-the-ball

movements see him take up intelligent positions
on the pitch as well as spot gaps to run into.
It was Eriksen who took advantage of Arsenal’s
high line to set up the team’s third goal. Initially,

OFF-THE-BALL he looked to receive the ball from Ronaldo.

MOVEMENTS
E riksen’s work rate has allowed McTominay
to focus on and excel at winning duels and

95
 CONCLUSION
A dding dynamism, security and creativity to
a midfield that has needed that for such a
long time, Eriksen has been the perfect fit under
Erik ten Hag. It was clear that the Dutch manager
But the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was hassled wanted to build United’s midfield around prime
and the ball made its way to Fernandes near target Frenkie de Jong, but Eriksen has been
the touchline. Eriksen had the intelligence to able to fulfill the job, for now.
continue his run forward and give Bruno the
chance to carve open The Gunners’ defensive It seems that there is a massive drop between
line. From there, he exhibited his composure to the first team and the options from the bench.
lay it off to Rashford to make it 3-1. What about Donny van de Beek? Will he come
into the fold under his old manager? He would
have hoped to play in the Europa League but
injuries have hindered his involvement.

It will be interesting to see how Eriksen and

United can sustain this level of performance with
games every three days from now until the start
of the World Cup in November.

“He can make a game for you, make the switch

of play, he sees a pass between the lines, make
the final pass and go into attack to score a goal.
He can improve his defence, when he plays like
today one small mistake, we’ll give him that, he
played a magnificent game” stated a delighted
Ten Hag after the game.

He capped off a man-of-the-match performance

to hand United their fourth straight league win.
RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

Christian Eriksen vs Arsenal:

• Touches: 56 (1st)
• Passes: 42 (1st)
• Chances created: 3 (1st)
• Penalty area entries: 4 (1st)
• Distance covered: 11.2km (2nd)

96
REBUILD OR RUIN:

A DATA ANALYSIS ON TRANSFER OVERHAULS

SCOTT MARTIN // @CoachScottCopy

97
In a wild summer that saw FC Barcelona pull
lever after lever, part of me wondered if an
Emperor’s New Groove joke was getting lost in IS SQUAD CONTINUITY
the shuffle.

The other thought that came to mind was one of

IMPORTANT?
squad continuity and cohesiveness.

“Can they make this work? Between the January

T hough it’s Barcelona that inspired this
magazine article, we’re going to follow the
money to the EPL. We want to look at how teams
signings and seven new arrivals, several of spend their money, get an idea of how many
whom could see significant playing time, will players clubs will add to their functional roster
they be a cohesive team? Can this collection each season and the concrete statistics produced
of exceptional talent, albeit from a host of by those players. We want to see if roster
footballing backgrounds and cultures, carry out turnover has any correlation with movement in
the Barcelona philosophy?” the league table, as well as the types of players
clubs bring in. Did they spend a lot on a few
It’s simply not that easy to plug so many holes in players or is the model to strengthen the squad
the ship that quickly. by adding more players at a lesser calibre?

At least that was the initial thought. Before we dig into the data, note that all
statistics come from the transfer market. When
This data analysis is designed to put those completing the database, the goal was to
thoughts to the test. Challenging these identify incoming transfers who earned playing
assumptions with data, we’ll break down transfer time during their first season with the club. The
statistics in a few ways. First, we’ll follow the number of minutes contributed per player was
money and look at the past 5 years of spending noted as well, giving the total contribution by
in the EPL. Then, we’ll look specifically at clubs new players and the percentage of minutes
with an inherently greater need for player claimed over the course of the season. We have
investment, the newly promoted clubs. Finally, recorded five years’ worth of transfer data from
since it’s Barcelona’s spending that piqued the the EPL, as well as additional statistics to come
topic, we’ll look at the implications of elite clubs from some of the biggest individual transfer
spending big in the transfer market. windows in the history of the game.

Ultimately, we want to see if less is more in the The first question addressed was whether the
transfer market or if clubs can splash the cash percentage of total minutes contributed by new
to buy their way out of trouble and up the signings had an impact on their new clubs point
standings. When rosters shuffle, is it rebuild or totals for the season. If new signings garnered
ruin that results? Let’s find out. more of the minutes, did it help or hurt the
team? Perhaps was it neutral or inconclusive?

Coming into this data analysis, there was an

anticipation that clear trends would emerge
from the data and that moment of great insight
would hit. How naive.

98
While the data is more muddled than do find some shifts in the data. For one, after
anticipated, the following data visuals give their splurge leading into the 2017/18 season,
us some trends to work with. First, looking at we find that Manchester City ranges from 4%
EPL data from the 2017/18 season, we can see to 13% for the next 4 years. Liverpool has one
how the percentage of minutes contributed by more year of significant newcomers in 2018/19,
new signings correlated to the club’s season but then they scale back in the following three
point total. The average percentage of minutes seasons, allocating a high of 10% available
contributed by new signings was approximately minutes to newcomers in 2020/21.
20% of the team’s total 37,620 possible minutes
on the pitch. Of the top seven finishers in the
league, Tottenham had the lowest contribution
by new signings at 12%. Manchester City led
the way at 28%. Of the other five teams, we find
that they fall very close to the median number of
minutes afforded to new signings.
Looking elsewhere, Arsenal relied heavily on
newcomers in 2018/19 and 2019/20 only to see
their league placement fall to 8th in the table.
Fulham suffered a similar fate in both 2018/19
and 2020/21. Essentially fielding a new squad
each season, their extreme approach to roster
turnover ended in immediate relegation.

On the other end of the scale, Burnley tended

to alternate between years of higher activity
and almost no roster turnover. Over the five
years, the percentage of minutes that went
Once you get beyond the top seven, the data is to new signings were 23%, 6%, 13%, 1% and
a bit trickier to read. Of the top half of the table, 22% respectively. Interestingly, they also spent
only Everton and Newcastle gave newcomers those first few years alternating between the
more than 30% of the available minutes. The middle of the table and the relegation battle.
bottom half of the table features five teams By year five, an 18th place finish sealed their
in that category. Swansea City was ultimately doom. Those years that had 23% and 13% of
relegated, but they were the club closest to the minutes for newcomers came during seasons
median. By no means is 20% a hard and fast with 7th and 10th place finishes respectively.
rule. It doesn’t necessarily equate to success, When new signings were neglected, they fell
but high turnover does stand out as a negative, off the pace.
at least for the 2017/18 campaign.
As the bigger clubs had more and more success,
But what about those other four years of data there’s certainly a trend of less reliance on
collected for this article? Let’s take a look at the newcomers. Though players like Jack Grealish
dashboard to see if the 20% trend holds water. have suffered unending criticism for the lack of
contribution to their new clubs, the Man City’s
Keeping in mind that the higher the placement and Liverpool’s of the world are well-oiled
on each chart the better club has performed, we machines, only needing the occasional tune-up.

99
As the saying goes, “don’t fix what ain’t broke.” a standout and Southampton finished with the
The first two charts give us an idea of the same spot in the league table.
relationship between the percentage of minutes
for newcomers and the club’s point total for that Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea are
respective season. Those are concrete numbers, clearly the outliers, needing fewer contributions
but we also want to get an understanding of the from newcomers to finish as the top three.
percentage of minutes relative to improvements However, looking beyond those three and the
or declines for each club in the league table. clubs that were within approximately 10% of
Let’s start with last season. the league median, it does appear that more
roster turnover led to better results than less
Looking at this chart, for bigger clubs, especially movement.
the Big 6, less movement is preferred since
it shows less variance in league positioning.
Liverpool and Chelsea each improved one spot
in the table while Manchester City put in a repeat
performance at the top of the table. Manchester
United declined by four spots while Tottenham
improved by three, as did Arsenal. For the newly New signings may bring new life to the club,
promoted teams, the value allocated to them but not all signings are equal. In addition to
for the previous year’s performance was 21, identifying the percentage of minutes allocated
indicating that they fell outside of EPL status, to new signings, we also wanted to see how many
which is the reason Brentford tops the table new players clubs brought in and the average
with an eight-point improvement with their number of minutes contributed per signing.
13th place finish. The three relegated teams are
represented by yellow circles and Brentford was Once again, we see last year’s top three finishers
given an orange as the lone newly promoted at the front of the chart with the fewest signings.
team to escape immediate relegation. Don’t fix what ain’t broke. At the other end of the
scale, three of the four clubs with the most new
signings were ultimately relegated. That fourth
club, Aston Villa, had nine new signings earn
minutes during the 2021/22 campaign, but note
that their newcomers averaged significantly fewer
minutes per player than those of Burnley, Norwich
and Watford. Ultimately, Villa relied less heavily on
their newcomers to produce last season.

We do have a few takeaways from the chart.

First, the teams that are close to the league
median in the percentage of minutes played
by new signings generally did well. Manchester
United and Everton severely underperformed
despite a more balanced transfer window, but
Newcastle, Tottenham and Wolves improved
on the previous season’s results, Brentford was

100
The two Manchester clubs, Wolves and Arsenal personnel is far less flexible than we see with
each added fewer pieces to the squad, but the their colleagues. As mentioned in a previous
new additions were more heavily relied upon. analysis on overachieving, one model for
Except for Manchester United, you could say the survival is tactical extremism. That could mean
other three clubs did well with their recruitment, an innovation like overlapping centre backs, as
getting more production from fewer players. we saw with Graham Potter’s Sheffield United or
going big and ugly in a low block with reliance
With the exception of Crystal Palace, no team with on counterattacks and set pieces for goals.
six or more first team additions saw the same kind
of impact as the teams at the top left of the chart. Working through this data analysis, it was clear
You could argue that Newcastle signings largely that the clubs most likely to get relegated were
occurred in January, thus impacting the total of the ones who had just received promotion. Just
number of minutes available to the new signings. look at Fulham’s recent EPL history. Making the
That’s certainly a valid point and one that would jump from the second division to the first is
see them read much higher on a prorated basis. difficult enough. Personnel typically lags behind
Aston Villa also had a couple of influential January their new first division colleagues, so it is clear
signings, but, ultimately, the new signings at these that newly promoted squads need the most
bottom right-hand clubs were less influential than upgrades and will see the highest percentage
returning players and newcomers at most other of roster turnover in a given year. However, at
clubs around the league. what cost does that turnover come? To compete
in the first division, how many players from a
Looking at the data, continuity and cohesiveness top second division side have to be sacrificed in
are important, but only once the right foundation order to increase the odds of a second season
is in place. For clubs that are still searching for in the top-flight? At what point does lack of
the right mix of core players, more personnel cohesiveness hurt the club?
movement makes sense. However, once that
core group is in place, then the process is a We came in with lots of questions and came away
matter of gradual refinement. with some answers. First, the January window
prior to promotion can pay huge dividends for a

IS LESS MORE FOR club. Two or three marquee signings in January,

especially in the English championship when

RELEGATION BATTLERS the EPL money is mere months away, can help
second division clubs secure their place among

AND NEWLY the promoted and allow for a more gradual

integration of top flight calibre players into the

PROMOTED CLUBS? current squad. Wolves is a perfect example.

Their signings in January of 2018 limited the
number of moves they had to make during

N ewly promoted clubs and the relegation the summer. With fewer holes to fill and the
battlers are playing a different game. While club cleverly recruiting players from common
the biggest clubs in each nation are jockeying footballing cultures, the newly promoted side
for league titles and traditional mid-table teams had one of the best seasons a newly promoted
are fighting it out for continental play, clubs side has ever had in the EPL. The better a club
mired in the relegation battle are hell-bent on does the January prior to promotion, the fewer
survival. Points are difficult to come by and signings needed during the summer.

101
Secondly, if fewer signings are made during the
January window and the emphasis is placed
squarely on the summer, nine to 12 new signings
is ideal. Seven new signings were too few for
Norwich, West Brom and Cardiff City and 14 too
many for Watford and Fulham. However, among
the teams that signed between 9 and 13 players,
five of the seven managed to stay in the Premier
League for at least a second season.

You of course notice the outlier in the group,

the 2018/19 Wolves side. Recall that Diogo
Jota joined Wolves while they were still in the
championship. With such high-end players
joining prior to the window, the club did well to
identify similar talent levels once their entrance
to the Premier League was secure. Their jump
into the EPL is the dream first year of top-
flight football for each newly promoted squad,
In terms of the percentage of minutes given to however, the foundation they laid the season
new signings, a target of 30-35% is ideal. With prior was equally important to the summer of
9 or 10 new signings in the squad, the clubs are 2018.
typically recruiting players of a fairly high calibre.
When you look at Wolves’ allocation of minutes Though newly promoted squads and relegation
to the six new signings they brought in, it’s battlers are playing a different game than the
pretty clear that they were high quality players rest of their colleagues, there are certainly
who made an impact right away. some statistical markers to target. Hitting these
targets doesn’t guarantee success, or survival,
The final chart in this section converts each but it does increase the likelihood of remaining
team’s percentage of minutes for newcomers in the top-flight. Finances may limit the amount
to an average number of minutes per player. of spending to be done and the recruitment
Branford sits at the low end of the acceptable work of previous seasons may test the squad’s
portion of the scale with approximately 1100 strength ahead of first division play, so a slight
minutes on the season for each new signing deviation in one direction or the other may be
whereas Huddersfield is at the high end with necessary. However, extreme approaches to
approximately 1850 minutes. Targeting 1,500 the transfer market tend to work against newly
minutes on average for each new signing is a promoted and relegation battling clubs.
good mark for clubs to hit.

102
 WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN ELITE CLUBS
SPLURGE?
A s mentioned earlier, this topic originated
with Barcelona’s moves during the 2022
transfer windows. Given the number of players In terms of the percentage of minutes contributed
they’ve brought in, which includes a new by the new signings, as well as average number
frontline with the exception of Ansu Fati, we of minutes per player, it’s interesting to note
had to investigate previous outcomes of transfer that the English clubs and PSG tended to recruit
market splurges. Does money spent buy status? players who were able to come in and make an
If clubs replace 40% or 50% of their starting XI immediate impact. The Spanish clubs sit at the
in a single window, can they reasonably expect other end of the scale with the fewest number of
to gain significant ground on their opponents? minutes per signing during their debut seasons
with the club. Real Madrid and Barcelona also
To start the 2022/23 campaign, Barcelona’s have the lowest percentage of minutes played
answer looks like a resounding yes. Results by their newcomers despite the massive amount
are going their way and they’re looking more of money they spent those seasons.
cohesive each week. Is this just early momentum
or are the results sustainable over the course of
the season? Let’s look at the history of elite clubs
after a season of heavy spending in the transfer
market.

As we look to the first image of the section,

which features the number of first team players
to join each club and the percentage of minutes
given to the newcomers, it’s important to note
that each team had different objectives. For
2015/16 Juventus, their transfer market moves We won’t look at Champions League finishes
were designed to capture a Champions League for each of these teams, but we will look at their
title. For 2018/19 AC Milan, the objective was league positioning after their transfer splurges. We
winning Serie A. For a few of the squads on want to know if spending money always resulted in
this list, the hope was recapturing league and improved league positioning. Our third image in the
Champions League titles, which was the target section has each club’s final position in the league
of the 2019/20 Real Madrid squad. The end goal table on the right, then on the bottom of the chart
varied from club to club, but the means was the we have their finishes the previous season. This
same…use their financial might to eliminate the gives us a nice before and after picture. At worst,
gap between their present and targeted end the clubs maintain their status. Even there, only
point. 2018/19 Atlético Madrid does not improve their
league positioning. Each of the other nine team

103
 saw an improvement (or consecutive title) with two We should note that these teams typically spend
clubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona, improving their more money on fewer players as well. The calibre of
status to win the league title. the incoming players matches the high standards
of the incumbents. Few changes are needed as it’s
really more of a fine tuning than a rebuild.

CONCLUSION
S o, will Barcelona win La Liga and compete
for the Champions League title this year?
Early indications are that they will be in the mix
for both. Plus, the data backs up their summer
investments. Culés are deservedly excited about
Notice that Juventus and PSG won their the 2022/23 campaign.
respective leagues both before and after
spending big in the transfer market. Looking at But perhaps Barcelona’s predicament is nothing
the results from a different angle, we can also more than mild entertainment for you. Perhaps
look at each clubs’ point differential as well. you’re more focused on whether Bournemouth
That’s what we have in our final image of this will stay up or if Girona can secure a second
analysis, plotting the league table and point season in La Liga. Maybe you want to know how
differential on the graph. Venezia can better spend their time in Serie B
and make a well-prepared return to Serie A.
Only two clubs saw a decrease in total points,
2018/19th Atlético Madrid and 2018/19 PSG. As you walk away from this article, you’ll have
Even there, the decreases are marginal. Four of some objective markers for analysing your
the 10 teams improved by a minimum of eight favourite club’s transfer activity and the playing
points. 2018/19 Liverpool improved by 22 points time trends within the squad. Cohesiveness is
and 2019/20 Real Madrid finished 19 points higher important, but so is the gradual improvement
in their second season post Cristiano Ronaldo. of the team. And let us stress that it is gradual.
Remember that even when the biggest clubs
on the planet spend big in the transfer market,
they are typically looking to improve one to
three positions per season. Anything more
leaves the team as a whole starting from scratch
RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

in terms of developing their game model and

understanding of teammates.

So, roster shuffling is a necessary part of

maintaining the squad, but too much of a good
thing, new faces, can hurt the performances of
Though spending big in the transfer market the team just as much as the refusal to integrate
doesn’t guarantee a domestic or Champions new players. There’s a balance to be had.
League title, it almost guarantees an improvement Balance is key to building.
in points and final place in the league table.

104
MOHAMED-ALI CHO:

REPLACING ISAK AT REAL SOCIEDAD

MAK PAKHEI // @MakPakhei

105
T his past summer, Real Sociedad experienced
some squad changes as tried and tested
attackers departed, with Alexander Isak going
The first image shows Cho’s ball progression in
the main competitions, where he’s been quite
impressive and possessed the ability to bring
to Newcastle United, Adnan Januzaj to Sevilla, the ball forward on both flanks. The progressive
Portu to Getafe on loan, and Willian José joining carries mostly occurred in wide spaces, but he
Real Betis. This saw plenty of new additions almost had nothing in the centre of the pitch.
to the squad along with the continuation of The trends suggest he’s not a Jamal Musiala
Alexander Sørloth’s loan from RB Leipzig. The type of player who’s gifted to turn in pockets of
additions included the signing of 2004-born kid space centrally, but something else which we
Mohamed-Ali Cho from Angers to enrich the will elaborate on deeper into this analysis.
offensive group.
Cho provided 11.29 dribbles/90 so far in the
As Isak left, someone had to fill in his position in La Liga season with a success rate of 60.6%;
the starting lineup and although Imanol Alguacil he is very aggressive on the ball and willing to
is yet to decide who should be his regular choice, challenge the defender.
Cho is a strong contender. The 18-year-old
holds an English passport but plays for France
U21. This season, he also got some time for Real
Sociedad’s first team — and impressed many.
This tactical analysis will give a clear detailed
profile of Cho’s playing style, and how he fits
under Alguacil’s tactics.

DATA VISUALIZATIONS
AND ANALYSIS We’ll look at Cho’s penetrating carries via our
next visualisation. In this image, all of his carries

F irst off, let’s address several data visualisations are highlighted, especially those towards the
to observe Cho’s performance in the La Liga penalty area. Of course, it shows he can obtain
and UEFA Europa League season so far. the ball and drive into the box but, also, there
is a tendency to attack more on the left. This
partially comes down to his playing style but
also his position in the team.

106
 on which Cho received down the line, such as
the first example here, where he also drew the
Getafe central defender out of position.

When he received it, the next action was not to

immediately rush towards the byline and force a
cross. Instead, he checked back to see if there
The last data visualisation shows all actions of was any teammate available around him. But
Cho as a winger. This provides further proof there was another message in this check. He
of Cho’s preference for the left side over the might have made the defender believe he was
right, as his heatmap is more intense on the left going to make an easy pass backwards because
flank. His final deliveries are also demonstrated, now Cho has turned his back to him and looked
including two of his assists which are marked quite static during the check.
green.

PACE AND DRIBBLING

A s our data visuals suggest, Cho is very good
on the ball, aggressive to attack the defender
in 1v1s, and also provides some threats in the
final third. But how does he do it? This section
will give a detailed analysis of his dribbling skillset But that was a mental illusion! The Getafe centre-
and show why this is his natural gift. back got fooled by Cho and he switched off.
Since Cho possesses great physical potential
which allowed him to adjust the ball direction
and his gravity in a slight action, instead of
making an easy pass backwards, Cho suddenly
shifted the ball to the byline.

Although Cho is a flank player, he started out

in Sociedad’s 4-D-2 as a striker. Alguacil did not
restrict him in the 9’s position and let him do his
own job. So there were quite a lot of occasions

107
With the small touch to change direction — and
also the dictation of timing as he initiated the
move — Cho was able to shake the defender
off, creating some room for a cross. This was
an amazing piece of work because the burst
and sudden generation of speed over the
small distance and short timing could hardly be
developed via training; they were the talents of
a player. Malacia wasn’t stupid, he did try to cover that
direction, but then he would get found out
being caught by Cho. The young attacker read
Malacia’s intention and body orientation in
advance, and now he simply directed the ball
infield to an even greater angle. The sharp
change of direction was another great thing
from Cho, he had dancing feet and good body
coordination as the foundation of these actions.
Malacia was completely beaten in the 1v1.
Cho’s dribbling techniques were applicable on
both flanks. For example, against Manchester
United, we saw another scene when he attacked FITTING INTO
Tyrell Malacia very well. Again, the first image
shows Cho receiving the ball in a seemingly ALGUACIL’S
closed body position, but that was his deception
technique. He always intended to use this kind
of receiving segment to invite the wide defender
GAME MODEL
to press and so he could see the direction of
engagement and counter-act. N ow we know Cho is a player who possesses
talented dribbling, but modern football is
more than a show of an individual. Instead, more
coaches are expecting team players who could
integrate into the game. The “weird” thing about
Cho is that he is a flank player, but Sociedad’s 4-D-
2 doesn’t have room for a winger. Still, Alguacil
manages to utilise his players well enough. When
it comes to Alguacil’s ideas, we separated Cho’s
functional roles into two parts (ball progression
and final third actions) to explain.
Cho’s next action, unsurprisingly, was a touch
and a quick turn that gave him a wider angle
— for both seeing the pitch and room to carry
the ball. As Malacia came out and closed down,
Cho looked like he would go to the byline with a
heavy touch and outpace the left-back.

108
Firstly, Alguacil never restricted Cho’s 1v1 ability,
and he would even encourage Cho to do more
on the flank. When Sociedad attack from the
outside, their strikers always search for a run
behind depth from inside-out. So Cho was given
a more central position in the beginning but
then drifted outside to see if he could beat the
defender with his quality.
That drop was nothing more than deception
For example, in this scene against Elche, Aihen from Cho because the intention of that move was
Muñoz received out wide and Cho dashed not to receive the ball at feet, but rather to pull
behind the right-back from the centre. The run the defender out of position. Here, as Giménez
would bring the central defender out, or simply tried to close Cho and came out, Cho already
force a conundrum — follow Cho’s run or not? angled his body for a run behind the defence
If the centre-back went with Cho, the 10 (David before his marker was able to react. Then, with
Silva) would be receiving centrally and if not, his pace, he would be receiving with seconds
there was lots of space for Cho to exploit or of an advantage. So, tactically, Cho and Muñoz
even carry the ball into the penalty box. were able to create dynamism for the team by
giving one short and one long option for Merino
to play forward.

Sometimes, Sociedad came with some rotations

in the construction, and Cho could be a very
functional player to give the team dynamism. For Since Cho is a player with quality, opponents are
example, Mikel Merino, the 8, might drop out to willing to commit and sometimes he might not
receive so Muñoz was pushing higher and wider. be the person going behind. Instead, as Cho’s
This scene was against Atlético’s back five and movements differed, other possibilities of play
now, Cho should be engaging José Giménez by also opened up in the process.
position.
For example, this image demonstrates another
Initially, Cho was dropping out to pick up the Sociedad attack as Muñoz received deep.
ball, but then the question would be Sociedad Instead of going behind the last line, Cho took
having too many options for Merino between advantage of space behind Marcos Llorente,
the lines but no one was behind the defenders. who jumped out to push Muñoz. And so,
Then, the centre-backs would be able to close Giménez moved out wide to close Cho too,
that surface easily. and now Merino could run into the channel in
behind, which was the long option. This variant
shows how Sociedad attacked with the same
concepts but in different ways.

109
 As Cho received on the outside, he would use

IN THE LAST THIRD & all skills in his toolbox to beat the defender, and
because he was good on the ball, the opponents

CHANCE CREATION tend to commit more numbers around that area.

When they were overcommitted, spaces in the
centre of the box were vacated. For example,

A s Cho was a wide player, Sociedad also both Llorente and Giménez of Atlético were
tend to release him down the touchline, out and Axel Witsel was also wider to cover, the
and they’ve developed a way of attacking the Atlético last line inclined to the flank.
goal with that.
As a result, Reinildo Mandava was the only
player exposed in that central area against the
cross, and it was too much for him to handle
Sadiq. As the data viz showed, Cho is capable
of providing good deliveries and this was one of
his assists so far.

The foundation was still a 4-D-2 — when Cho

CONCLUSION
drifted away from the central position to the
outside, his partner would be more patient and
wait for the chance to come in finishing areas.
A s our scout report has highlighted, Cho is
a young player with loads of potential to
develop. The defenders handling Cho would
Their goal vs Atlético came exactly from that, have a hard time because he possesses good
then in the UEFA Europa League game, we also techniques in deceptions, quick runs, and
saw they created a chance to attack United in dribbling.
the same way.
He is not a selfish player who thinks solely for
Firstly, Sociedad liked to connect their 10, Silva, himself; we’ve seen that Cho is also a team
who was very competent in tight areas, then El player who can fit into Alguacil’s tactics. Now,
Mago could find the outside player (Cho). with Umar Sadiq ruled out until the end of the
season, Sociedad will surely be counting on
Cho’s quality in the offensive game.
RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

110
DATA VIZ LIGUE 1 2022/23:
LIONEL MESSI’S RETURN TO FORM
VENKATANARAYANAN VENKATESAN // @VenkyReddevil

L ionel Messi’s first season at Paris Saint-Germain did not go as planned. There was too much
drama on and off the pitch at the French club. Messi struggled to play consistently and failed to
create an impact whenever he did play. The Argentinian finished with six goals — joint third-fewest
in his career. Messi played only 2297 minutes in the league last season and that was also one of the
lowest in his career. We are eight games into the 2022/23 season, and Messi already looks to be
back to his best.

The following visualisation shows where Lionel Messi ranks for some of the key metrics in the
2022/23 season so far.

Lionel Messi’s radar for the 2022/23 season looks like how a Lionel Messi radar would look usually.
Hence, it is fair to say that Messi is well and truly back to form this season. Messi has been one of
the best creators on the pitch for PSG — ranking 93rd percentile for Expected Assists (xA) per 90
minutes and 95th percentile for Key Passes per 90 minutes.

Messi has four goals to his name in eight appearances so far this season in the league. However, no
player has a higher Expected Goals(xG) than Messi’s 6.68. Messi ranks 95th percentile for xG per 90
minutes. Messi’s biggest strength has always been his ability to find the most improbable pass and
he has continued to do that this season. He ranks top tier for most of the passing metrics.

111
Lionel Messi seemed out of touch in so many ways last season. His return to form will prove vital if
PSG are to continue their good start to the season. It will also be interesting to see if Messi can carry
his club form to the international stage at the world cup which is not very far away now.

112
MATT O’RILEY:

CELTIC’S ENGLISH STAR DESTINED FOR A PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN

ADAM SCULLY // @ascully24

113
In the 2020/21 campaign, Celtic were on the
hunt to secure the club’s tenth-consecutive
Scottish Premiership title. However, that plan
This tactical analysis piece will be a scout
report of O’Riley’s style of play, strengths and
weaknesses as well as looking at how he has
blew up in smoke and the season ended in slotted into Postecoglou’s tactics this season.
turmoil for the Bhoys.

Neil Lennon’s men ended up finishing 25

points behind eventual winners and bitter rivals
PLAYER PROFILE
Rangers and a massive rebuild was needed —
from the playing staff to those who helped from
the touchline.
O ’Riley has played anywhere in an advanced
midfield position throughout his career.
Let’s take a look through the youngster’s
positional history since his days at Fulham by
Lennon was dismissed and the club turned looking at his heatmaps.
to a rather unknown name in Europe to lead
Scotland’s giants forward. That man was the O’Riley wasn’t really given a fair trial at Craven
former Australian national team head coach Cottage. During his three-year spell from 2017-
Ange Postecoglou. 2020, the academy product was handed just
one league appearance as well as some minutes
Postecoglou had a point to prove in British in the Carabao Cup.
football, and prove it he certainly did, regaining
the league title just twelve months after the At Fulham, O’Riley was predominantly played
turbulent conclusion to the 2020/21 season. on the left of midfield, which can be seen from
his overall heatmap with the Cottagers.
Perhaps the manager’s most impressive quality
is not only his ability to coach his sides to
play impeccable, turf-gliding football, but
Postecoglou has a keen eye for talent.

While Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate, Carl Starfelt

and a reinvigorated Joe Hart have been truly
magnificent signings for the European titans,
Matt O’Riley looks to have the highest ceiling of
any star at Celtic Park.
Then came his move to MK Dons where O’Riley
Arriving in January 2022 from MK Dons for a really began to flourish and quickly developed
reported fee of merely £1.5 million, O’Riley into one of the best players in League One. At
seamlessly suited Scotland’s top-flight division. Stadium MK, the teenager, as he was at the time,
His emphatic displays for Celtic have already was shifted over to the right and developed a
seen the Hounslow-born 21-year-old linked with habit of operating in the half-spaces.
Liverpool and Manchester United in the summer
transfer window. We can see this from his heatmap with MK
Dons but what is also evident is that O’Riley was
O’Riley is getting better and better with each advancing forward constantly, as quite a lot of
passing game and it’s time that Total Football his touches took place in the final third.
Analysis perform an analysis of the Englishman.

114
 associated with being nimble and rather petite,
allowing them to operate in tight spaces
between the lines.

O’Riley does all these things perfectly by using

his large frame as a strength, especially when
playing with his back to goal.

Now that we have established where O’Riley

plays on the pitch within Postecoglou’s fluid 4-2-
This is exactly the type of midfielder that 3-1, let’s analyse how Celtic’s system gets the
Postecoglou was looking for. Without hesitation most out of the player.
in the January transfer window, Celtic made a
move for the English star. As already mentioned
earlier, the transfer was seamless and O’Riley PRESSING FROM
clicked within the Australian’s system with ease.

In the second half of Celtic’s 2021/22 title-

THE FRONT
winning campaign, O’Riley was utilised in a
similar position as he had done at MK Dons, on
the right of a three.
O ’Riley is sumptuous to watch on the ball
and looks incredibly elegant during the
offensive phases. However, the Englishman’s
capabilities when Celtic are out of possession
However, this season, Postecoglou has shifted have come as a pleasant surprise.
from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 and has trusted O’Riley
to sit at the vertex of the midfield trio as a Postecoglou has entrusted O’Riley to lead the
number ‘10’. team alongside the centre-forward when Celtic
are pressing high up the pitch. As the 21-year-
old operates in a number ‘10’ role within the
team’s 4-2-3-1, the shape becomes a 4-4-2
once he steps up to press alongside the striker,
creating a two-man first line of pressure.

O’Riley’s on-the-ball qualities always suited

this role, and he has been used in this position
sparingly throughout his career. However,
playing as a number ‘10’ shone a light on his
defensive acumen. This will be analysed later in Postecoglou does not want his side to be passive
the scout report. when defending high up the pitch. Quite often,
teams press high but without intensity as their
The attacking midfielder’s build of 6ft 2 and single objective is to force the opposition into a
77kg makes him rather robust. ‘10’s are normally certain area of the pitch.

115
The Aussie coach doesn’t adhere to this blueprint These next two images perfectly embody
and wants his players to harry the attacking O’Riley’s intelligence out of possession, proving
side constantly, looking to win the ball back as why at just 21, Postecoglou has full belief that
quickly and as aggressively as possible to cause the midfielder can lead the line successfully for
a turnover of possession in dangerous areas. the Bhoys.

So far this season, O’Riley has truly been key to

Celtic’s ability to be a menacing pressing side.

In the first image, O’Riley has sat off onto Real

Madrid’s Toni Kroos, blocking the passing lane
into the World Cup winner while allowing his
teammates to apply pressure to the Los Blancos
O’Riley’s numbers in the final third from a backline.
recovery standpoint are magnificent as the
young star is staking his claim for being one Vinicius Jr. makes a dreadful decision, passing
of the best pressers to play in a number ‘10’ to Kroos which was easily intercepted by O’Riley
position in Europe, alongside Arsenal midfielder and Celtic were able to formulate a decent
Martin Ødegaard who is showing slightly better counterattack in the final third, all coming from
numbers. O’Riley’s decision to sit on Kroos and not engage
with one of the centre-backs.
The Celtic midfielder already has 15 high regains
in the attacking third this season as well as 8
dangerous recoveries and 16 counterpressing
recoveries.

This shows that he is not just a wonderful presser

when the team are in a structured high block,
hoping to stifle the opponent’s build-up play, but
also when the Scottish giants are in defensive
transitions and need to stop counterattacks. But in the second image, the former Fulham
academy product is pressing Shakhtar Donetsk’s
When tasked with pressing high up the field left centre-back, forcing him wide. While doing
of play, O’Riley has a wonderful understanding so, he is applying a cover shadow to the Ukrainian
of when to drop off onto the opponent’s pivot side’s single pivot, cutting off this option.
player but also when to step up and press the
centre-backs, applying a cover shadow to the All around O’Riley, the Celtic players have
number ‘6’ in the meantime. aggressively man-marked any short passing
options, meaning the Shakhtar defender either
has to play long or risk losing possession in

116
a dangerous position. Again, O’Riley is the Overall, O’Riley does have a tendency to delay
instigator, displaying his wonderful pressing his touch until the very last plausible second
ability and intelligence. before quickly turning any onrushing defenders.
As he has superb close control, O’Riley can use

EXCELLENT his body to hold off defensive players and then

turn them in an instant to break free into space.

CLOSE CONTROL
N ow that we’ve looked at O’Riley’s usefulness
in the defensive phases, let’s take a look
at why the sought-after midfielder is incredibly
dangerous in possession.

O’Riley has a rather large frame, as discussed

during the ‘player profile’ section of this scout
report. At 6’2 and 77kg, the 21-year-old does not
possess the stereotypical build of an attacking
midfielder.

However, he is nimble and wonderfully skilled at

receiving the ball in tight spaces. One of the main
traits that help O’Riley is his ambipedal nature.
This means that the player is comfortable with
both his left and right foot. While his left foot is the In this scenario, O’Riley has received a line-
predominant of the two, one could be mistaken breaking pass to feet from the Celtic centre-
for believing O’Riley is right-footed, given his back. He is being jumped from behind by the
superb ball control with the weaker side. Rangers midfielder, but the 21-year-old stands
his ground, using his hips and large frame to
back into his opponent, holding him off.

Once the ball has reached him, he pushes it to

the left, using his weaker right foot, escaping the
pressure from his marker and quickly releasing it
out wide. O’Riley displayed his two-footedness
here as well.

Here is a wonderful example of O’Riley displaying This season, O’Riley has competed in 7.37
his marvellous close control to get out of a sticky offensive duels per game and has been successful
situation. As the ball is played across from the right in exactly 33.8%. Furthermore, he has attempted
flank, the young midfielder allows it to run across 2.82 dribbles per 90 with a 57.7% success rate.
his body onto his left foot. O’Riley’s first touch is The Celtic midfielder isn’t the quickest but still,
with his left, pushing it past Aurélien Tchouaméni uses his tight control and deft movements to
who has stepped up to press him and is gliding beat players on the dribble with his back turned
by the France international with ease. to pressure as well as facing it.

117
A FINAL THIRD THREAT
C eltic are a possession-heavy team, with
Postecoglou adamant about his players
building out from the back, using passes on the
floor instead of going long to progress up the
pitch. This can be seen from the previous image where
O’Riley is operating in the square. His excellent
Nevertheless, O’Riley’s impact on the side when ball control and quick decision-making allow his
the Scottish champions are in the attacking phases Celtic teammate to play to him in this condensed
doesn’t really kick into effect until the ball is moved space, without being worried about Los Blancos
into the opposition’s half or at least the final third. closing O’Riley down and winning the ball back.

This is evident from the midfielder’s pass map, The 21-year-old plays the first-time ball straight
which has plotted each of his completed passes to Hatate, disorientating Real Madrid’s defensive
thus far in all competitions. structure, before making a run into the box
himself.

Quite a lot of O’Riley’s passes come in the final Going back to O’Riley’s penetrative qualities,
third, with many being passes into the penalty the midfielder actually has more penetrating
area, showing his penetrative quality to create carriers into the penalty area this season in all
chances for his teammates and put them into competitions than Manchester City star Jack
goalscoring positions. Grealish.

What is also noticeable from the pass map is Overall, O’Riley boasts 34 penetrative carriers in
that many of these passes occur in the right the 18-yard box, proving just how vital he is to
halfspace. This is because of the tactical role helping Celtic break down a low block.
that O’Riley has undertaken at Celtic Park under
Postecoglou.

When the side are in a settled positional attack,

looking to break down the opponent’s low block,
O’Riley positions himself between the lines in
the square between the opposition’s left central
defender and left-back.

118
 area have been blocked too. This tells us that
O’Riley is hitting them from distance primarily
when playing against a low block where there
are a plethora of players in the way of the ball’s
trajectory.

O’Riley needs to either improve the positions

he takes shots from, polish up on his finishing,
or else simply look to create a chance or retain
possession instead of popping the ball off from
Once the ball is switched out wide, O’Riley makes far out.
a darting run into the box himself, often playing
on the shoulders of the opponent’s centre-backs.
From here, he can use his 6’2 stature to get onto
the end of crosses aimed toward him.
CONCLUSION
However, the issue with O’Riley, and certainly O ’Riley is a rather peculiar midfielder to
watch. His play style is very reminiscent
the biggest area of his game that needs of Manchester United outcast Donny van de
improvement, is actually his potency in front of Beek, although the Celtic star is much more of
goal which is massively disappointing. a physical presence on the pitch and in the final
third.

Like van de Beek, O’Riley doesn’t really get

involved much until the ball is in the opponent’s
half and he is not an explosive midfielder like
Callum McGregor, instead preferring to take
deft touches and move the ball quickly upon
reception.

O’Riley has the potential to be a truly wonderful

Here, we can observe O’Riley’s xG map for the midfielder one day but needs to be careful when
2022/23 campaign in all competitions. Overall, making the next move for his career so as to not
the English midfielder has taken 27 shots but fall down the same unfortunate pathway as his
not scored a single goal. Dutch counterpart.
RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

His xG total has reached 2.44 which is an average

of 0.09 xG per shot. This is rather low and very
poor, especially since some of his shooting
positions have been close to the goal.

Not only does O’Riley need to improve his

finishing in the box but the number ‘10’ also
takes far too many shots from outside the
area. Strikes from range are low xG chances
anyway. A lot of these strikes at the edge of the

119
JELENA ČANKOVIĆ:

WHY CHELSEA PICKED UP THE SERBIAN THIS SUMMER

SELIM BEN HMIDA // @mrziguen

120
J elena Čanković has just moved to Chelsea
Women, transferring from Rosengård to
the Blues. She is a 27-year-old player who has
roles will most probably include serving Sam
Kerr with quality crosses especially after cutting
inside.
got a fairly valuable footballing experience
with various teams across Europe. She started At the same time, it is necessary to give some
her senior career at Spartak Subotica in Serbia freedom to such a player to make use of her
before moving to Barcelona from 2013 to 2014. creativity and let her show her talent while serving
Indeed, she did not remain for a long period at the team. What would encourage Emma Hayes
Barcelona, yet such experience should surely to give some freedom to Čanković in attack is
have impacted Čanković’s personality and that she is a responsible team player who usually
perhaps even her playing style. favours her team over individual achievements,
and this mentality is already a key to success.
She continued to progress even further at
Ferencváros where she played more regularly Therefore, it is expected that Čanković will
from 2015 to 2017. Then, she passed two years be a very useful signing for Chelsea and for
at Växjö, Sweden, before going to Rosengård the player herself if everything goes well.
where she shined and put on some excellent Moreover, Čanković can also be used as an
performances to earn a big move towards the advanced playmaker, the role that Fran Kirby
FAWSL champions, Chelsea. interprets most of the time. Čanković played in
that role previously as well and therefore she
A team like Chelsea doesn’t recruit players can represent a reliable replacement for that
without extensive analysis and identification of position. The following graphic just shows how
the player’s strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, Čanković covers most of the right flank and
this tactical analysis article will try to explore the makes herself available both in attack and in
Serbian international player’s characteristics, defence with almost the same intensity.
her tactical strengths and weaknesses and how
she can fit into Chelsea’s tactics and especially
contribute to their European success.

POSITION AND ROLES

Č anković is naturally a right winger who finds
herself most comfortable when playing in
this position but at the same time she retreats
so often and contributes to the defensive phase
with efficiency and therefore she won’t have
problems adapting to Chelsea’s playing system.

She can fit into the team easily because she is a

very dynamic player and knows exactly what to
do when having the ball and moves well without
the ball too. This dynamism will serve Chelsea
a lot on the right wing because it will add a lot
of quickness to an already excellent attack. Her

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 One of Čanković’s most beautiful goals was

GOALSCORING AND scored from the right-wing as well but this

time, it was a goal that showed another side

ATTACKING SKILLS of Čanković. She scored this goal thanks to

intelligence, cold blood and tactical awareness
of her surroundings and we will explain why.

Č anković is a very talented player who doesn’t

lose the ball easily when having it at her
feet because she is an excellent dribbler and her
Čanković had the ball on the right wing, fixed
her direct opponent and could have directly
quickness both in running with the ball and in aimed at dribbling past her but preferred to
dribbling makes it complicated for defenders to serve her teammate near the corner. When she
chase her or intercept the ball from her without got the ball back, she showed everyone that she
committing a foul. This quality is rare in footballwas preparing herself to shoot before feinting
and requires a lot of skills, concentration and her direct opponent with cold blood and skill.
quality. As soon as she made that dribble, she saw the
goalkeeper covering the near post but being
Čanković has an overall dribbling success rate a bit advanced, which would make a chip shot
of 55.6%, a passing accuracy equalling 82.5% towards the far post nearly impossible to save.
and passes to the final third accuracy reaching
69.4%. Some of these statistics surely need Čanković decided to shoot towards the far
some improvements and playing in such a big post immediately and executed it with extreme
team like Chelsea could give her a platform to precision, scoring a magnificent goal that proves
improve in these areas and become an even not only her intelligence and talent but also her
better player in all aspects, but the move will quick decision-making and shooting accuracy.
also require her to do so. While doing some research on the player, one
finds numerous similar goals to this one which
In the following picture, we tried to show an were all scored from outside the box, with shots
example of one of Čanković’s goals from distance towards the far post after dribbling past the
and how dangerous and efficient she can be direct opponent. Although this became a little
from that right wing. As soon as she got the ball, bit predictable, defenders and goalkeepers
she immediately aimed at cutting inside, getting couldn’t find a way to stop it from happening
past her direct opponent before shooting with mainly because Čanković is so quick and accurate
power and precision towards the near post to when dribbling as she is rapid in deciding when
confuse the goalkeeper who thought that she to shoot.
would naturally go for the far post.

Speaking of shooting accuracy, Čanković can

deal very well with complicated situations and

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does not lose her focus easily even when she
is surrounded by opponents. She proved this
on several occasions and perhaps this action KEY PASSES
shows it even better. She received the ball via
an opposition mistake, and even though she
was surprised by the pass and wasn’t preparing
AND VISION
herself to get the ball, she was still able to dribble
past her opponent and curve the ball inside the Č anković has outstanding vision that matches
her excellent passing ability. Without
net with extraordinary despite having plenty of exaggeration, she can provide some wonderful
opponents covering the view and disturbing her key passes from every position and with extreme
while shooting. accuracy — mainly because she knows exactly
how to direct the ball in the trajectory that
she wants with the adequate technique and
necessary speed/power.

For attacking players, this can be so important

since it helps a lot in making assists and in
contributing to creating many goalscoring
chances per match. In the following picture,
Čanković opted for a long pass with the exterior
Čanković can also represent an excellent weapon part of her foot to meet the striker’s movement
for Chelsea in terms of set-pieces, as she can at the right time and with the needed accuracy.
provide a variety of solutions on this aspect. For Her decision-making was key in this example
instance, she can perform right corner kicks very as it helped her gain some precious seconds
well. But most importantly, Čanković can skillfully because this type of pass was quicker for her to
shoot free kicks and score goals from set-pieces. execute than a normal cross, which then helped
the striker have more time before defenders
Indeed, Guro Reiten is already a very good set- reach her. Some small details like these might
piece taker. Yet, having an excellent alternative seem without value but are actually fundamental
is always useful for a team like Chelsea who and can even decide the result of a match
will need the services of Čanković in set-pieces because they differentiate a normal player from
anyways. As you can see below, the Serbian an intelligent/skilful/world-class player.
international can score close free-kicks with
great accuracy and without necessarily using
much power but rather technique to put the ball
in a very angled spot that the goalkeeper can’t
reach.

In this next example with Serbia against Bulgaria,

she received the ball in a situation that invited a
shooting attempt. Čanković prepared herself to
shoot and she was about to execute the action,

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 she saw her teammate running towards the
middle of the box while getting away from her
marker. Čanković didn’t change her movement
and continued her preparation for a shot but in
the end, she confused everyone by providing a
long pass towards her teammate who was then
completely free.

CONCLUSION
C helsea made a very promising recruitment
this summer by acquiring the services of
Jelena Čanković, and the coaching staff, along
with the players should do their best to help her
fit into the team and be comfortable on and off
the pitch to get the best out of her.

Chelsea will surely benefit from an added

value in attack and an additional weapon that
promises to be useful in FAWSL and especially
in the UWCL where Chelsea are lacking some
quality and personality to surpass teams like
Barcelona, Lyon, Bayern, PSG, Wolfsburg and
others especially when it comes to finals because
they’ve proven that they can win against any
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team during the competition but not in finals.

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ANEL AHMEDHODŽIĆ:

THE CENTRE-BACK IMPRESSING AT SHEFFIELD UNITED

OWEN BULLMAN // @BullmanOwen

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A nel Ahmedhodžić has had an interesting
path that has eventually taken him to
Sheffield United. He began life at his hometown
there was never a real issue in terms of building
up on his left side.

club Malmö FF before joining the academy of Under manager Paul Heckingbottom,
fellow English side Nottingham Forest. He made Ahmedhodžić has been played on the right
his only appearance for Forest aged 17. side of a three for virtually all his minutes so far,
although he has featured on the left of the three.
He then returned to his beloved Malmö in 2019 His experience in playing both sides of a back
on a three-year deal; this is where the Bosnian three and also a back four, which he plays in for
started to perform. Following a short-lived Bosnia-Herzegovina, makes him a very reliable
loan to Danish side Hobro IK, he continued to and flexible addition to any defensive unit.
develop and improve.

In September of last year, Ahmedhodžić made

his Champions League debut against Italian
giants Juventus. His experience at the top level
will bring so much value to Sheffield United as
they look to clinch promotion.

Furthermore, for the last part of the 2021/22

season, he was loaned out for Bordeaux in
Ligue 1. He has a wide range of experience at a
relatively young age of 23. His upbringing and
rise will have helped him massively.

Subsequently, his impressive performances

have earnt him nearly 20 senior international
appearances for Bosnia-Herzegovina. The
upwards trajectory for Ahmedhodžić’s
development is only getting greater. His heatmap above shows how he is utilised for
Sheffield United. Playing as a wide centre-back

PLAYER PROFILE in a defensive three means he has a license to

roam up the pitch and be involved in attacking
build-up play.

A hmedhodžić plays as a centreback; during

his time at Malmö, he played in a back four This style of play is something often associated
as a right-sided centre-back. In more recent with Sheffield United of the past under Chris
times, he has been used in a back three, where Wilder. Ahmedhodžić is excellent at stepping
he excels. up the pitch and receiving the ball in pressured
situations. His role in the team is to provide
During his short stay in France, the Sheffield an out ball when his team is building up from
United man was deployed mostly on the left side defence.
of a back three. He is comfortable on the ball
and well able to play on his supposed ‘weaker’ Ahmedhodžić stands at 6’4’’ tall making him one
side. With him being predominantly right-footed of the tallest players around. He is physically

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strong for a defender of his age. He uses his
body well in defensive situations and is firm in
a challenge.

ON THE BALL
B eing part of a confident Sheffield United
team means that all players must be good on
the ball. Sheffield United rank 8th in the league
for average possession with 51.2%.

As Ahmedhodžić’s pass map shows, he is involved

heavily down the right-hand side. As briefly
mentioned, he has been used in a back three
this season. This formation utilises wingbacks to
provide width, and Ahmedhodžić has built up a
good relationship with right wingback George
Baldock. Below is an example of how he takes up the
space in the wide area. The system he is part of
The way Sheffield United build-up encourages gives him time on the ball and allows him to play
Ahmedhodžić to find himself in very wide areas. comfortably forwards or backwards.
When the ball is with the goalkeeper, he takes
up a role that a right-back would usually occupy,
which means he is in an advanced position, to
begin with.

The Bosnian defender is good at making quick

first-time passes. He can scan and be ready for
the ball at his feet, while he often knows what his
next pass will be which is an important skill. By
Ahmedhodžić, top left of the photo, is in a large doing this, he allows for the build-up to continue
amount of space created by his wide positioning at a good tempo.
which gives him time on the ball to be able to
play. Furthermore, he has the ability on the ball means
he can pick out teammates in the final third. His
His pass map shows how advanced he finds positioning and involvement in the attack make
himself and is often in the attacking third where him an extra option during the final third.
a traditional winger may be. Ahmedhodžić has
good composure on the ball and is very capable
of playing good short passes.

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 Championship is very aggressive and little time
is given to those on the ball. However, when
given the space to play passes he is able to.

His confidence will grow with time, playing as a

wide centreback will help his chances in terms
of positionally to play long passes. Below is
an example of where Ahmedhodžić drives into
He breaks the line of the opposition’s defence space, avoiding the press, before playing a
with a well-weighted pass into the path of his perfectly weighted pass.
teammate. The composure needed to play this
pass, whilst under pressure, is very high. His
timing and vision are both excellent in the final
third, especially for a centre-back.

His attacking input is valued by Sheffield United

greatly, he makes continuous forward runs
and always finds himself in the final third, as
previously mentioned.

DEFENSIVE ABILITY
A
s good as Ahmedhodžić is on the ball his
primary objective and role in the team are
to stop the opposition from scoring. He has
formed a good partnership with experienced
defender John Egan and is beginning to assert
The data above shows how attack-minded himself defensively.
Ahmedhodžić is, compared to other
Championship centrebacks. The graph displays One area in which the Bosnian is brilliant is
data for progressive runs per 90 and touches stepping in and ‘pinching’ the ball from his
in the opposition box per 90 — Ahmedhodžić opponent. Below is a perfect example of how he
ranks highly for both, placing second in both times his move to step in and win the ball back
categories. before the opposition gains complete control.

One part of the possession side that hasn’t been

up to the standards of the other aspects is his
long passing. He is well able to execute long-
range passes as shown by his time in Malmö
so far this season he has only managed a long-
range pass accuracy of 52.5%.

This could be down to the fact that he faces

much greater pressure from the opposition. The

128
His tall stature helps him to reach around The position that he takes up allows him to react
opponents rather than go through them and to all possible scenarios quickly. He can go and
commit fouls. This is especially important in close down the player with the ball if needed. He
areas like the one above as a freekick in that area
can easily move over and apply pressure to the
is very dangerous. spare man but most importantly, he is in a good
defensive position to drop deep and defend the
Furthermore, Ahmedhodžić has a great desire goal if a quick break happens.
to defend and get stuck in. Similar to old-school
centre-backs of bygone eras, he loves to make
tackles and stop goalscoring opportunities. His AREAS FOR
determination has seen him make several goal-
saving clearances, tackles and interceptions. IMPROVEMENT
Below is just one of these, the ball is about
to be played across the six-yard box, and
Ahmedhodžić is not yet in close proximity. He
E very player has aspects of their game that
needs to develop and improve. At just 23
years old, Ahmedhodžić has plenty of time
uses his defensive ability to slide and intercept for these developments. Due to his height, he
this pass saving an almost guaranteed goal for sometimes struggles to change direction quickly.
the opposition. This does get exposed, especially in wide areas.

As he is deployed as a wide centreback most

of his engagements take place in the wide
channels. This often causes him to be isolated
in 1v1 situations. He does struggle in containing
his opponent and is beaten with a quick change
Not only is he individually good at defending, of pace.
but he has also developed a good understanding
of the system that he plays in. Having already
a lot of experience in playing in a back three,
Ahmedhodžić knows the position very well.

The three defenders must look out for each other

and be alert to situations they need to cover.
The Bosnian is good at reading these situations
and is quick to drop deeper than his teammates
to supply this cover. As you can see above, he leaves a large gap
open for his opponent to drive into. His body
shape should be angled better forcing him
down the line rather than giving him an option
to come into the box.

Having said this, he does not get beat by

players cutting the ball back, he is very alert to
these situations and regularly makes well-timed
tackles.

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 Continuing on the subject of body shape, he
is caught out by this and it can damage his
chances of progressing to the top level. Another
example of where this has caused difficulty is
when defending the ball from far away.

As you can see below, the defence is set

up expecting the long ball. Ahmedhodžić
highlighted in the black box, is positioned
too square to the ball and not side on as his
teammate next to him is.

This poor body shape and lapse in concentration

leads to the opponent having an advantage as
Ahmedhodžić must rotate his feet before he starts
to run. The opponent makes up ground quickly
and can get on the end of the long-range pass.

These improvements and small details will be

worked on and developed over time. Once they
are understood and implemented Ahmedhodžić
will be able to make the step to the next level.

CONCLUSION
O verall, Ahmedhodžić is definitely one of
RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

the best defenders in the second tier of

English football. There is no doubt that he will
be playing Premier League football next season
either with Sheffield United or at another club.

His confidence on the ball makes him an asset

to any possession-based side. Furthermore, his
comfortability in a back three brings value. A
great signing for Sheffield United, the Bosnian
has settled in quickly to life in England.

130
DATA VIZ
EFL CHAMPIONSHIP 2022/23: WHY ILIMAN NDIAYE
IS SHEFFIELD UNITED’S BEST PERFORMER SO FAR
VENKATANARAYANAN VENKATESAN // @VenkyReddevil

S heffield United have started the 2022/23 season well. The Blades sit top of the Championship
table going into the first international break of the season with 23 points from 10 games. One
player who has stood out so far for Paul Heckingbottom’s side is 22-year-old Iliman Ndiaye. The
Senegalese international signed for the Blades in the summer of 2019 but did not make his full
debut for the club until 11th September 2021, scoring twice against Peterborough United.

The following visualisation shows the numbers of Iliman Ndiaye in the 2022/23 season so far.

Iliman Ndiaye has scored 5 goals in 10 league games so far this season and is Sheffield United’s top
scorer so far. The 22-year-old had scored only 7 goals from 30 league appearances for the entirety
of last season. The centre-forward ranks above average for most of the key metrics.

His biggest strengths are his dribbling and his finishing ability. Ndiaye ranks 81st percentile for
dribbles attempted per 90 minutes. He isn’t someone who creates a lot for his teammates and
is not an all-round striker yet as he ranks low for Expected Assists (xA) and Key Passes. Ndiaye’s
versatility is something that he might have to improve in his game if he wants to rise to the group of
best strikers in England. The forward has played the majority of his minutes as a pure no.9 this term.
Iliman Ndiaye, after a slow start to his career at Sheffield United, is slowly becoming one of the
key members of the squad. Sheffield United were close to promotion last season and look like
favourites to not only win automatic promotion but win the title as well. Ndiaye has started the

131
season well and Sheffield United will rely on the forward to continue his early season form in order
to achieve promotion to England’s top flight.

132
MATHYS TEL:

IS THE 17-YEAR-OLD READY TO FILL LEWANDOWSKI’S BOOTS?

DOMAGOJ KOSTANJSAK // @DKostanjsak

133
J ust like many other European powerhouses,
Bayern Munich are a team that looks toward
the future. The Bavarians have always been
This tactical analysis will provide you with a scout
report on Mathys Tel, giving you a full analysis of
his profile as well as explaining how it applies to
stacked with talent, both young and old, and both Bayern’s and other elite teams’ tactics.
their current iteration under the genius of Julian
Nagelsmann is no different. However, some
talents are just different from others. Mathys
Tel, for example, the newest prodigy secured
PLAYER OVERVIEW
from the famous Stade Rennais academy for
a reported €28M, is a projected elite of the
highest order.
M athys Tel is a 17-year-old forward
currently playing for Bayern Munich in the
Bundesliga. Standing at 183cm (just over six
feet), the youngster is athletic, strong and tall.
Having sold Robert Lewandowski to FC It has to be noted that his body mass ratio is
Barcelona, it’s understandable Bayern would be good and despite having long legs, he isn’t
looking to replace him. However, Tel, as good as lanky or too skinny for his frame. One of Tel’s
he is, is not exactly a Lewandowski replacement. best attributes, however, is the sheer versatility
Or at least not just yet. The 17-year-old follows of his profile.
the footsteps of other former Ligue 1 starlets like
Eduardo Camavinga or Aurélien Tchouaméni, Even though he’s right-footed, the Frenchman is
both of whom are now Real Madrid players, and quite adept with both feet, making combination
will be looking to etch his name in the stone of play and ball-striking in general much more fluid
future elites. and easy. But it’s not just his ambipedal nature
that’s fascinating to dissect. Tel can be deployed
Despite his tender age, there is already reason to anywhere across the frontline and has even
believe Tel will indeed stand among the greats played in midfield and defence earlier in his
sooner rather than later. The France U17 captain youth career, albeit briefly.
became the youngest player ever to feature for
Stade Rennais when he came on for the final five He is also quite fast and loves to dribble. This,
minutes in their 1-1 draw against Brest in August alongside his lethal nature, technical quality
2021, aged just 16 years, three months and 19 and physical presence, makes for an incredible
days. Similarly or even more impressive is the fact combination of crucial traits when trying to
Tel also became Bayern’s youngest-ever goalscorer predict a player’s ceiling. Tel’s capacity for the
when he netted a strike against Viktoria Cologne. spectacular is immense and he is, by all means,
On that fateful 31 August, the French prodigy was a projected Ballon d’Or winner somewhere
only 17 years and 126 days old. further down the line. This may seem like an
exaggerated statement but given his profile and
Granted, his senior football resume is not as mentality, the assumption is still based on sturdy
impressive yet but for a 17-year-old, this isn’t all foundations.
that surprising. Still, five goals in six games for
France’s U18 squad and five in nine for the U17
side are good indicators of his quality. Similarly, Tel
has netted six goals in six appearances for Stade
DRIBBLING & PNP
Rennais’ B team, immediately demonstrating his
level. But who is this young prodigy and what
are the details behind his success?
O ne of the very interesting and exciting
aspects of Tel’s profile lies in its combination
of physique and technique. It’s not often that we

134
encounter physical specimens who are good in Generally speaking, Tel won’t advance high and
tight spaces, offering a wide range of different wide when progressing up the flanks as this
but equally important traits for all phases of play. forces him into a more predictable set of actions
Tel is a great dribbler, an outlet in transitions and– crossing. Having been deployed largely on
a very explosive presence on the flanks. This, the left side and considering his left foot is still
in turn, is why he’s been deployed as a winger comparatively weaker, it’s easy to see why he
quite often throughout his young career. wouldn’t prefer the wide, natural winger role. He
can still be dangerous when he beats his man
We’ve already mentioned how he’s almost and crashes into the box but the closer he is to
equally adept with both feet and this makes him the goal, the better. We’ll discuss his lethality
a good fit for both the left and right-winger roles. further down the line of this analysis.
However, it does seem he prefers the right foot
ever so slightly and the role of an inverted left- Staying on the topic of dribbling, however, let’s
winger or an inside forward on the left suits him discuss how Tel’s ambipedal nature and technique
to a tee. In the next visualisation, you can see help make him an almost unstoppable force
Tel’s career ‘winger actions’, depicting dribbles, when he gets going. We’ve already mentioned
crosses and general movement. the youngster has long legs and while that may
seem like a trivial thing, it does affect his pace
and power. Players with longer strides can be
very difficult to stop and Tel is certainly one such
player. It’s equally important to note, however,
that he controls the ball with both feet, taking
inside and outside touches both to protect the
ball and keep the defender guessing.

Take the following sequence of play as a great

example of the unpredictability factor in his
technique.

Immediately, we notice the 17-year-old is largely

active in his respective half-spaces, depending
on the side he’s deployed on. Even when he
starts wide, Tel will almost inevitably cut inside Here, Tel is cutting into the half-space and is
and aim to get closer to the central areas of the engaging the defender in a 1v1 duel. But take
pitch as this provides him with a better platform note of how he faces his opponent, touching
to both shoot and create from. Interestingly, the ball with the outside of the boot in the first
the half-spaces are also the areas with the most image, the instep in the second and then finally
dribbling activity too. Given their importance in with the instep again in the third before setting
creation and progression, this doesn’t come as himself up for a shot outside the box. This keeps
a big surprise. the defender guessing as to where Tel might

135
actually go and given his ambipedal nature, highly reliant on the aforementioned sudden
either side is equally possible as it gives him a change of pace. Additionally, it also limits the
multitude of angles to exploit. angles he can operate in and makes his trajectory
far more predictable than usual. That, alongside
Considering the Frenchman is also incredibly his known preference for his right foot when
pacey and strong, marking him becomes an controlling and starting dribbles, can be used
incredibly difficult job to do. One other important when defending against him or at the very least
facet of his dribbling – but also finishing too – is lessening his impact. But as mentioned, when he’s
the way he uses his frame to protect the ball. in full flight, Tel can be nigh-impossible to stop.
Many players make the mistake of being too
exposed when dribbling. But not Tel. He uses This is generally because he combines power,
his body well to shield the ball, mostly relying speed and technique in such an efficient way the
on his weak foot to stop the marker while the defenders are, more often than not, no match
right is used to control. And this is an important for him. Such a combination of skills makes him
aspect to consider as well. an absolute menace in transitions.

Tel is adept at playing with both feet but his

preference for his right foot is clear. This can be
seen in the way he passes, shoots and controls the
ball. When receiving possession, he will mostly
do so with the inside of his right foot and that
can be manipulated to increase the chance of
miscontrol. But more on that in the next section
of our scout report. Back to dribbling, however, Take this sequence as an example. Tel gains
it’s important to note the way Tel dribbles from possession in the opposition’s half of the
a standstill as it differs highly from his in-motionpitch, immediately engaging in a duel with the
dribbling. defender. Before long, he’s not only outmuscling
and outrunning his rival but also dribbling past
him to assume a higher position closer to the
penalty area. It’s there he can then link up with
the overlapping teammate to the right. Again,
when in full flight, Tel is an unstoppable force of
We’ve seen earlier how he uses both feet to power and speed.
control when he’s in motion but going from a
standstill to beat a marker, Tel will generally use This particular action shows us how he uses
his right instep and drag the ball across his body. his frame to protect the ball, how he changes
This can be seen in the latest example depicting speed incredibly quickly but also how agile he is
such a sequence in two images. The 17-year- in spite of his physique. If you find yourself in a
old generally takes small inward touches when direct duel against Tel when he’s already chasing
controlling before dragging or kicking the ball the ball, chances are you’re going to lose. The
in the direction he wants to go, as depicted in trick is to stop access to him in the first place.
the image. But that’s also easier said than done.

Considering he can burst into high speeds from Our final example showing his PnP attributes can
a standstill, this technique is still effective, albeit be seen next. This time, similarly to the previous

136
sequence, we see Tel duelling for the ball, only
this time, it’s against two defenders and from a far
less favourable position. And yet, he still wins it.

While this is an excellent example of his pace and

power, it also shows an elite winning mentality.
Not many players would dare to try, let alone
dream of winning this duel, but Tel does both.

PASSING & TECHNIQUE

E ven though Tel is a forward first and foremost,
his overall technical levels are astoundingly
high. This becomes even more impressive when
factoring in his frame. A six-foot-tall player
shouldn’t be as agile and as technical as he is
but this is exactly what makes him such a special
talent in the first place. We’ve already mentioned
Tel has played as a midfielder in the past and Once again, we can see the preference to cut
a big part of his technical know-how may stem inside, which takes him into the respective
from that period. half-spaces. This brings us to his passing traits
and overall technical quality. Tel isn’t an elite
If we explore his career heatmap, we can see creator. He never was. So we cannot claim this
he’s been deployed everywhere across the is a prominent part of his repertoire. However,
opposition’s half of the pitch. Having been when it comes to link-up and combination play
predominantly used as a winger, however, the in the higher areas of the pitch, he is more than
activity is notably higher on the flanks, as is the capable of delivering quality sequences.
intensity of his actions.
Usually, these will involve short lay-offs or one-
twos with his teammates to access the critical
areas of the pitch. As with everything else in his
arsenal, the closer he is to the goal, the more
effective he becomes. This rule generally applies
to his passing too. Tel can deploy quick one-touch
passes into the channels, which have become a
trademark when it comes to his link-up play.

The following example demonstrates this

almost perfectly. We find Bayern pinning their
opposition back as they advance deeper into

137
the final third and Tel is playing in the left-winger reason we’re pointing them out is that most
role, occupying the left flank and waiting for the happen when he doesn’t have the time or space
ball to get to him. to control the ball with the inside of his right foot
and is forced either to his weak foot or to control
it with the outside of the boot. In such situations,
the chances of micontrol increase. Again, Tel’s
technical level is impressive when put into the
proper context but as good as he is - or can
be - in certain situations, he isn’t a tight-space
monster. At least not yet.

The most impressive thing about this particular But while his technical quality may still need
sequence is the ease with which the pass is refinement, it’s impressive how high his
successfully deployed. While it may seem like a footballing IQ is. Heavy touches are generally
simple ball, it’s far from it. Especially considering press triggers telling defenders to collapse or
Tel plays it first-time. The curve, power and the attempt an interception but this can be used
trajectory are all on point and Bayern advance to manipulate and exploit such actions. Even
play following a single flick-on from the young though he doesn’t do this at a high rate, Tel
Frenchman. Of course, the opposition had knows how to do it effectively. Especially in
already left the area unoccupied but it was still situations where he can then beat his marker
difficult to access. and progress play.

One thing to note when it comes to Tel’s passing, The following sequence is a great example
however, is once again the preference for his demonstrating this trait used to its full potential.
right foot. He may be perfectly capable with his
left but in situations like these, he will mostly
rely on his dominant foot. This isn’t a big flaw
as most players tend to function that way but
is a point of concern if the opposition manages
to manipulate it properly. Again, Tel will use the
inside of his right foot for the majority of these
passes as that brings him the most control. In this situation, taking a heavy touch is favourable
as it takes the ball away from the congested area
One thing we have noticed while analysing his and into open space following an attempted
profile is the heavy first touch in some of the collapse from the opposition. Identifying and
instances when he’s trying to control a pass. then exploiting that space using a single heavy
Generally speaking, this isn’t a big issue but touch to escape pressure is a great proof of a
occasional miscontrol can and does occur. high footballing IQ. For a 17-year-old player, this
is already stepping into advanced mechanisms
territory.

Finally, we have to touch upon Tel’s capacity

for the spectacular once again. When it comes
to chance creation via passing, he likely won’t
In this example, we can see such occasions. The rank amongst the elite. However, he is such a

138
big talent across the board that there is always said Nagelsmann about his new talisman, as
a big moment in him; maybe it’ll come out in reported by Bundesliga’s official website. Quite
the dying minutes of the game or it’ll be a flash clearly, we’re talking about a phenomenal talent.
of brilliance when you least expect it but more
often than not, it will arrive. So let’s explore his goal-scoring traits a bit
further. The next graph depicts Tel’s career
When we combine his excellent physical shots and the expected goals (xG) values they
predispositions with a high footballing IQ and accumulated. Note, again, that we’ve resorted
impressive technical levels, we get incredible to using career stats as opposed to this season’s
sequences like the one seen in the following data as the sample simply wouldn’t be sufficient
example. in the latter’s case. Still, when talking about such
a young player at the very beginning of his senior
career, this will be a good resource to analyse.

In this action, Tel is in full motion, carrying the

ball upfield from a deeper position. Not only
does he recognise the space but he accesses it
following a slight feint to deceive the markers
and uses the outside of his boot to deploy the
pass. Of course, a slight caveat is that this isn’t
his ordinary passing performance. We cannot
and shouldn’t expect him to replicate elite levels
of creativity in every single game.

But as mentioned earlier, his capacity for the

spectacular means sequences like this one are
always somewhere around the corner.

SHOOTING &
MOVEMENT We can see from the graph that Tel has scored
eight goals from 57 shots, accumulating a total of

T he final and arguably the most important

aspect of Tel’s profile we need to discuss is
his lethality. In this section of the analysis, we’ll
8.33 xG in the process as well. This tells us he’s
slightly underperforming the expected goals value
but the 0.33 difference is slim enough to make this
delve deeper into the shooting techniques a minor issue. What does present a bigger flaw,
and the accompanying movement to find out however, is the composure and shot locations
what makes him so special. “I have the vision of these attempts. Tel has a powerful shot in his
that he could score 40 goals [in a season like locker but the main reason his xG per shot stands
Robert Lewandowski] one day in the future,” at ‘only’ 0.15 are the outside-of-the-box attempts.

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If we count only the last 30 shots in competitive Take the following sequence as an example.
football, 12 of those were taken from a distance
and four hit their target. One of them yielded
a goal, too. Out of the last 57, 25 were taken
outside of the box with eight hitting the target
and two rattling the inside of the net. Whether
that’s still a good enough return to justify so
many low-xG attempts is still up for discussion.
To address the ‘low’ xG per shot return of 0.15
– this figure on its own would already be quite While this may seem like a fairly simple action to
good, especially if we say everything around 0.2 execute, the timing, reading of the play, physical
and above is world-class. However, poor shot advantage and finally the shooting technique are
locations or rather, a tendency to shoot from all impressive. Note, however, that the attempt
distance made Tel’s return seem much lesser doesn’t end in a goal but serves to show us the
than it actually is. movement before the shot takes place. Tel goes
from a standstill to a burst of speed in an instant,
Another thing to note is the success of close- leaving the defender unable to track his run and
range shots. The good news is most of Tel’s ultimately, letting the shot go through with little
goals have come from central positions in the to no obstruction.
box, optimising his chance of scoring. The bad
news is that this graph could indicate a lack of The speed and power on display here go well
composure. This is best demonstrated in the with his ball-striking technique but more on that
finishing issues he encounters as there seem to a bit later in this tactical analysis. Speaking of
be more high xG misses than goals in the zones his PnP attributes again, however, they must be
close to the penalty spot. Again, just finding mentioned in the context of his goal-scoring
yourself in those areas to shoot is an excellent prowess. Being more powerful and more rapid
foundation for a good goal-scoring career but than your markers is an excellent tool to have,
the lack of composure is, for now, undermining especially when you’re poaching for chances
the overall success rate. On a large enough inside the box.
sample, the goals should, in theory, be almost
inevitable should this close-range shot location Our next couple of examples cover both of
trend continue. those aspects in direct goal-scoring situations.
The first one is a demonstration of pure speed.
All of this gains even more weight when we
include his elite movement and shooting
techniques, both of which we’ll discuss next
in this scout report. Let’s start with the former.
As we’ve seen from the previous section of the
analysis, Tel’s role gives him the freedom to
roam the flanks and connect with teammates in
the central channels. This dynamic movement
makes use of his exceptional understanding of Just like in the sequence depicting his
the game as well as his physical predisposition movement prior to taking a shot, this one shows
to dominate his rivals. us Tel’s incredible burst of speed from a standstill
position. Note, once more, the 17-year-old

140
is starting behind his markers when the pass but it should be sufficient nonetheless. From
ricochets off of the goalkeeper but still manages those 39 shots, 19 have been on target and Tel
to get to the ball before the defenders. Here has scored a total of six goals. Furthermore,
we can also draw parallels to the PnP transition 20 shots were taken with the inside of his foot,
example from the first section of the analysis scoring six goals, and 15 with the top of the foot,
where Tel had to blaze past two defenders to emphasising power over placement.
get to the ball first.
But let’s talk more about his technique beyond
But the big difference is, neither of these two the numbers. The following final example shows
defenders is even expecting the ball to bounce Tel’s body positioning and leg positioning while
their way, let alone attempt to beat the young taking a shot.
forward in a foot race. Tel, however, can smell
these chances from miles away. Even before the
ball starts its trajectory towards him, he’s already
in motion, lunging to meet it. It’s a sign of very
good poacher instincts.

Similarly, his strength is equally useful in that

scenario, as can be seen in the following example.
Now, instead of outrunning, Tel outmuscles his
marker to reach the ball first. There are a couple of things we’d like to point
out here. Firstly, his chest, shoulders and leg
positioning. Generally speaking, you don’t want
to lean backwards when shooting as that will
increase the chance of sending the ball into
the stands. Instead, ‘pointing downwards’ and
keeping the ball below your chest and shoulders
is a general rule to keep the strike grounded.
Note, however, that grounded doesn’t have to
specifically mean staying fully on the ground
It’s a very similar example but one that but rather, not gaining too much height in its
demonstrates his most prominent traits quite trajectory.
well once more. Another thing worth pointing
out here is again how Tel recognises where the Tel generally does well in this aspect so most
threat is either coming from or going towards of his shots are well-placed with his body in an
and reacts accordingly. This run seems simple optimal position. We also have to address the
but a forward with lesser killer instincts wouldn’t sheer power behind them. One of the reasons
necessarily recognise it in time or at all. Finally, Tel attempts so many outside-of-the-box shots is
we have to talk about Tel’s shooting technique. the power he can generate. There are a couple
of things to note in power-shots. Firstly, backlift.
This is just the icing on the cake that is the To explain it in simple terms, backlift represents
youngster’s impressive player profile. Let’s get how much you flick your foot backwards when
some stats out of the way first though. Given shooting. Again, speaking in a more general
the lacklustre sample, we can only analyse as sense, the more backlift you have the more
many as his last 39 shots in the calendar year power you generate. However, the very best

141
 shooters can generate power with little backlift, It doesn’t surprise that many have already
meaning there’s a shorter window between compared him to the likes of Thierry Henry,
getting ready to shoot and actually shooting. Mbappe or even Nicolas Anelka. Tel is currently
a winger but his future lies in the striker position
Finally, to generate power players have to where he can reach the very elite level. He’s
follow through the ball or rather, translate their explosive, versatile, complete and can perform
momentum through the ball. This can be seen a variety of different roles from being an outlet
in our example as well as Tel almost always and a poacher to a target man or a structure
follows through the ball with his shooting leg. disruptor. His profile is almost unheard of.
Notice that he even sometimes jumps in the
air altogether, using the full range of motion to Replacing Lewandowski will be an incredibly
sustain the momentum. When it comes to the difficult task but one that he will be well
backlift, it’s difficult to say how consistent he can equipped to tackle some years down the line.
be in retaining power without flicking his legs When you add his capacity for the spectacular
too much. into the equation, maybe even sooner.

For the time being, he’s not at the level of a Simply put, the sky is the limit for Mathys Tel.
Harry Kane or Kylian Mbappé, both of whom
are experts at this, but then again, he’s only 17.
His advantage, however, is that he’s very good
at shooting with both feet, albeit, again, the left
has somewhat less control. But it’s interesting to
note he takes many shots with his instep, giving
them a curvature but still striking right through
it, retaining power.

All of these things he does so well - from the

basics to more advanced aspects - are great
indicators of a future elite.

FINAL REMARKS
H ow do you properly explain a 17-year-old is
already showcasing the potential to become
RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

a future Ballon d’Or winner? It’s an incredibly

difficult task at the end of the day. However,
Tel exhibits such an overwhelming combination
of special traits, pairing up physicality with
technicality while already showcasing a high
footballing IQ as well, that this statement doesn’t
seem (too) out of place.

He does all the basics right and is an incredibly

complete player at the tender age of just 17.

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SAVANNAH DEMELO:

THE “STANDOUT MIDFIELDER” ON THE BRINK OF HER USWNT DEBUT

DAVID ASTILL // @DavidPAstill21

143
W hilst many leagues around the world are
only just starting up again, the NWSL
is rapidly drawing to a close, with the regular
won’t dominate possession need to be especially
good at this. With Racing Louisville only averaging
49.33% possession so far in 2022, their ability to
season having just concluded and the playoffs stay in matches relies on them having players
set to take centre stage. As a result, every team, who are happy to work hard and not leave spaces
coach and player is fighting to secure as many open that can be exploited, which, fortunately for
points as possible, hoping that they can still them, Savannah DeMelo is.
achieve their pre-season targets.

For fans and analysts, meanwhile, there is still

the small matter of the end-of-season awards to
think about, with one of those being Rookie of
the Year, and a name being heavily tipped for
that prize is Savannah DeMelo. The 24-year-old
midfielder has shone for Racing Louisville during
another tricky campaign for the Kentucky side,
having been included in May’s Best XI and named In this situation, OL Reign have made their way
as July’s best rookie, and is undoubtedly one to into Louisville’s half of the field, looking to create
watch in years ahead. Her decision-making and a goalscoring opportunity, and the calibre of
awareness around the pitch have proven vital their squad means that it is often very difficult
to Louisville’s tactics as the season has gone to keep them out when they do get into these
on, helping them to show some improvement areas of the pitch. However, Louisville not only
after their struggles last season, and her recent have a narrow back five in place, looking to
call-up to the USA senior squad for the friendly prevent a through ball, but also have DeMelo in
double-header with Nigeria was a just reward front of them as a protective shield.
for her efforts.
DeMelo’s body position is the key here because
This tactical analysis will look at DeMelo’s game she is facing the ball directly rather than sideways
in closer detail, breaking down her defensive on, making her a bigger obstacle for Wales
and attacking abilities and seeing why she has midfielder Jess Fishlock to avoid. As a result, OL
been a crucial player for her team at both ends now have to think more carefully about where
of the pitch. The analysis will also look at the they send the ball, with DeMelo in a position
roles that she has been given around the field, to block any passes that travel in her vicinity,
detailing how she has helped to keep the ball and Fishlock’s pass towards former Manchester
moving and become a player that opponents City Women midfielder Rose Lavelle here is
have needed to pay special attention to during intercepted by the Louisville midfielder.
matches.
However, what is really important to note is that

DEFENSIVE QUALITIES DeMelo doesn’t block the ball and then hold
her position, and instead works hard to help
her team take full advantage of winning the ball

W hen teams lose the ball, their immediate back. In this case, she prevents Fishlock from
priority becomes getting back behind it controlling the ball for a second time and sets up
and preventing their opponents from having a a Louisville counterattack, which leads to other
shot on goal, and those teams that know they players running forwards and supporting the

144
offensive move. Therefore, she is always thinking who has now been closed down and has one
about the next phase and not just about getting passing option left, which is Jordan Baggett.
her body in the way, which demonstrates the Therefore, she reads the game and gets out to
on-field intelligence that her team have come to make the interception, again timing her move to
rely on her for. perfection and regaining the ball for her team.
She has made an average of 4.38 interceptions
per game during the 2022 campaign, and it is
not hard to see why when considering how she
sees and acts in moments like this.

Therefore, when analysing her overall defensive

play, it is clear that she is just as good at ending
threats early as she is at sitting back and making
it difficult for opponents to get shots away, and
this is one of the main reasons that she has been
so important for Louisville during her debut
campaign.
It is by no means a one-off that DeMelo finds
herself in these positions, with this graphic
showing that three of the four blocks she has
made have come when she is in front of the
defensive line, and in fact, she has won 59.5%
of her defensive duels so far this year. Therefore,
it is clear that this is one area of the game in
which she is particularly strong and adding
a player with the ability and desire to take up
these positions and protect the defensive line
is one reason that Louisville have conceded six
fewer goals than last season (34 compared to
40), which shows an element of improvement.

The result of her getting out to the ball is that she

doesn’t give her opponents time to assess their
options — a point highlighted in this graphic,
which details DeMelo’s 42 high regains in 2022.
The fact that there are a vast number of pink dots
here indicates that the majority of her tackles
However, DeMelo is not only a player who sits and interceptions have come within five seconds
back when her team are out of possession, and of Louisville losing possession, demonstrating
instead is just as capable of getting on the front once again her awareness of what is happening
foot and winning balls higher up the pitch. In but also her urgency and desire to win the ball
this case, she has noticed Washington Spirit back as quickly as possible.
midfielder Anna Heilferty on the nearside wing,

145
The fact that 13 of those high regains also led is once again collected by Mathias, who is then
to a shot within 20 seconds shows again how closed down by more Louisville players and
DeMelo’s ability to follow up on her interceptions ends up missing the target with her shot.
and always think about the next phase has
led directly to her team creating goalscoring Therefore, the point being made is that the
opportunities, and this is helped by the fact that
amount of time Louisville have spent out of
these regains all took place in the opposing half.
possession has enabled them to work on how
they manipulate opponents’ transitions, with
Therefore, again, DeMelo is proactive and DeMelo’s speed around the pitch and ability
decisive when out of possession, which has been to read the game once again crucial to this as
crucial to Louisville’s ability to keep creating she is often the one that leads these presses.
chances even when not controlling matches. When considering why she has been so critical
to Louisville’s defensive efforts this season, this
is another aspect of her play that needs to be
factored in.

VERSATILITY
This analysis has already looked at DeMelo’s
H owever, there is much more to Savannah
DeMelo’s game than this, with it being
mentioned at the start of this scout report that
positioning when Louisville’s opponents have she is at her best when in a box-to-box role. As
the ball, in terms of her ability to protect the a result, she needs to be good at transitions
defence, but there is another way that she keeps and capable of working closely with teammates
balls away from her goal area. Here, North higher up the field too, and this is another aspect
Carolina Courage have possession and are of her play that Racing Louisville have come to
looking to move the ball up the field through rely on her for.
Merritt Mathias, but, as the black circle shows,
DeMelo has come out to close her down. The
difference this time is that the midfielder is not
looking to intercept the ball and instead only
wants to limit what Mathias can do, with her
only available passing option now being in-form
Brazil forward Kerolin.

However, because Louisville know that this is the

pass that Mathias will make, they can prepare One area of the pitch that DeMelo is frequently
early to limit its effectiveness, with former seen in is the wide channels, not because she is
Glasgow City and West Ham United Women particularly good at delivering accurate crosses
full-back Zaneta Wyne closing Kerolin down as into the box (only around 18 of her 74 attempts
soon as she receives the ball, and it is now the have found their intended target), but because
same situation, with Kerolin forced to pass back she is calm with the ball and doesn’t rush when
inside as Wyne has prevented her from making it is at her feet.
any progress of her own up the field. That pass

146
Her decision-making is also vital in these The fact that she doesn’t do either of these and
moments, as she has time to assess her options instead plays a good ball through to forward
and needs to pick the right pass, which, this Kirsten Davis, in the yellow circle, demonstrates
time, is back to Wyne as San Diego Wave’s once again how she doesn’t panic when
players are coming towards her and making surrounded by opponents and is an important
it difficult to send the ball inside the field. By player for Louisville to get on the ball, and it is
taking that option, she shows that she knows moments of quality like this that have caught the
when to play forwards and take risks and when eye of USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski
to keep possession and look for another way at arguably the right time, with the World Cup
around, again highlighting her intelligence on less than a year away.
the field and how she can help to build play in
different ways.

The other positive of her taking up these wide

positions is that she draws the Wave’s players
away from each other, creating gaps in their third
that Louisville’s key attackers can exploit, and
two players can already be seen in between San
Diego’s ranks. This means that, when Louisville
want to move the ball forward and create a However, she also has important roles in deeper
goalscoring opportunity, they have something to areas of the field, with her positioning in front
aim for, and DeMelo’s ability to make important of the defensive line meaning that she is often
decisions in possession and create spaces in tasked with starting attacks from the back and
opposing ranks has once again been critical to getting her team on the front foot. Here, Emily
that. Fox has come out of the defensive line and
has run ahead of DeMelo to give her a passing
option, which the latter has seen. DeMelo this
season has an overall passing accuracy of 73.9%
and has shown that she is equally as good at
making short passes like this that help to get her
team on the front foot as she is at sending long
balls up the field and targeting open spaces in
advanced areas, so is a useful player to have
whatever the situation might be.
Since she is now recognised by opponents as
a major threat on the field, she has tended to Again, this shows how she constantly works
find herself with less space to operate in as the with teammates to achieve the best possible
season has gone on. As a result, she must keep results for her team, and maintaining this level
her focus when under pressure and doesn’t give of accuracy regardless of what she does with the
the ball away, as it would be easy for her to lose ball comes down to her vision and ability to read
control of it and either allow one of Marleen the game, as has been a constant theme of this
Schimmer, Emily van Egmond or Christen analysis.
Westphal, in the blue circles, to tackle her or for
the ball to be put out of play and San Diego to
have a chance of clearing their lines.

147
 ATTACKING THREAT
W hilst this scout report has predominantly
focused on Savannah DeMelo’s defensive
abilities and versatility around the pitch, it is
important to note that she is just as effective a
player to have when in the final third too, with When Louisville need someone to get forward
four of Racing Louisville’s 19 goals so far this and offer a passing option, DeMelo’s speed and
campaign attributed to her. awareness mean that she is often the one who
provides that support. On this occasion, Julia
Lester has possession on the nearside of the
wing and is being closed down by Washington’s
Dorian Bailey, so needs to release the ball at this
moment to prevent it from being given away. By
making the run here, DeMelo not only provides
this passing option but also takes Bailey out of
the game and ensures that Louisville can keep
Her main role when moving up the field is to their attack alive, due to the ball being passed
make late runs into the box, often as part of forwards.
the second line of attackers that offer deeper
passing options. This is because it gives her The fact that USA defender Kelley O’Hara felt
space and time to do what she does best, which that she needed to try and win the ball early,
is controlling the ball and getting her head up rather than risk a cross into the box, highlights
to look for options. In this case, winger Jess again how DeMelo poses a major threat in the
McDonald has taken the ball into the goal area final third and gives her opponents dilemmas,
and is now the main focus of the North Carolina and this is another reason that Louisville always
defenders, which is exactly what Louisville want pose a threat when she is in these areas of the
as it means that there is no attention on DeMelo, pitch.
meaning that she can get into the right position
without being closed down.

Once in the right area, she can either drive at

the defenders with the ball or look to pass it
to another player from this position, with her
posing just as big a threat from either option. In
Louisville’s recent match against Orlando Pride,
she was in a similar area and ended up scoring a
goal, combining with China striker Wang Shuang In this situation, she is in a similar area, but this
in the process to take the ball beyond some of the time against San Diego. The Wave have this time
defenders and into a gap in Orlando’s defensive opted to leave two players in the wide channel to
line, from where she found the top corner with block any attempt that she might make to move
her shot. Therefore, the threat she poses in the the ball into the goal area, but Schimmer and
final third cannot be underestimated. Kristen McNabb have made the crucial mistake of

148
 leaving a small gap open between them, which is
all the invitation that DeMelo needs. As the black
arrow shows, she plays a pinpoint pass through
the middle of them and gives Australia midfielder
Alex Chidiac, in the yellow circle, a chance to
shoot at goal from the edge of the box.

Even though the former Atlético Madrid

Femenino player and McDonald both failed to
put the ball beyond Canada goalkeeper Kailen
Sheridan on this occasion, the point still stands
that DeMelo is dangerous even when given a tiny
amount of space and can create a goalscoring
opportunity out of almost nothing. Therefore,
again, she is a key player for Louisville to get
into the final third and they will always pose a
threat when she is on the pitch.

CONCLUSION
I n conclusion, this tactical analysis has looked in
detail at Racing Louisville midfielder Savannah
DeMelo, breaking down why she has been so
influential for her team this year and why she
is undoubtedly a star of the future. The scout
report has analysed several elements of her
defensive and attacking play, highlighting how
she supports teammates and is good with the
ball at both ends of the pitch, as well as the
different roles that she has when the team is in
transition or is looking to build attacks.

At the moment, the USWNT is quite frankly spoilt

for choice when it comes to squad selections,
RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

with so much talent being produced as they look

to bring in the next generation of star players
and continue their recent successes. However,
given that she contributes so much at both ends
of the field, it seems hard to see it being too
long before DeMelo is given her chance in a
USA shirt, and all she needs to do to stay on
Andonovski’s radar is keep playing at the same
high level each week. If she does, then the sky
really is the limit for her.

149
DATA ANALYSIS:

FINDING LEICESTER A NEW GOALKEEPER

DYLAN JENKINS // @DylanJenkins

150
L eicester City’s start to the 2022/23 season has
been worrying. They currently sit rock bottom
of the table with one draw and six losses after
seven games. Their defence, and in particular
goalkeeper Danny Ward, has come under
extreme criticism.
In the example above, we can see how much
Former goalkeeper, Kasper Schmeichel, space Ward has left to his right, nearly the whole
surprisingly left towards the end of the transfer goal. With a free-kick as far out and as central as
window. Brenden Rodgers came out and this one, the goalkeeper should be much more
defended Ward shortly after this, claiming that central as he’s able to cover both sides. Instead,
he was more than capable of being a Premier Alexis Mac Allister sees his bad positioning
League goalkeeper. However, his performances and puts his shot in the top corner. A very bad
thus far have not been up to standard. positional error by Ward.

Through a player analysis, we will find out

where Ward’s downfalls have been this season
and why he needs to be replaced as soon as
possible. We will then conduct data analysis to
compare Leicester’s style of play to Europe’s top
goalkeepers to see who would be most suitable.
Then, we will look at the goalkeeping stats of
the most appropriate goalkeepers to create a
shortlist.

WHERE HAS WARD

GONE WRONG? The above example shows that the Leicester
player loses it close to their goal. At this point,
Ward should be tracking back towards his line

T he Welshman was never really able to break to prepare for a shot. But as we can see in the
into the first team and overtake Schmeichel second image, he stops on his penalty spot,
as first-choice goalkeeper. But the Dane’s giving him next to no time to react to the shot.
departure meant that Ward would finally get his If he’s closer to the goal, it would give him a lot
chance after four years with Leicester. more time to save the shot.

Ward has played eight games for Leicester and Ward’s shot-stopping has been disappointing
has never kept a Premier League clean sheet. this season; however, his passing stats rank
This season, he’s conceded five goals against amongst the best in the league because of
Brighton, and six against Tottenham — not the way Leicester play. But he isn’t the most
great considering we’re only seven games in. comfortable with the ball at his feet as the
Part of this has been his sloppy positioning and images below demonstrate.
decision-making.

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 METRICS
A fter finding which goalkeepers suit
Leicester’s style of play, we will then look at
the best shot-stoppers in the top five European
leagues to find the best solution for Leicester.
In the next two graphs, players marked green
are similar to Ward in both statistics, and players
marked in yellow are similar in just one statistic.

In the above situation, we can see Ward fails to

assess the pitch before passing it blindly to his
left-back. In the time he takes to make the pass,
the Brighton player can pounce on the short pass
to intercept it and win a freekick in a dangerous
area. It’s lapses of concentration like this that can
be dangerous whilst playing near your own goal.
Other than Alisson, the most similar player to

FILTERS AND METRICS Ward here is Villareal’s, Gerónimo Rulli. The

Argentine has 23.36 passes per 90 to Ward’s
24.03, and 27.95m average pass length to his

W e set criteria to find the right kind of 27.74m. Rulli would certainly be adept at playing
replacement for Ward, some similar Leicester’s style of football. He is followed by
players were included in the initial comparison, Stuttgart’s Florian Müller who makes 25.25
like Liverpool’s Alisson and Manchester City’s passes per 90 and has an average pass length
Ederson, but these were unconsidered later in of 27.46m.
the process. The most important criteria were
finding ‘keepers with experience and of a high Wolves’ José Sá and Juventus’ Mattia Perin also
standard. Therefore, our search was contained rank within 10% of Ward’s stats. Wolves would
within the top five European leagues. We then be unlikely to sell to a rival, therefore let’s look at
wanted to find a ‘keeper in their prime, so we Perin. The Italian has started the season in goals
filtered the age range to between 24 and 34. for his team because of Wojciech Szczęsny’s
We also filtered out unrealistic options as stated injury. Perin makes 22.62 passes per 90 with an
above. average length of 28.52m.

We then used data and statistics to determine However, if Leicester want to improve on their
‘keepers with a similar passing style. ‘keeper’s passing ability, the standout in this
graph is Borussia Mönchengladbach’s, Yann
Sommer. Just about making it into the criteria at
33 years old, Sommer has made by far the most
passes per 90 this season with an unbelievable
39.69. The Swiss international has been one of

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the most consistent goalkeepers over the past 34.40% of his goal-kicks and 28.20% of his
few seasons and would definitely be of worth passes.
to Leicester if they can prize him away from
Germany. The majority of similar players in terms of pass
launch % come from elite teams; Marc-André ter
One notable player who sits just outside the Stegen, Thibaut Courtois, Alisson and Ederson.
similarity lines, but worth a mention is Napoli’s
Alex Meret. The Italian has found himself Pau López and Sevilla’s Yassine Bounou rank
tussling over the number one jersey for the past similarly in goal-kick launch percentage with
few seasons with former Arsenal man, David 60.60% and 63% respectively. Silva and Nübel
Ospina. Meret has the shortest average pass also show up close.
with 24.59m, making 17.9 passes per 90.
After analysing each keeper’s passing stats, I’ve
Rui Silva, Jonas Omlin, Édgar Badía, Ionut Radu created a 26-man shortlist so we can look at their
and Maxime Dupé, are all ones to keep an eye goalkeeping abilities.
on too, especially the latter. Toulouse’s Dupé has
very similar stats to Ward, he has an average pass
length of 28.10m and makes 25.45 passes per 90. THE STANDOUT
This next graph will look at how likely each
goalkeeper is to launch the ball when they’re
PERFORMERS
in possession. We will look at their pass launch
percentage and goal-kick launch percentage.

There are only two players here that are close

T he above graph looks at advanced stats to
determine who the best shot-stoppers are.
We look at the number of goals prevented per
to Ward in both statistics, Chelsea’s Mendy 90, this is the number of xG conceded minus
and Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel. We’ll the number of actual goals conceded against
rule out Mendy for obvious reasons. Although their average shot difficulty. These stats show
unlikely to leave a Champions League team, why Ward needs to be replaced, he is the worst
24-year-old Kobel launches 57.60% of his goal- performing goalkeeper within the top five
kicks and 23.70% of his passes. leagues. He faces fairly difficult shots at 0.39,
however, he concedes 0.87 more goals per 90
Two players from the last graph show up here, than he should.
Meret has some of the best stats in these
categories. He launches just 22.50% of his goal- The standout performer here is Sommer. He
kicks and 23.20% of his passes. The second prevents 0.73 goals per 90, however, he does face
player that shows up again is Perin, he launches shots easier than the average goalkeeper (0.22).

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Perin and Rulli both impress massively here too of the penalty area per 90 with 1.29 but has
with the former just coming out on top. Both stopped fewer crosses (1.6%).
face the same difficulty of shots with 0.25. Perin
prevents 0.48 goals per 90 with Rulli stopping Neither Perin nor Dupé have managed to stop
0.45. Radu, Omlin and Provedel all perform any crosses this season, however, they both have
terrifically here too. They all face shots more over the average amount of actions outside the
difficult than the average and all prevent over penalty area per 90, Perin with 0.9 and Dupé
0.39 goals per 90. with 0.88.

Lille’s Léo Jardim faces the most difficult shots Players situated in the top right quadrant
in this analysis with a huge 0.55, this means are above-average in both areas. Previously
that his goals prevented per 90 stat is not great mentioned López and Bounou are located here.
(-0.41). Since the former has recently transferred to
Marseille, we can rule him out of the running.
Another goalkeeper that disappoints is Müller. But Bounou has 0.91 actions outside his penalty
The 24-year-old and his team have struggled area per 90 and has stopped 7.7% of crosses
this season, finding themselves in 16th place. he’s faced.
He concedes 0.12 more goals than he should
per 90 and faces shots with a difficulty of 0.29.
However, these aren’t awful statistics and he’s THREE-MAN
one of the youngest players in this criteria.

The next graph will look at the number of

SHORTLIST
outside of penalty area actions per 90 against
the percentage of crosses stopped to decide
how effective each keeper is at defending.
A
fter analysing every goalkeeper’s shot-
stopping and sweeping abilities from this
season, I’ve been able to compile the most
realistic three-man shortlist for Leicester. We’ve
of course eliminated unrealistic options and
options that have recently transferred. For
example, Sommer and Meret are unlikely to
want to leave their clubs as they play in European
competitions.

Jonas Omlin – Montpellier’s Omlin has had

an outstanding individual start to the season.
In terms of players similar to Ward, Sommer Since moving from Basel in 2020, the Swiss
stands out here once again. He has stopped international has been ever-present in Ligue 1.
9.1% of crosses he has faced and makes 1.57 Valued at £7.2milion, he is the most expensive
actions outside of his penalty area per 90. Being option on this shortlist. He’s prevented 0.39
a fairly short keeper at six feet, to be above the goals per 90 this season and across the whole
average of crosses stopped is very impressive. of last season, he prevented 5.95 goals. Omlin
would certainly be open to a move to a better
Near Sommer, we can actually see Ward, who, league in January.
according to the stats, is a strong defensive
goalkeeper. Müller has the same actions outside

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 Gerónimo Rulli – Rulli has recently been called
up for Argentina’s last games before the World
Cup, proving his great form of late. The 30-year-
old has already prevented 2.7 goals this season
and has an extremely similar passing style
to Ward, in fact, he is the most similar to the
Welshman. He has been criticised for some of
his performances against English teams in the
Champions League, so this could be a risky
option. However, his play style suits Leicester
and he’s had a great start to the season.

Mattia Perin – The Italian spent the last two

seasons on loan at Genoa from Juventus. He now
finds himself starting for the Italian champions
with Szczęsny out injured. However, if the
past couple of seasons are anything to go by,
Szczęsny will be starting when he’s fit and Perin
will be left on the bench again. He may be
looking to transfer for regular playing
time, and at 29 years old, he has
plenty of years left in him. Valued
at £3.6milion he’s the cheapest
and perhaps the best option
on this list. Last season, he
prevented 5.98 goals and had
a save percentage of 73.17%.
RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

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 Editor-in-Chief // Chris Darwen
Lead Analyst // Lee Scott // @FMAnalysis
Magazine Design // Jamie Brackpool // @jamiebrackpool
Senior Editor // Fintan O’Reilly // @FintanFootball

Contributors
Analysis Pieces Lee Scott // @FMAnalysis
Lorihanna Shushkova // @LorihannaSh
Adam Scully // @ascully24 Mak Pakhei // @MakPakhei
Alfie Pearson // @alfietpear Marcel Seifeddine // @MarcelS_O2
Brandon Liss // @brandthebeast Mat Childs // @@_Em_Jay_Cee
Bryant Marques // @bryantmt_ Scott Martin // @CoachScottCopy
Caio Miguel // @osegundovolante Selim Ben Hmida // @mrziguen
Chris Winter // @ChrisW_D Owen Bullman // @BullmanOwen
David Astill // @DavidPAstill21
Domagoj Kostanjšak // @DKostanjsak Data Viz
Dylan Kenkins // @DylanJenkins
Fintan O’Reilly // @FintanFootball Venkatanarayanan Venkatesan // @VenkyReddevil
Jack Manship // @JManship19
Karim Shahine // @karimshahine

All statistics, data and match footage was procured via Wyscout and InStat.
Attribution to carterart on vecteezy.com for texture use.

totalfootballanalysis.com and the Total Football Analysis Magazine

is owned and published by Ronnie Dog Media Comm. V.

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