Lamine Yamal has emerged from La Masia as a saviour for FC Barcelona. The wonder kid is already among the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or at the age of 17. A big part of Lamine’s success this season is his positioning and movement on the pitch. Here we take a look at the youngster’s heat map.
Lamine Yamal’s heat map:
Lamine Yamal positions himself according to the opposition. In the first case, the opposition manager has asked his players to play 1v1 duels to move the ball forward as soon as it is won back. Then Lamine positions himself out wide to get himself in a 1v1 position with the left-back. This allows the winger to win duels easily and get into the space behind to attack. This suits him perfectly, as he is unarguably the best dribbler in Europe this season. Lamine averages 4.5 dribbles per game in La Liga, with a 55% success rate.
When managers realise just one defender cannot stop him, they double-team Lamine. This is aimed at preventing the youngster from having space in the out-wide areas. Yamal solves this situation by drifting inside and dragging defenders with him often beating them. He also uses this strategy to cut inside and score goals, as we have seen many bangers from the youngster in that way.
Lamine Yamal’s shot distribution
Although the youngster is not the best goalscorer in Europe, he is still a big threat to any team’s goal. Lamine is not hesitant to take shots from range and outside the box. But also tries to sneak into the box to finish things off. His shots, as seen in the graph, are evenly distributed in the box and outside it. Most of the shots by Lamine come from the right. However, there are instances where the youngster goes to the left to influence the game and take shots. The youngster has scored 15 goals this season in 5 matches, an impressive record considering his age. In my opinion, Lamine Yamal will eventually turn into a lethal goal machine and break several records throughout his career.
Lamine’s on-the-ball stats
Lamine Yamal is an elite dribbler and carries the ball extremely well. We have seen the youngster so many times dropping deep to collect the ball and drive the team forward. This drags the play from your half to the opposition’s half and is a lethal weapon on counterattacks. As can be seen in the graph, the teenage sensation is ahead of many of the top players in Europe. These abilities can only be predicted to improve as Lamine Yamal continues to mature and improve. In my opinion, Lamine is bound to surpass his idol Neymar as a player and a Barça legend. This season, he might have been met with heartbreak in the Champions League, but it is a trophy I am sure he will lift many times in his career.
