After a sensational loan spell in 2019/20 at Leganés, Óscar Rodríguez left Real Madrid and joined Sevilla for €13.5 million from Real Madrid. However, he hasn’t quite reached the expectations that were set for him and has gone on loan to Celta and to Getafe twice, but he hasn’t been important in any of those teams. Nonetheless, now he is heading back to recently promoted Leganés which is where he showed his exceptional technical attributes. In this article, we will be investigating Óscar Rodríguez and if he can shine for Leganés.

Name: Óscar Rodríguez

Position: Attacking Midfielder/Left Winger

Country: Spain

Age: 26

Height: 174cm

Preferred Foot: Right

Last Club: Sevilla

Óscar began his career in Real Madrid’s academy and in 2018 went on loan to Leganés for two seasons. There, he excelled which led to Sevilla paying €13.5 million to sign him, and after just 6 months he went on loan first to Getafe, then to Celta, and finally to Getafe once more where he played last season.

In this image, we can observe that Óscar’s ability to get into goal-scoring positions is impressive as he has far more xG than Francisco Portillo. In addition, he has also scored many goals highlighting his ability to convert his xG into goals. This is something that can be very useful for Leganés, especially in the First Division.

Unlike his goal output, we can see that Portillo has far superior numbers in terms of xA and assists which tells us that Óscar is a player that has more of a goal-scoring instinct rather than to generate opportunities.

In this image, we can observe that Óscar’s dribbling is impressive with more than 3 dribbles per 90 and more than a 50% success rate. This suggests that Óscar is quite good at dribbling which is something that adds value to his profile allowing him to play on the wing as well. For Leganés, this is something that can be very useful as he will be exposed to 1vs1 situations on the counter.

As we can see in this image, Óscar is far less involved in his team’s possession with far fewer passes than Portillo, and will have to change this if he is to be a major influencer when Leganés do have possession. However, this may be influenced by the system in which each team plays.

This chart compares Óscar Rodríguez with the rest of the La Liga players in his position using percentiles in different aspects of the game. The percentiles work in the way that whatever the number, he is better than that percentage of players. If it is 70, he is better than 70%.

In this chart, we can see that Óscar is in high percentiles for goals scored, expected goals, and expected assists, as well as actions leading to shots. This data suggests that he is decisive for his club with high values in these aspects and is something that can be very useful for Leganés in their first season back in the First Division.

When looking at the possession-based aspects we can see that he does not excel in passes attempted and those completed suggesting that he must improve this aspect if he is to be important for Leganés when in possession. Nonetheless, we can observe that he is in the 80th percentile for successful take-ons, showcasing his ability to dribble past defenders.

Finally, in the defensive aspects, we can see that he is exceptional at defending 1vs1 situations which may be useful if he is used on the wing. In addition, he does not lack in blocks or tackles + interceptions which shows a dedication to the defense which is important for Leganés as he may be defending for large portions of matches.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Óscar is a great signing for Leganés as he can fit Leganés’ style of play quite well, though he would have to increase his pass volume to be the perfect replacement for Portillo. Nonetheless, he adds depth in a position that lacked players and adds a lot of quality to the side seen in his dribbling and xG and xA outputs which can be very useful throughout the season. In addition, he has experience in Spain’s top-flight which is important for an inexperienced side like Leganés.

By: Juan Fernandez Valencia / @ScoutLaLiga

Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Pressinphoto / Icon Sport