Player Analysis: Youssef En-Nesyri

While underwhelming in La Liga, Sevilla have once again reached a Europa League final, sweeping away Manchester United and Juventus to face Roma in Budapest. At the forefront of their success has been the timely goal-scoring of 25-year-old Moroccan striker Youssef En-Nesyri.

Under Julen Lopeteugi, the coach who had the longest tenure and most profound impact on the team tactically during En-Nesyri’s Sevilla career, the team’s attack was largely predicated on crosses. As a lone striker, En-Nesyri was the perfect player for this offensive approach.

The ex-Leganés man shows smart movement in the box, often loitering slightly behind the opposition backline before darting in the space between defenders at the last moment to attack a cross. He rarely stands still, always shuffling his feet to ensure he can shift his momentum and time his movements to appear ahead of defenders at precisely the right moment.

He has arguably one of the best leaps in football. His sheer athleticism in this respect can often be enough to get the better of defenders, as with a minimal running start he can ascend far higher than most defenders are capable of, as he showed to devastating effect in Morocco’s victory over Portugal in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. This allows En-Nesyri to be a varied aerial threat in the box, as he can both attack the space between defenders or pin one and trust his athleticism to get the better of them.