The Best U23 Attacking Midfielders in the Segunda
With the winter transfer window open and the summer transfer window incoming, clubs are beginning to scout the best young players who are showing signs of potential. This is a data analysis to find the best U23 attacking midfielders in the second division of Spain that will be fought over in the summer.
The data metrics we will be looking at are:
- Key Plays/Assists
- Goals
- Progressive Passes
- Passes into the Penalty Box
Furthermore, all the attacking midfielders in the charts have more than 400 minutes under their belt this season.
Using Data to Find the Best U23 Defensive Midfielders in LaLiga
We will begin by forming scatter plots of the data metrics mentioned beforehand, to find the level of the attacking midfielders aged 23 and under, compared to the rest of the attacking midfielders in the league. In this manner, we can identify how they are performing and decide which attacking midfielders clubs should be keeping an eye on. Later, we will find the best attacking midfielders depending on how they perform in the scatter plots and we will look at each one individually.
Key Plays
The amount of key plays and xA an attacking midfielder has tells us about his ability to generate opportunities for his teammates.
Goals
How many goals a player has shows how decisive he is and this for attacking midfielders is key as they are offensive players counted upon to have high figures in this aspect.
Progressive Passing
This passing metric gives us more depth into the danger of each player’s passing rather than just passing the ball forward 5m. This is because this metric only includes more specific passes such as a pass 10m closer to the opposition goal if the pass comes from the opposition side of the pitch.
Passes into the Penalty Box
How many passes an offensive midfielder plays into the box is a sign of his ability to play between the lines and his capacity in tight spaces.
Results
In our final results, we can observe that the best U23 attacking midfielders so far in La Liga 2 have been Pablo Rodríguez of Racing, Théo Zidane of Córdoba, and Sergio Arribas of Almería.
Pablo Rodríguez
Position: Attacking Midfielder/Left Winger/Center Forward
Country: Spain
Age: 23
Height: 178cm
Preferred Foot: Right
Current Club: Racing
Context: Pablo Rodríguez was signed at a young age by Real Madrid’s youth system from Las Palmas, and in 2020 with a difficult future in Madrid he joined Lecce in Italy. After 2 years and a half at the club, he went on a series of loans to Brescia, Ascoli, and now Racing.
The charts show us that Pablo Rodríguez is a decisive player for his club ranking with the 2nd most xG among the attacking midfielders which tells us about his ability to appear in goal-scoring positions. In addition, he is also able to generate opportunities for his teammates and produce key plays frequently.
Nonetheless, his progressive passing is quite poor, telling us that his vision is perhaps not at the elite level yet, however, his precision to play passes into the box is quite good.
Overall, Pablo Rodríguez is an exciting player who can rack up high tallies in both the goals and assists department which indicates his ability to influence a game. However, he must improve in his progressive passing which at the moment is quite poor, and if he can refine this part of his game he will surely reach the elite level.
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Théo Zidane
Position: Midfielder/Attacking Midfielder
Country: France
Age: 22
Height: 196cm
Preferred Foot: Right
Current Club: Córdoba
Context: Théo Zidane was brought up through the ranks of Real Madrid where, seeing as he would have it difficult to reach the first team, he left this year in pursuit of playing professionally and joined Córdoba.
Zidane shows an excellent output offensively having the highest xG among the offensive midfielders showing his ability to get into goal-scoring positions. Furthermore, he ranks highly for key plays showing his capacity to produce moments of excellence.
Furthermore, his progressive passing shows an outstanding precision though his volume can increase, nonetheless, this shows that he has the ability to play dangerous passes for his teammates. Moreover, he shows he can play passes into the box frequently and effectively.
Overall, Théo Zidane has been playing extraordinarily this season given he is playing for a newly promoted side, and if he can continue this run of form, he may be looked upon by clubs challenging for promotion.
Sergio Arribas
Position: Attacking Midfielder/Right Winger
Country: Spain
Age: 23
Height: 174cm
Preferred Foot: Left
Current Club: Almería
Context: Arribas was signed by Real Madrid at a young age from Leganés and was there until the summer of 2023 when Almería paid €6 million for his signature.
In the charts, we can observe that Arribas excels at all the different metrics having high xG and xA tallies as well as the ability to produce key plays frequently. This tells us that he is a decisive player for his club given his high output in both goals and assists.
Furthermore, he has high precision and volume in progressive passing showing he is a comfortable and capable player in possession. In addition, he is able to play passes with regularity into the box and with precision which talks excellently about his ability in tight spaces.
Overall, Arribas has been remarkable so far for Almería and he will certainly be looked upon by top clubs if Almería doesn’t get promoted.
By: Juan Fernandez Valencia / @ScoutLaLiga1
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Aitor Alcalde Colomer / Getty Images