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Ilaix Moriba: Can He Get Back on Track at Celta?

August 19, 2024
Player Analysis, Transfer Analysis, La Liga Analysis

Once a future superstar at La Masia, he has now gone on his 4th loan spell at RB Leipzig to Celta. Ilaix Moriba hasn’t quite lived to the expectations that were set after he played in El Clásico and we are yet to see his best version, but can he find it at Celta? In this article, we will be investigating into Ilaix Moriba and what role he can play for Celta to finally achieve his true potential.

Name: Ilaix Moriba

Position: Center Midfielder

Country: Guinea

Age: 21

Height: 185cm

Preferred Foot: Right

Last Club: RB Leipzig

 

Ilaix Moriba was part of Espanyol’s academy before Barcelona signed them for their academy and stayed there until he joined the first team, though he lasted 6 months. In 2021, he made his transfer to RB Leipzig for €16 million, and after just 6 months he went on consecutive loans to Valencia where he didn’t quite flourish and last season he spent 6 months on loan at Getafe.

 

Before we begin the data analysis, it is important to mention that the data of Ilaix Moriba comes from two seasons ago during his time at Valencia due to his limited game time this season.

 

 

In this image, we can see that Ilaix Moriba does not have an exceptional ability to progress the play through his passing with one of the least precision and the second-least passes per 90. This is an aspect he will have to improve if he is to start at Celta as they are a possession-based side and the midfielders have to be involved in the play.

 

 

Here we can see that Ilaix does get slightly involved in the possession of his team as he has more than 35 passes per 90. This is something important for a team like Celta as the midfielders will have to get on the ball often.

 

 

In this image, we can observe that Ilaix Moriba has a sensational dribbling ability for a midfielder with more than 3 dribbles per 90 and around a 50% success rate. This is not something that is asked of his position but it is something that adds value to his profile and also tells us that he is an agile player that can dribble past defenders. In addition, we can say that he is a player that needs to be given space and is not suited to be a defensive midfielder.

 

 

In this image, we can see that Ilaix’s ability to win defensive duels is not poor but it isn’t great either and is something that can be improved. This is something that will be necessary for when Celta presses as he will have to win his duels against his marker.

 

 

From this image, we can deduce that Ilaix’s ability to win aerial duels is excellent with more than 5 aerial duels per 90 and just below a 50% success rate. This is something that can be put to good use, especially when the other team decides to play long because Celta presses them.

 

 

This chart compares Ilaix Moriba with the rest of the La Liga players in his position in the 22/23 season 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 Ilaix is in the 82nd percentile for assists which is something that is always helpful to any side though he is only in the 47th percentile for expected assists. This suggests that he was fortunate to get so many assists that season and should have had less. Overall, he is not known for having high numbers in his outputs of goals and assists.

 

In addition, when looking at the possession-based aspects we can observe that he is not a player that gets really involved in the play, being just above the average. However, it is true that he is in a high percentile for progressive passes which tells us that his ability to progress the ball is quite good.

 

 

The reason why Ilaix’s progressive passing was poor earlier and now is great is because the players currently in Celta’s squad have an exceptional ability to progress the ball, meaning that since Ilaix is just below that, he is still in a high percentile.

 

Finally, we can identify in his defensive department that he is very good at defending 1vs1 situations being in the 90th percentile and is also in the 80th percentile for tackles and interceptions. This talks very well about his pressing ability as these are both used when pressing to recover the ball up the pitch. 

 

In addition, we can see that his ability to win aerial duels is quite average being only in the 65th percentile. The reason as to why before he was great at aerial duels and now not so much is because Celta’s players are very poor at aerial duels meaning that although he is better than them, he is not necessarily in the highest percentile.

 

Conclusion

 

In conclusion, Ilaix Moriba is a good signing for Celta as he was formed in La Masia which specializes in the possession aspect of the game. Ilaix is not a player suited to being a playmaker but rather as a second midfielder with the freedom to roam, receive the ball and use his agility and passing to get the ball into more advanced areas.

 

 

Furthermore, his pressing is very good with very high numbers in the defensive aspects, which will be very helpful for Celta as they like to press and they can be much more effective with Ilaix in the squad. In addition, his aerial ability may be useful as this is an aspect that Celta lacked and he can offer much more security in the air allowing them to adapt to more teams.

 

Finally, having played already at Valencia and Getafe, he has experience in La Liga and won’t have many issues adapting. For Ilaix, this could be a great opportunity to show his quality as they are a possession-based side that suits him where he can play many minutes.

 

By: Juan Fernandez Valencia / @ScoutLaLiga

Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Eric Alonso / Getty Images

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