Creative • Football Analysis • @FCBarcelona player in my next life!
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Joined February 2025
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Introducing: The 5 Locks 🔒
My Defender Analysis Model.
My test subjects:
> Josh Acheampong. Jérémy Jacquet.
5 Locks, split into 3 parts:
> Perception: Awareness, Decision
> Execution: Approach, Duel
> Diagnosis: Recovery
It will aim to teach you where to look and how to look, and the detailed actions that come before and after it.
Let's see how they defend each lock 🧵
BECK retweeted
1 of the many Josh Acheampong specials.
The darting curve carry into the open space, beating the press before it can even come.
Like a run-route from a NFL receiver almost.
Difference is Josh has a ball at his feet.
From that carry alone, notice:
> How he helped Palmer lose his marker
> Consequently opening the space for Palmer to make that pass.
> How quickly it went from the first phase to the final third as well.
Most defenders would have stopped there and passed it to Palmer with his marker still on him and press arriving.
That is what I want people to see.
Acheampong's ball-carrying ability is so impressive.
Look at how he sets up this carry. A tiny first touch, followed by a much bigger one that catches Tel in the middle of his press.
Tel is already moving towards him, but Josh's touch suddenly forces him to change direction. With his momentum carrying him the other way, he can't adjust quickly enough.
Josh gets to the ball first, uses his long stride to push it past Tel and drives into the centre of the pitch.
BECK retweeted
Football, and life in general, is a journey beyond natural talent and skill.
80% of it has to do with the power of the mind.
I’ve said it before but what people are often controlled by is their perception of themselves.
Love the fact that this was his victory tweet. So simple yet very profound. Congratulations Harry!
1 of the many Josh Acheampong specials.
The darting curve carry into the open space, beating the press before it can even come.
Like a run-route from a NFL receiver almost.
Difference is Josh has a ball at his feet.
From that carry alone, notice:
> How he helped Palmer lose his marker
> Consequently opening the space for Palmer to make that pass.
> How quickly it went from the first phase to the final third as well.
Most defenders would have stopped there and passed it to Palmer with his marker still on him and press arriving.
That is what I want people to see.
Acheampong's ball-carrying ability is so impressive.
Look at how he sets up this carry. A tiny first touch, followed by a much bigger one that catches Tel in the middle of his press.
Tel is already moving towards him, but Josh's touch suddenly forces him to change direction. With his momentum carrying him the other way, he can't adjust quickly enough.
Josh gets to the ball first, uses his long stride to push it past Tel and drives into the centre of the pitch.
Football, and life in general, is a journey beyond natural talent and skill.
80% of it has to do with the power of the mind.
I’ve said it before but what people are often controlled by is their perception of themselves.
Love the fact that this was his victory tweet. So simple yet very profound. Congratulations Harry!
5 subtle thoughts post PSG and Madrid 💭
1. Too many stupid mistakes. The last 10 minutes of the tight games are where you make or break, and we broke twice. There's no excuse for the team. Every team is tired.
2. In possession: We played well against PSG (especially the 2nd half), much less so against Madrid. But in both games we often couldn't solve or adapt to either press.
3. Out of possession: When it was our turn to hunt and press, everything was slow and a beat late. The distances were far. It was too easy to play past us, and we couldn't win many second balls.
4. Against teams of this quality, we have to improvise and adapt on both sides of the ball as the game state shifts. That starts with the first phase, which HAS to solve itself:
> We have to integrate Frenkie
> Remove the 10 to improve our defending
> Ask Rodri to wake up
> Go back in for Bastoni, and the same time ask if Upamecano likes sunny catalonia
5. Aston Villa will be a similar challenge in game state and pace, and we'll see if Flick implements ways to help the team adapt. We should beat them with our quality regardless. It would be a real concern if we lose that one too.
All that said, I'm calm. And I'd advise Culers to think in longer perspectives, not just the last 7 days.
Most of our gaps are fixable with the players we currently have.
And hating on individual players for a team failure is just lazy thinking.
Frenkie de Jong.
Barça’s Right-Sided Dynamics Unlocked.
The return of FDJ has sparked many debates on how he can be used. In this 3-part thread, I’ll decipher how I think he can be a new superpower for us, through:
> In Possession: The 1st Phase
> In Possession: The 2nd and 3rd Phase
> Out of Possession (OOP)
Thread 🧵
Next, let’s talk about how to unleash Frenkie de Jong in the middle and final phases of our game.
I want to specify that my ideal midfield 3 is Pedri/Rodri/Frenkie. Which eliminates the 10. And truthfully, it does not hurt me to lose Olmo. Fermín, yes. But here is why:
Technically and physically, RCM Frenkie is a new superpower for the entirety of our right flank, attack amd midfield:
> You want to keep the ball? You have the holy trinity of Pedri/Rodri/Frenkie in the middle. When fully fit, no midfield in the world can technically chat with us.
> You want someone to carry past 3–4 people and play a final pass into Raphinha? Or hit undefendable crosses and outside-of-the-boot passes in zone 15 for our forwards to crash the box? You have FDJ.
Similar to how Modrić does it. (View attached video reference below)
> Believe me, FDJ is an underrated shooter of the ball. He can shoot that shit too.
> Most crucially, you want someone with intuitive chance-creation combinations with Yamal in the final third, giving Yamal more freedom to move centrally and exploit defenses? You have FDJ.
And this will be the biggest new dynamic.
Why? When I watch our games, I feel like our right side is very underutilized and crying out for a new dynamic like FDJ, whose capable of underlapping runs to hit perfect crosses, or driving inside to pass for an open shot. Something our RBs have had no success in achieving due to their own limitations.
Athletically, in making runs or stop-and-go actions, FDJ is also one of very few in our team with that explosive dynamic too. (View attached video reference below)
So where does this leave our RB? Waiting in a good rest-defense position to counter-press, or being an option to play the ball to when we need to regroup, retain possession, and attack again.
With that, we will have a much better structure offensively and defensively. And if you want to press and defend against the best, FDJ will be there, which leads to my last point.
Now that I’ve shown you how Frenkie improves us in every phase of possession, I will show you why he is the best defensive addition to our team OOP.
And this holds in every phase out of possession.
How?
When it comes to being the hunters, whether in pressing high or defending deep, FDJ is athletically the best defender we have in midfield. He can fill multiple roles: lock down the opposition’s best outlets, win the duel, and instantly carry it straight into transition.
He’ll also allow us structurally to be a lot more compact in distance, hunting athletically and intelligently with an intensity we haven’t reached.
When 1 of FDJ or Pedri is attacking, you always have 2 sitting behind to lock down the center, compared to leaving a lone pivot completely isolated.
Against the best teams and players, that structural stability in a 3-man midfield, plus 1 of Espart/Gavi inverting in and out of possession, is what gives us the ultimate balance to win in any game state.
When it comes to being the hunters, whether pressing high or defending deep, FDJ is athletically the best defender we have in midfield. He can fill multiple roles: lock down the opposition’s best outlets, win the duel, and instantly carry it straight into transition.
Lastly, Olmo and Fermín are great, but they are not KDB worthy of the massive defensive sacrifice this team has to endure. Especially Olmo.
That’s the easiest way for me to put it.
I end by hoping I’ve convinced you that eliminating the 10 is well worth it, and that the total footballer Frenkie de Jong should, and would, be unlocked in our team this season.
The current conditions and age are perfect for FDJ to have his extraterrestrial years that will define his legacy.
Time to cement your legacy, Frenkie! 🔵🔴
This is our starting RB.
And a player who will play for us for a very long time.
He is potentially a best in-the world RB. And I am beyond impressed by this performance and specifically by these 4 points:
> How quickly could he adjust his feet to mirror the attackers' movements, anticipate their next action and execute the winning duels and blocked shots?
> Look at the runs he initiated and followed through that progressed play from nothing at 1:15 and 2:00. What perception to spot those runs when there was nothing on.
> How fast was he able to travel from the first phase to his attacking half too? No one could keep up with his burst of acceleration. And forget beating the press, he brought us back into the game single-handedly for god sake!
> Lastly, what on earth was that athleticism to match and overpower Kvara? Who only happens to be one of the best wingers/forwards in the world by the way.
With that said, I believe that Xavi should stay at RB, because for him there is close to no angle bias from RB in mobility and his passing.
See how many passes he could progress, and how easily he moved from releasing to receiving at angles where he could continue the play immediately, like how he scored his goal.
And the fact that he could, and constantly looked to, progress play is a baseline I'd want in every game, because the issue with many of our defenders is not being able to self-progress play in the first phase under pressure.
I know people want him in midfield, and he could play there without a doubt. But I see why Flick compared him to the Phillip Lahm, who in many aspects is the perfect FB and utility man which I think is a profile that best suits Xavi to emulate.
What a gifted athlete. What composure, anticipation and execution displayed in the biggest games of his career so far.
Xavi Espart, you have rocked my world.
Additional analysis:
If he had followed through on his first touch at 1:34, it would have essentially stopped us conceding Doué’s goal (though the real fault lies with Yamal’s turnover).
But I think he has the capability to unlock this execution with ease, and it’s one of the premium ways to break any counter-press.
Would help us greatly as well.
This perfectly explains what I have been calling this group of players: Nomad 10s.
Natural attackers who can solve any phase of the game by self-creating undefendable passing angles or carries that go through any press or defence.
You can't prepare for such players, because with them it's pure anticipation + intuition.
They will execute the unthinkable pictures you cannot visualise in your head prior.
It will look physically impossible to execute as well but they will make it look easy and fast, in a way your body cannot mirror.
Olise and Dembele are the closest to being Nomad 10s in the modern game, but Yamal is physically the most similar to Messi and Neymar in moving with the same balance and looseness.
Then there's Mbappe, the 1 outlier outside the group I'd still rate among the best in the world.
Him and Ronaldo before him are singular in their own way. Especially Ronaldo.
Why? Continue reading 👇
Ronaldo/Mbappe are your freaks-of-nature winger-forwards, who can consistently match the output of Messi/Neymar/Yamal, but outside the final third they are nowhere close in "self-creating" football to the latter.
Especially Mbappe. Even 9s like Benzema, Rooney and Suarez offer more outside the final third.
Ronaldo though is a different story. I'd still pick Ronaldo over any of the 9s and even Neymar, because pre-2015 Ronaldo is the most devastating attacker I've ever seen next to Messi.
He could play on both wings and as a CF, drop deep to play 1-2s, launch rapid counters, make unstoppable runs in behind, and shoot from anywhere in his attacking half.
Physically and intellectually, he could force everything his way, why he is singular in that aspect. The perfect attacker with sheer will to score goals.
And that's the beauty of football.
Lamine Yamal will be the most influential athlete in the world for the next 10+ years.
And for many good reasons beyond just being the best footballer in the world.
Yamal is a realist who is confident in his abilities, himself and about life in general.
That's what I think when I hear him speak, and why I said what I said in my opening line.
The right kind of influence that the current and next generation need and will adore.
So proud and blessed that I get to support this young man as my club's leading man right after Messi.
Keep flying, son ❤️
Upamecano’s evil twin. Josh Acheampong.
What I want people to first understand is that there should have been no goal from this action.
In fact, in most situations, this would have been a transition and goal opportunity for the opposition. There was absolutely no awareness in that pass from Caicedo.
But look at how athletically easy it was for Josh to just win it back— to holding his own whilst shrugging off the opposition, setting his feet, and finding that pass through the half-space into the right channel. All in just 7 seconds too.
Along with Upamecano, he has the most gifted pair of legs amongst all defenders for duelling and tackling. Their elite hip mobility allows them to fluidly mirror an attacker”s movements, accelerating and decelerating instantly to match the distance.
This rare elasticity also enables them to execute precise tackles from incredibly difficult angles. Even more special when you consider how tall they are, particularly Josh.
Then consider the sheer ZOI both have across the entire right side of the pitch, in offence and defence. Both can play RCB or RB against your best forwards with ease whilst playing passes like the one you saw above, across the attacking half.
Athletic titans who allow the impossible to be possible.
Why evil twin though? Because once Josh refines himself physically in the coming years and develops a complete passing package, he will ascend into the Van Dijk and Saliba realm of defenders.
Leão oh Leão.
You were meant to be part of this group too.
When I look at any player, I think about the limits of possibilities they can conjure on the pitch → from their technical/positional prowess to how physically gifted they are.
And Leão is one of the most complete forward profiles I have ever seen.
In his age range, only Mbappé (who is physically superhuman) is really above him.
An attacker who should be impossible to defend because he has every tool to unlock whatever you need from a forward.
He is beyond a touchline winger/carrier for those who think of him as just that. The way you see Gordon being applied at Barça now, Leão is, and should have been, the perfect version of that:
A winger that can go both ways, but also has the applications to be a “wingfielder”, 9 and false 9.
Like how Leão is quick in tight spaces and can carry over long distances, make runs behind, eat 1v1s and shoot with both feet. Being 6'2" allows him to crash the box and score headers or rebound tap-ins as well. Easily the best physique for pressing OOP too.
The possibilities are just limitless with him, SO WHY are we NOT seeing it?
There are just too many factors apart from actually playing football. Timing, mental state, behaviour, team, injuries etc.
And if you saw how Cherki was discussed by the City board, I cannot imagine how much worse Leão’s reputation must be for him to have ended up in Turkey, even if it’s untrue.
But Leão could certainly have done more himself on the pitch to prove his willingness and worth through different applications.
Because, like I said above, he has the ability to achieve it all.
Which is why, if anyone in the current game can have that Dembélé arc, it’s Rafa Leão.
And I really hope he can have it. It’s for the good of football.
⭐️ Rafa Leão: “I hope Lamine Yamal wins the Ballon d’Or and big trophies with Barça”.
“He is among the best in the world, he’s someone I really appreciate as a player and person. He’s surrounded by good players at an extraordinary club”, told @TNTSportsBR.
How good was young Van Dijk?
Find out through: The 5 Locks 🔒
In this game, Van Dijk achieved the 5 locks by displaying most of the required actions in each lock. And Celtic still lost 6-1.
Always remember this, the less you see a defender/defence in defensive situations, the better. It means your team is in control and making fewer mistakes.
But in a game like this, where Celtic faced a far superior Barcelona, they were prone to many defensive situations:
To start, look at how quickly Van Dijk could recover, staying clear-headed even with his goal wide open, to react and block Pedro's shot.
A good defender should always be in range of the space he needs to reach for these last-ditch tackles and sprints.
In the next 2 tweets, we'll see how Van Dijk achieved the other 4 locks.
Signs of what was to come were there🧵
Awareness and Decision:
Analysing a defender’s perception of his surroundings.
In the first clip, Van Dijk is defending a transition. You can see his excellent awareness of his space, with Xavi on his blind side, and his decision to stall Neymar rather than commit. Why?
This blocks the goal and makes Neymar hesitate. How he then got to Xavi immediately was perfect anticipation and timing. He knew in his head what the next action was if Neymar passed the ball.
In the second clip, notice how Van Dijk doesn’t lose concentration and sight of Alexis Sánchez, and decides to turn and run with him as the ball is played out of his direction. Why?
This is because he anticipated the 1-2 and committed to his decision whilst aware that the rest of his defence was in line range to defend the other Barça players.
These 2 clips showed how Van Dijk’s high awareness allowed him to anticipate and make the correct decisions to stop 2 clear goals from being conceded.
Approach and Duels:
Analysing how well a defender executed his defensive actions.
Goal-side runs: In the first clip, notice how Van Dijk makes his approach towards blocking the goal rather than going at Neymar directly.
Why? The distance towards goal is usually shorter, and he can block the attacker’s sight of goal. In this case he got there quickly enough to win the duel outright.
Braking and angles: In the second clip, look at how Van Dijk doesn’t dive in on his approach to Tello. He back-steps in a slow brake, staying side-on in a jockey. Why?
This stance lets him 1) pivot and defend the space the attacker is going to run into, 2) make the attacker hesitate and 3) steer him onto his weaker foot. And what happens next? Van Dijk quickly wins the duel.
Body placement: Look at how clean and stable he was in winning da duel as well: Perfect amount of left foot/arm to push off the attacker.
These 2 clips showed how a Van Dijk was confident yet always patient in his approach to be victorious in defensive situations.
If you remember 2018-2022 Van Dijk, you’d remember how he defended with vicious conviction and a smirk on his face.
