Video Scouting Report: David Datro Fofana (Molde FK)
- Analyzing his playing style
- Physical, technical, tactical attributes
- Current Ability + Potential
- Weaknesses
As always, all comments, feedback, RTs are greatly appreciated and helpful!
- Analyzing his playing style
- Physical, technical, tactical attributes
- Current Ability + Potential
- Weaknesses
As always, all comments, feedback, RTs are greatly appreciated and helpful!
Fofana was one of the most sought after talents in all of Africa during his time at AFAD. He had offers from France & Belgium, but turned down 5x the wage for a move to Norway's Molde. An avid fan of former Molde CF Erling Haaland, Fofana made his debut for Ivory Coast aged 16.
These vizes by @MarcusBr22 (from Aug) and @lambertsmarc vs other Eliteserien players offers a good picture of his overall skillsets and tendencies. He finished with 15 goals + 3 assists, created 8 big chances as Molde won the league.
System: At Molde, Fofana is used as one of two forwards in a 3-5-2/5-3-2. He is adept at playing both as the LF or RF, can finish with either foot (prefers right) & is best utilized as a multi-faceted outlet to initiate + execute transitions. Has also featured as CF in a 4-2-3-1.
Strengths – Agility: one of Fofana's key strengths is his ability to adjust his body orientation + feet very quickly. He often uses body feints or drops a shoulder, and uses that second of deception to go past his marker. Makes him a nuisance 1v1.
This shapes his dribbling. He is good in tight spaces with the ball, but prefers using strength, quick bursts and balance to help him blitz away from players. He does this very often (7.92 dribbles per90), often moving to the flanks from central zones.
Acc. to Wyscout, he manages to keep possession 72.3% of the time when dribbling in the att. 3rd. One in two shots he takes post a dribble is on target. This also ties in to his ability to create separation, crafting time and space for himself to shoot.
Balance + core strength: Another key plus is his ability to endure contact, even when traveling at speed. At 5'11 & 82kgs, he has a robust physique and it allows him to stay on feet or regain his footing quickly when staggered by opponent's challenges.
This is also best seen in his hold up play. At Molde, his teammates often try to find him with long balls. This demands that he control long passes, often with back to goal and/or under pressure. You can see he manages well (+ first touch is good.)
Pace/acceleration: These qualities make him effective at exploiting space. He attacks it efficiently, making off-the-ball runs into underloaded space & chasing long balls over the top to pressure defenders. Makes him dangerous when playing off-the-shoulder
Weaknesses – Movement: An aspect he can improve significantly on is his movement, especially inside the box. He relies on two in particular a) between the CBs/off-the-shoulder on the last line (usually when one CB steps up b) in-to-out runs to receive wide.
These movements have their benefits. A run between CBs allows him central access, and his pace factored in yields good 1v1 openings. In-to-out runs allow him to receive in space on the wing, leaving the central space vacant for teammates to arrive in.
However, most of the space he finds is more out of circumstance than of his own creation. He can appear static at times & also runs mostly in straight lines, making him easy to keep an eye on. He seldom makes micro-movements in the box to shake off markers
Aerial Prowess: Fofana tends to avoid challenging in the air. In aerial duels outside the box, this seems like a deliberate ploy to allow him to adjust & chase the 2nd ball/make runs. But inside the box, he offers a minimal leap, making him ineffectual.
It is a pity since he generates good power and direction on his headers. His athleticism in other aspects suggests he should be doing more to contest in the air; improving his aggression and offering maximal leap should benefit him in the long run.
Awareness: Seldom scans without ball; so often isn't well-tuned to make ideal decisions. Last season, 63% of the times he made a prog. run, he lost the ball. Thinks on the ball instead of assessing options pre-receiving. Multiple instances from a game-
Potential to improve – Link up play: There are glimpses of Fofana linking up with those around him. His back to goal play is surprisingly good and could make him a useful target man in the future, should he improve his awareness + passing in the final 3rd.
Counterpressing: was benched early in his time at Molde as he was deemed inadequate at grasping pressing, but has improved. Had 2.03 counterpressing recoveries p90 (3 p90 total.) Needs to up the quality & quantity of his out-of-possession defensive work.
Creating: Fofana could also develop into a useful wide creator. As a CF, drifting wide + his gravity draws multiple players, opening up space centrally. 8 big chances created (some from nice cutbacks/ low crosses) is a good start and can improve further.
How to use him: Fofana is at his most devastating when facing the goal, or when receiving in between lines & allowed to turn/run at defenders. His ball carrying, speed and strength make him a tough opponent to handle 1v1, even from inside his own half.
It is imperative to allow him to drift as he chooses, whether as a lone forward or as part of two CFs. Other forwards should use the space he vacates to run into. The team as a whole should look to quickly play him into space out wide or in behind.
All 23 of his open play goals have come from inside the 18-yard box. However, a majority of them come when he attacks the box in transition. His lack of aerial presence and movement inside the box could make a sudden transition to the PL very difficult.
Lukaku is a good parallel. Fofana is far better in tight spaces + better technically, but Lukaku is a far better finisher & leagues ahead as a box threat. As with Lukaku, Fofana can be an occasional reference point, but (at present) would be wasted as a back-to-goal target man.
Randal Kolo Muani of Eintracht Frankfurt is similar. Muani plays at CF, loves drifting wide, has great speed & also creates (9 assists in 13 starts.) Muani has 4-5 years over Fofana however, and would be a good player to view as a future checkpoint.
Overall, Fofana fits in the Carney, Casadei, Hutchinson theme of deals. Physically + technically, Fofana looks very promising, but needs experience + game time in a more competitive league. A loan in a possession-heavy side featuring as the lone CF would be ideal for his growth.
As always, incredibly grateful for your time if you made it this far. If you’d like to support my humble work, please consider doing so here - ko-fi.com. Massive thanks to @CFCdetails for the help with numbers. Will get on a @c_nk97 thread next in a few days.
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