AMAD DIALLO TACTICAL ANALYSIS
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A detailed deep dive on the United youngster and why a correct development plan is key to fulfilling his potential
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A detailed deep dive on the United youngster and why a correct development plan is key to fulfilling his potential
The 21 year old recently enjoyed a very successful loan spell with Sunderland in the Championship. His 14 goals & 3 assists propelled Sunderland up the table into the play offs with Amad being nominated for Championship young POTY, winning Sunderland's own version of the trophy
Amad mainly played on the RW for Sunderland, starting in wide areas to receive the ball before driving inside with mazy dribbles to move the ball onto his left foot, always looking to shoot or create. He rotated positionally with Roberts, Amad often playing as the 10 at times
To understand how to develop Amad, we first need to understand what type of player he is now and what type of player Erik ten Hag needs/wants him to become. Currently, Amad is the primary attacker for Sunderland. He ranked in the 91st% for passes recieved for SFC, he is always
involved. He likes to receive wide on the right, touchline. From here, he can cut inside onto his left foot to shoot/create chances, creating 0.7 GCA per 90 putting him in the top 7%. For an attacking player, his retention is incredible but also ranks high for prog. Passes
Erik ten Hag is a positional play coach, he enjoys fluid attacking movement & rotation of positions in the front 3. Amad had that relationship with Patrick Roberts, I'd expect the same relationship to develop with Mount/Fernandes. That must be considered in his development
So what are his options? The first is to stay at Manchester United, I think this is the wrong decision, Ten Hag doesn't rotate often. We can see a clear difference in the game time between the 3 senior wingers compared to the 3 younger wingers. Garnancho will earn more mins too
A loan is the best option. It will allow Amad to further develop his game at a high level of senior football. I think technically he is already there, physically quite good too. He just needs to increase his in game experience, learning the rhythm of games, maturing as a player
Selecting the loan is key, look at the influence of Mowbray & Sunderland on Amad. We need to select a team that requires a player like Amad, allows him to learn/develop key points of his game that Erik ten Hag will demand off him at Utd. That team is Vincent Kompany's Burnley
Kompany lines his side up in a 433 or 4231 formation. I would expect Amad to start on the right of the attacking trio. To fully understand why the loan move to Burnley would help Amad we must take a look at their tactics and why a season playing for them helps him long term
Kompany wants his side to play out from the back in a 3-2 structure. This often involves one of the FBs inverting into a back 3 or into the midfield pivot, mainly this is the role of Conor Roberts. He does offer attacking support but his role in build up can isolate the RW
Erik ten Hag also wants his side to build in a 3-1/3-2, he uses a very similar structure to Burnley. United RB Diogo Dalot often inverts into the back 3/double pivot meaning that Antony can be isolated on the RW. This has been an issue due to his one footedness/lack of directness
However, one of Amad's biggest strengths is his ability to go either way. His left foot is majestic but he is very comfortable on his right too, it offers real unpredictability. FBs can't force him down the line as he is very comfortable doing this too. He likes isolation
The thing with Antony is we know ย that he wants to cut onto his left. The previous video shows Amad going down the line, going to the byline. This ability gives him more chances to cut in on his left, running at FBs, direct with speed. If he gets a yard, he's clinical
One advantage of inverting your FB into the pivot is it allows one of your 8s to advance, almost playing like a 10. For Burnley, this is Josh Brownhill. He is able to push forward into the front 5/6, playing in the RHS to make runs in behind, play passes or link play with the RW
This dynamic is one I expect Amad to thrive with. He loves coming deeper to collect possession, being able to showcase his fantastic carrying ability. The run of the advanced 8 can drag players away from him to allow Amad to find runners at the back. The Burnley Blueprint
I have mentioned how Burnley like to invert their FBs however last season they gave LB Ian Matseen huge license to go forward, creating significant overloads in the left, he is their Luke Shaw, a LB for all phases. Overload the left, Amad stays wide on the RW in lots of space
If I am Vincent Kompany, I will be pushing for the Amad loan signing for his obvious quality but also as a cost saving exercise. Perfect profile fit, age profile suits their squad and zero cost. It allows you to spend in other areas, they must go in again for Nathan Tella
The potential positional rotation between Amad/Tella is an exciting prospect. Both have a keen eye for goal, are good creators but are comfortable in the half spaces, in wide areas and under pressure. Their heat maps are below, they would provide total fluidity, tricky to mark
Amad has already proven he can strike up a relationship like this, he flourished alongside Paddy Roberts. Rotating between RW/10. This is a perfect example of how the loan works. Amad develops a skill at Sunderland, further perfects that at Burnley to use at a high level for Utdโฆ
Erik Ten Hag loves positional rotations, with Amad, Mount, Bruno he will certainly get them. All three are incredibly technical footballers, can play anywhere across the front 3 as well. Add in a CF like Kane who can drop into areas to allow them to run in behind, perfect
A final point of how Burnley are similar to United is their willingness to press. In the Championship last season they ranked first for PPDA, showing themselves as intense and effective pressers. Amad will get an education on the principles of counterpressing
Ten Hag has been pushing United towards a more counterpressing side and the signing of Mason Mount once again proves that. The RW performs a hybrid role, occupying the LCB/LB during build up, a difficult concept. This role is EXACTLY what Amad would do at Burnley
So Burnley are a counterpressing side, who build up in a 3-2 structure, often leaving themselves with an attacking front 5/6 where the RW can at times be isolated so is required to create their own chances through intense dribbling & ruthlessness. sounds like a Ten Hag team to me
The loan spell will be a huge benefit to Amad now, developing key tactical discipline in his game, improving his current strengths & getting plenty of PL minutes. It will really help him to integrate back into Ten Hag's team after his loan spell
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Thank you for reading!
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Thank you for reading!
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