Leny Yoro to Manchester United: Analysis (a thread)
▪️ Player Profile/Type of defender
▪️ Strengths, Weaknesses
▪️ Suitability and likely minutes for United
▪️ Player Profile/Type of defender
▪️ Strengths, Weaknesses
▪️ Suitability and likely minutes for United
Leny Yoro isn't really a defender who you'll see engage players often, his strengths lie in anticipation and immediately sensing when a player is attempting to make a run near him, to track the attacker, marshal his run and wait for the right opportunity to make a tackle
In these sequences, Yoro tracks the attacker's run waits for the pass to be played and then uses his strength and body to stop the threat, but the final action is made AFTER he aligns himself with the run the forward is making waiting for the right time
In the 2nd instance, he has gone across to cover his full-back who is caught out of position. He can be seen covering the wide channels as a winger is played in behind to nip in and slide tackle, but again he isn't hasty, he doesn't get attracted to the ball he waits for the pass
As Balogun tucks inside to try run in behind here, Yoro tracks it, so when the ball is played ahead of Balogun, the French defender already knows what he's going to do. It's the practice of being one step ahead, successfully anticipating a run/pass rather than covering it
This will bode well against attackers that like to run in behind and wingers that like to exploit space wide when the full-back is pushed up. As he's a defender who uses his pace to follow an attacker rather than engage early. Where he may struggle is being dragged wide often
On other occasions, whilst he may not make a defensive action early, he tends to get dragged out by a dropping attacker. With the way many teams use this in build-up this is definitley something to be looked at in terms of where teams could target him, exploiting space in behind
I don't think his tendency to go to ground is as much as a problem as the point above because, he normally gets the ball when he does go to ground and has tracked the run well enough. It may be more of an issue if he's covering a full-back wide
At 6 ft 2, he's strong in the air and good in the box, taking on the responsibility of being the defender to mop things up in the box, which under pressure from attackers is crucial
Yoro has an underrated ability in terms of evading pressure, not that he's spectacular at it to a Martinez level, but he's comfortable enough to take a touch and take out players before passing the ball out, feinting and finding a player. He's comfortable under pressure
His passing is the same, it's something to build on but there's definitley potential there, he's very capable of finding an attacker through the lines and may be even better at a long pass in the air. Again it's nothing spectacular but he's able to do it and it can be improved
It'll be interesting to see how many minutes he gets, because he's only had 1 full season with Lille. His strengths are clearly, anticipation, reading of the game and tracking runners. It feels like a signing that has brilliant potential to be developed whilst signing another CB
In the same way Real Madrid sign youth with potential and THEN regularly make them into world beaters. I will say his physicality, pace and ability to track runners in a league that produces so many players that become brilliant for big clubs is a positive
It's a great signing, that can become an excellent one, that will come depending on minutes received, adaptability to a higher paced league, settling into the environment etc
End of thread! Newsletter in bio, would love to hear your thoughts
End of thread! Newsletter in bio, would love to hear your thoughts
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