Thread by @BarcaFront

One transfer that went under the radar is Alexander Sørloth to Real Sociedad.

Following a blistering campaign in Turkey, his stint with RB Leipzig was underwhelming due to absences and injuries.

But I feel he can still diversify La Real's attack. Here's why.

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Standing at 6ft 4in, Sørloth is a giant of a striker, thriving on physical duels and presenting a dominant figure in the forward line.

He’s not a volume shooter nor is he a consistent breaker of lines through runs & movement but offers a reference point for his teammates.

Sørloth can and should be used as an outlet for progressive passing and a link-up between the thirds.

His aerial dominance, technical ability and ball control make him a good asset in both set-pieces and transitions, meaning he suits a vast array of different tactical setups.

He is also quite mobile and willing to drop deeper and drift wider should the structure demand it.

I'll analyse his shooting tendencies a bit more in this short thread to find out more about his finishing, which is decent, albeit not elite.

It's important to note that he is very left-footed, preferring to take shots in central corridors or cutting from the right side.

Sørloth attempted 2.58 shots p90 in 20/21, with 40.5% accuracy. That accuracy rises to 44% when we consider just the inner ring of the pen area.

10 out of his 11 goals across all comps in 20/21 have come after a single touch of the ball. Similarly, eight of them came from inside or just on the edge of the six-yard box.

Six of those 11 goals had an xG of 0.4 or above, suggesting he's indeed a great poacher.

When it comes to shooting technique, close-range attempts are hit with the inside of his foot, while power shots and shots with his weaker foot are usually attempted with the top of the foot.

11/32 shots on target have been with inside of the foot, accounting for 7 /11 goals.

A vast majority of his shots, esp the successful ones, come from the central corridor or from the left.

When he's forced to the right and has to shoot with his right, Sørloth usually takes far too many touches and ends up missing the target or getting blocked by the defender.

But this is where his excellent poacher movement comes into play. Below is an example of his usual goals.

Most of the time, he'll finish from close-range and into an open net like this, courtesy of good movement and quick change of pace.

He exploits the blindside of defenders well and then uses pace to get to the right spot at the right time.

Many may not rate it highly but there's more to poaching than it meets the eye & doing it well consistently takes a lot of skill.

Sørloth is very fast and mobile for his frame and able to manipulate his body well to quickly change directions and the speed of his movement.

The stop-and-go technique often fools defenders by leaving them flatfooted while he makes a run to meet a pass from his teammate.

This is usually a trait often associated with low-gravity dribblers akin to Lionel Messi or Eden Hazard but for a striker of his physique, this is more than impressive stuff from Sørloth.

Below is a great example of this technique in action.

There is much more to his skill set than was revealed in this short thread.

He's incredible in the air & can be used in link-ups well.

For more info on his player profile and what he brings to Real Sociedad, visit the link below.
totalfootballanalysis.com/player-analysi…

As ever, if you enjoyed this thread, like & RT the first tweet (linked below) and feel free to follow for more content like this! 🔥

Also, check out @johansrondos if you enjoy listening to analysis more than read it.

Thank you very much. 🙏

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https://twitter.com/DKostanjsak/status/1435928735199416356?s=20