Thread by @EverydayUnited2

Enzo Fernandez Tactical Analysis⭐️⏳

A detailed deep dive on the Benfica midfield maestro and why he should be the one of the top targets this summer

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Player Profile

Name: Enzo Fernandez
Age: 21
Club: Benfica
Nationality: Argentina
Height: 1.78m
Value: €35m
Club games played: 56

Strengths/Areas to improve

✅Passing
✅Progressiveness
✅Key passes
✅Tackles
✅Pressing
✅Aggression
✅Intensity
✅Creativity
✅Positional awareness

❌/❓Dribbling/carrying ability

Key talking points to the Thread

1️⃣Passing
2️⃣Defensive contribution
3️⃣Attacking input
4️⃣Areas to improve
5️⃣Where does he fit in?

1️⃣Passing

Enzo is an incredible passer. The dictator of Benfica, he ranks in the 99% for passes attempted/completed. Everything goes through him

He can play any type of pass but importantly play it accurately. We can see 23 data metrics here, he ranks below 80% in just one. ONE

🎥1- the DLP position, constructing from deep. The vision is top but excellent execution to progress the ball

🎥2- nice position in the pocket. He takes a touch, giving the winger time to run in. The pass is timed perfectly, Enzo is so clever In these spaces twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Enzo ranks high for nearly all passing stats. Switches are an extremely important part of the Ten Hag system. Creates width, moves teams side to side creating space and can help evade the press

The clip below is a beautiful example. Beautiful ball striking, many examples of this twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Enzo is very composed in the final 3rd. Through watching him I’ve noticed this chipped pass around the box, it’s his specialty

I love how good he is in the initial build up phase & also in the mid/final 3rd. That versatility is key.

81/99/95% for touches in Def/Mid/Att 3rd twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

2️⃣Defensive Contribution

Fernandez is quite good defensively. He is incredibly tenacious, a very hard working player who will cover a lot of grass

He’s a top tackler, putting tackles in each part of the pitch. Very strong in duels, his aggression gives him an edge on opponents

🎥1- very clever here. Pushes the player into a compact area before a great timed tackle. Enzo marks the space before making the tackle

🎥2- excellent tackling technique. The stats show he ranks 75th for Def 3rd tackles. He puts in a huge shift and his positioning is very good twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

🎥1- Enzo comes in for Eriksen & right away we press better. CE isn’t a bad presser but the intensity/aggression from Enzo is top

🎥2- very aggressive pressing. He is similar to Bruno that he is extremely hard working

🎥3- another example but this time his reward is an assist twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

3️⃣Attacking output

Enzo Fernandez offers a lot of attacking output. His stats are good & he offers a lot in attacking moves. 9 assists in his 2 seasons at River plate.

Enzo is compared to FDJ, I think Enzo offers more in an attacking sense & with Casemiro sitting we need that

Enzo is a top ball striker. He picks up nice positions outside the box as the advanced 8, often scoring from distance

He scored 8 goals in 20 Argentine league games last year. That’s a huge contribution from your CM. The below examples are top goals, especially from the corner twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Fernandez is a very smart footballer. Timing of the pass is excellent and the quality matches that. An excellent crosser, picks the ball up in wide areas and delivers beautifully

I love his composure around the box. Weight of pass, timing and vision allow him to assist often twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Enzo is very good in the final 3rd. An excellent creator, ranking 98th for SCA & 99th% for GCA. Really nice as an advanced 8

Gets into pockets near the box & can creates from deep, spamming the box with key passes & accurate crosses/passes into the box. His stats are incredible

4️⃣Areas to improve

I think Fernandez needs to improve on his dribbling/ball carrying ability

We require a player to pick the ball up deep, be press resistant and have the ability to turn and drive forward. This is where De Jong excels. Enzo hasn’t shown this in abundance yet

His stats aren’t great. He doesn’t actually attempt many dribbles so perhaps Ten Hag could ask more of that from him and develop that.

He has the low centre of gravity to do so. He has 0 SCA/GCA from dribbles this year, we need that profile but I think Enzo can develop it

5️⃣Where does he fit In?

Enzo immediately comes into the squad to fight for the 8 role. We play a 4231/433. A 3 in midfield

Casemiro at the base with Bruno the most advanced. Eriksen is a key player in there but I think Enzo will come in. I’d like to see Ten Hag ease him in

With Eriksen there he isn’t under pressure to perform immediately. It’s a similar situation to how Pep brought Rodri in using Fernandinho. I think that would really help Enzo

Having Enzo also means if Bruno is injured we can push Eriksen forward but not lack deep progression

We’ve seen Erik use the 316 build up structure. Enzo thrives in this.

He can pick up the LCB position, allowing Shaw/Dalot to move forward creating better width. The video shows the switch he can play from this position. He can also pick up the midfield zone. Very versatile twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Enzo was signed in the summer by Benfica for around £14m. I think if we are to get him this summer I think it will be £70/80m.

He has a £102m RC but I think we could get him below that. His price will have increased however, after a brilliant World Cup showing

Enzo had a terrific World Cup. Winning the YPOTT award, his passing enabled him to dictate the tempo of the game from deep whilst also showing aggression and intensity that Argentina missed in the early games

A World Cup winner at 21, incredible start to a potential top career

Summary❓

- I think Enzo should be our top target this summer. He’s a fabulous player who at 21 has so much time to improve
- I think he really suits how Ten Hag wants to play
- he is very aggressive and I think he could cope with the intensity of the premier league

- I think his ball carrying is a slight worry. We really do lack a ball carrier in there but the only player on the market with the prog. passing/carrying ability is De Jong & he doesn’t want to come
- FDJ is still my top target, but is unrealistic. Enzo is the next best option

~End of Thread~

Thank you for reading! I really appreciate it and I hope you enjoyed the thread. Enzo Fernandez is a fantastic player and one who definitely would improve the United midfield

At 21, he has so long to improve. What’s your thoughts?

#GlazersOut