A few thoughts on the 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 debate:

-I see both of the formations being used depending on the opposition as well as the availability of our own players.
-Why 4-3-3 works?
We can clearly see that Isak plays much wider on avg. to Ekitike.

Cont.
Isak has always been a player who likes to drive inside from wider positions, the sort of positions you would expect your winger to be in.
He often cuts inside while carrying as can be seen above in the visuals.

Hugo, on the other hand, likes to drive a bit straighter.

Cont.

Adam Wharton or Lamine Camara?

-What the data says📊
-Different profiles who can add a lot of value in the correct setup
-Should clubs like United, Liverpool be interested?

[THREAD]
Let us start off by looking at the basic conclusions so that we can contextualize them step by step.

-Camara has superior defensive numbers, efficiency and volume wise.
-Wharton is a progressive passing monster, with every pass in his locker.
-Camara covers more ground

One defensive midfielder that I think will be a good signing for Liverpool is Eric Martel from Köln.

He is the next Palhinha/Fabinho type of midfielder. Has no flaws to the defensive side of his game.

Post-recovery ball retention of 77.27%. Extremely good aerially as well.

2.56 aerial duels won per 90. Both defensive and offensive aerials.

Has an accuracy of 56.45% as well.

Èderson bid rumour? Let us look at what we will be getting:

-3rd highest Balls Won in Defensive Half-Spaces
-3rd highest Tackles+Interceptions in Defensive Half-Spaces

(Among U25 players) More on the above mentioned points.

What does he offer on the ball?

Gabriel Moscardo is one of the best 6 prospects in the world right now.

It is no surprise that all the big clubs have scouted him. At 18 years old, he came into a relatively struggling Corinthians side and made his mark.

Let us look at what the data suggests.

🧵[THREAD] His off-the-ball ability is great. He has the adequate pace and understanding to make the right tackle at the right time.

In the 1141 minutes he played, he won 22 tackles (1.74 per 90) with an accuracy of 59.5%. He also won 68.8% of his aerial duels at a rate of 1.74 per 90.

Moises Caicedo is a transformational signing for Liverpool. One of the best midfielders in the PL last season, he helped Brighton get a top 6 spot alongside Mac Allister.

2nd best ball retainer after winning it. Only behind Rodri. Barely misplaces the ball after winning it.

Caicedo doesn't shy away from a duel.

In fact, he was one of the best ball winners in the defensive half-spaces last season.

I decided to look at Trent's progression numbers in his new inverted role.

He averaged 10.9 progressive actions per 90 in the new role.

Not a huge drop-off even though he was occupying areas further up the pitch (13.73 otherwise). Pre-Inversion, he was occupying deeper areas, so it was easier to register 'progressive passes'.

In the short period, he has had improved carrying numbers (0.53 pre-inversion to 0.9 post-inversion).

He has also been able to penetrate the box more often.

Cheick Doucoure makes a lot of sense for Liverpool and solves a lot of the existing problems.

Here is some data viz to increase your interest in the Malian.

The 23-year-old is good at retaining the ball after winning it. Short and simple passes to maintain possession.

He was one of the best ball winners in the half-space area of the pitch last season. Up there with the likes of Rice.

He also had the highest number of interceptions in the defensive half-spaces.

Martin Zubimendi data-viz thread.

Zubimendi is someone who caught my attention mainly because his visuals looked aesthetically pleasing.

4.87 progressive actions per 90. All very vertical. He has the ability to penetrate the box. What stood out to me were his passes from the left half-space. A good amount of passes into the box from this area which is exceptional.

Switches of play as well.

Manu Kone, 22, is Liverpool's next target, per multiple reports.

He is very similar to Thuram in a lot of ways. But, he is a better ball-winner.

His retention rate of 79% is almost equal to Thuram's (81%) and he also wins 1.5x more balls than Thuram. He is not a progressive midfielder. This combined with the fact that his defensive numbers are high, lead to the belief that he would do well as a 6.

Khephren Thuram had a Retention Rate of 81% in Ligue 1 last season. He had a post-recovery progression rate of 9.58%.

His retention rate is better than everyone except Thiago and Jones.

*He has played more minutes than Thiago and Jones combined. On the LHS of the pitch, he is an exceptional carrier of the ball. His passing near and inside the box is good as well.