Malang Sarr - Total Football Analysis - Scout Report

      GET THE APP  MY ACCOUNT SUBSCRIBE
GET THE LATEST MAGAZINE
#29 July 9th 2020
May 4, 2020 | Niklas Hemmer-Hiltenkamp |  
Malang Sarr 2019/20 – scout report

For a long time, there was a lack of clarity regarding the contractual situation of Malang Sarr at Nice OGC. Last week, the Download PDF
21-year-old’s agency put an end to speculations and announced that his contract is expiring with the player having no Privacy - Terms
Create PDF in your applications with the Pdfcrowd HTML to PDF API PDFCROWD
intention of renewing it. Sarr has already been a hot stock around Europe in recent transfer windows and there should be
Football News 24/7
no shortage of interested clubs, not least due to the absence of a transfer fee.
Malang Sarr joined Nice at the age of six and made his for the rst team with 17 under former coach Lucien Favre in
season 2016/17. Since then, Sarr has been a regular starter and one of the key players in Nice’s defence. At 21, the left- VIDEO
footed defender already amassed an impressive amount of 102 appearances in Ligue 1. However, this season, he was not
able to consistently perform on the high level he used to. Instead, he rather took a step backward in his development. He
only played 58% of all minutes and even found himself benched seven times.
In this tactical analysis, we will take a closer look Marlang Sarr’s role at nice and his playing style in Patrick Vieira’s
tactics. In addition, this scout report will look at his strengths as well as his weaknesses, and the reasons for the dent in
his performances.
Sarr’s role at Nice Video: How to practice transition

Given that the performance of a centre-back is heavily tied to the style of his team and the according role of the player; it
play like Ralf Rangnick – training
is worth examining what Nice have done this season. Malang Sarr’s current coach is his French countryman Patrick Vieira. analysis
The former Arsenal captain mainly deploys a exible 4-1-4-1 formation, sometimes opting-in for a 3-4-3. While Sarr’s
preferred and arguably best position is at centre-back, Vieira made use of his exibility and also used him as a left-back in
Video: Pep Guardiola’s full-back tactics at
six of 16 appearances in the starting lineup.
Manchester City explained – tactical
analysis
At centre-back, Sarr is involved in the build-up early on as Nice try to play from the back sophisticatedly. They are
generally quite patient and possession-based, tending not to rush and opt-in for the long ball even under pressure.
Averaging 54.1% possession, Sarr’s abilities in the build-up are of particular demand when it comes to breaking the Video: How to practice Gegenpressing –
opponent’s pressing lines to progress the ball. Against the ball, they are not the most aggressive team, usually defending in training analysis
a medium block while occasionally pressing high up the pitch.
Another aspect of Nice is their high-pushing last line in possession of what has presented itself as a disadvantage at one
VIEW ALL VIDEOS
time or another due to poor defence against counterattacks. That said, the advantage is that they have shorter distances,
which enable a more compact counter-pressing. Thus, Nice’s defenders often defend very proactively in high areas of the PODCAST
pitch. Because of that, they also have to bring the required physicality and athleticism to cover ground when the opposing
team overcomes the pressing trying to exploit the gaps in behind. Intelligent anticipations are essential in this regard.
To sum it up, without judging the execution, Nice’s defenders have playmaking responsibilities in the build-up and have to
be able to defend proactively high up the pitch in spacious areas.
Data Analysis
Starting with Sarr’s defensive stats, we take a look at his performances in aerial duels and defensive duels compared to
centre backs in Europe’s top ve leagues. Given his perception as one of the brightest defensive talents around Europe, his The TFA Serie A Analysis Podcast
stats look surprisingly anything but good. In fact, his aerial duels win percentage is the fourth-worst among all centre #6
backs included. Even though we can’t say that the only reason is a small sample size, the numbers from previous season
prove that he’s not as bad as it seems. In the last two seasons, he won 57% and 58% respectively according to Wyscout.
That’s still far from being elite, however, that would push him pretty much in the middle of the intersecting mean lines and The TFA Premier League Analysis Podcast
is a reasonable number at a size of 1.82 m. #6
The TFA La Liga Analysis Podcast #6
VIEW ALL PODCASTS
Just looking at this graph, you might be wondering why any team would seriously consider this guy. And indeed, other
defensive metrics don’t look much better either. Even though, the 21-year-old successfully tries to avoid fouls (0.49 per
90), his true tackle win rate is at only 48.8%. This has not been much better in recent years as well.
Next, we look at his abilities in the build-up. Considering his playmaking duties, we should assume that Sarr is quite
comfortable with the ball, right? This time he doesn’t disappoint us as he is a very decent ball progressor, averaging
11.38 per 90. Additionally, he averages a decent amount of 7.11 passes into the nal third per 90.
So, before we move on: What does this analysis tell us and what kind of player type are we actually talking about? For one,
he has good ball-playing abilities and is able to progress the ball into higher areas of the pitch. Beyond the defensive
numbers we discussed, he appears to be a proactive defender which is in line with Nice’s general tactics. Even though his
pressure output signi cantly declined from last year, it’s still an essential part of his game. Furthermore, he comes up high
for possession-adjusted interceptions (3.19 per 90) based on data from fbref, which is another sign of proactivity.
Flexibility and athleticism
Now, we can take a look at some sequences that paint a picture of his strengths and weaknesses. Sarr’s exibility makes
him especially interesting for coaches who like to change their formation and practice di erent systems. Patrick Vieria is
one of these coaches and already deployed him as a left-back, centre-back in a back four and left centre-back in a back
three.
Regardless of the formation, especially his athletic skills stand out. Sarr has a great mobility, which allows him to
intercept strikers that made it behind Nice’s last line. Due to his space- lling steps, he is able to make up a lot of ground
quickly when covering depth for his partner at centre-back. The same applies when covering for the full-back.
As Dante pushed higher, Sarr shifts towards the right to cover the space that occurred.
As we discussed, Sarr is generally a proactive defender that likes to step out of the last line to apply pressure to his
opponent. He either follows the striker closely or steps out when a player in front of him receives the ball with his back to
the goal. There are times where he reads these situations very well and can eventually stop the attack. These actions are
facilitated when playing with three at the back or as left-back due to the defensive protection.
Sarr closely tracks his opponent sitting at the last line. The opponent passes to the widest player and soon into the centre.
Sarr anticipates this and thanks to his mobility, he is able to intercept the pass and win the ball. In addition, he has
defensive protection.
Although his performance against Monaco included some unforced errors, playing in a back three seems to suit him very
well. The role of a left-wide centre-back allows him more freedom as the defensive cover is ensured. In these situations, he
can carry the ball into mid eld through the left half-space and sometimes even join the attack with deep runs run in
behind.
After carrying the ball into mid eld, Sarr passes the ball to the left-winger. Subsequently, he makes the underlapping run
into the open space behind Monaco’s last line. As he pins Monaco’s RCM, he manipulates the second line cover and a gap
emerges in the centre.
Unsurprisingly, the role of a full-back is interpreted in a more defensive-oriented way by the 21-year-old. Even though he is
capable of acting in higher areas of the pitch and rotate the ball with his teammates, you will rarely nd him at the
baseline dribbling or crossing. Nice basically crosses very seldom and Sarr averages only 0.3 crosses per game as left-
back.
Abilities in possession
As already discussed in the rst section, Nice has been a possession-oriented team this season and many opponents tend
to defend in a relatively low block against them. This means that Sarr and his defensive colleagues have to engage in
higher areas of the pitch, frequently even at the midline. That, however, is something Sarr is comfortable with. He has a
good rst touch that allows him to progress the ball with clean and dynamic movements. He often has the open left half-
space in front of him, dribbles dynamically into it, and looks for higher positioned mid elders lurking between the lines
and o ering passing lanes.
These vertical passes through the left half-space between the opposition’s winger and left central mid elder are one of the
main patterns in Sarr’s game. He is able to break the rst two pressing lines and progress the ball into dangerous zones
before the last line to the attackers.
Another strength is his long-range passing. Long diagonal passes are still one of the most valuable abilities against ball-
oriented defending. Due to his excellent passing range, Sarr is able to shift the play through precise long balls from the left
half-space to the right-wing. These passes get the defence into motion and force them to shift quickly while Nice’s winger
can get into dangerous 1 vs 1 situations.
His passes often have the right height, speed, and timing. However, as we will further point out later, he has a high spread
this season. Sometimes you are just amazed by his range, sometimes you wonder what he was thinking at that moment.
When both things come together, dribbling into higher zones and using his long-range passing, situations as below against
Reims can occur. Sarr takes advantage of the low block that has no intention to press him high up the pitch. You can easily
make an argument that he should do that at a higher frequency when the possibility emerges.
Sarr makes use of the space in front of him and dribbles into higher areas of the pitch. The opponent collapses into the
centre and Sarr attracts three opponents himself while two wide players tuck inside. This creates space on the side.
More often, he likes to play long balls to the left side. Against Toulouse for example, Nice pro ted from a red card. Sarr
often indents into the middle zone to receive passes from the right side and then play an accurate long ball to the left
ank with his second touch. Doing this with the second touch is important to note and brings us back to his good rst
touch. Sometimes these tenths of a second and the clean processing can be crucial to catching the opponent unsorted.
Thereby, Nice could cross two zones trying to nd a gap against a low block.
Sarr shifts heavily towards to right side and as soon as he receives the ball, he ensures he can play the long ball with his
second touch.
When he receives the ball during the build-up on the left side or in the left half-space, he also tends to play vertical long
balls either to the winger or behind the opponent’s last line. This rounds o the variability of his passing, but is mostly less
e ective.
Where does the drop in performance come from?

Having watched Malang Sarr in previous years, I was surprised how negligent and oftentimes unfocused the 21-year-old
has been. This season, Sarr often lacks the right feeling for space and situation. As a result of his improvable decision-
making, he often gets caught on the wrong foot or doesn’t drop deeper to slow down the opponent’s attack and provide
defensive protection. That’s particularly visible in transitions.
In this instance, Nice lost possession close to Monaco’s penalty area. Sarr was pulled out of the last line as he tried to stay
close to the striker. When Monaco solves the situation and shifts the play from the centre to the left, he is way too slow in
his decision making and doesn’t drop deeper. He stands in an empty space. It’s not even the most important that he has an
opponent on his blindside but the duration until he realizes he has to drop.
There are also numerous examples where a small movement of the strikers in uences him and pulls him out of the
defence. In some regard, this is also a result of the style of play at Nice, as defenders tend to stick consistently with their
opponents and are easily pulled out of cover.
Simplest switching is enough to confuse Nice’s defence.
Here, we have an instance where Sarr tries to set the striker o side but is way too late again. Yes, it wouldn’t have helped
anyway because the left-back doesn’t jump out either – but, once again, this emphasizes his slow reaction as well as Nice’s
worrying defensive set-up.
It is also noticeable that he sometimes focuses too much on the ball instead of considering the whole game and gaps that
might occur if he makes a certain movement. This allows his direct opponent to escape his marking with ease. What we
could also see in the rst picture of this section is further underlined below as he’s not aware of his opponent.
At the latest, once the long line pass is played, Sarr should be aware of his opponent on his blindside and start to drop
deeper. Instead, the opponent gains an advantage and arrives in the box rst.
Blindside defending is arguably one of the most di cult parts for a centre-back. However, with Sarr it’s not only that he’s
not constantly scanning his environment to be aware of dangerous situations that might occur – oftentimes it seems like
he’s sleeping and only realizes the danger when it’s already there and almost too late.
Another aspect that struck me is that he tends to become very insecure after making mistakes. Sometimes, after a bad
pass, for example, he tends to only choose the safe option afterwards. Doing that in order to regain more security again is
by no means wrong. However, this often results in Sarr being too cautious and some bumbling errors. This is not only
noticeable in pressing situations but also in the simplest of actions. I’m far away from judging his psych but that’s rather a
lack of concentration or self-con dence (probably both) than missing quality.
Sarr has some unforced errors in his game. Here, we can see him unfocused playing the ball to the left side between his
two teammates which was anticipated by the opposing winger.
Why is he still good?

After this scout report, one could get the impression that it is better to keep your hands o the player: clumsy errors, blips
in concentration etc. However, one should not fall short for the recency bias and not forget the circumstances. There’s
more than what we currently see in his performances and there are reasons why I still think he’s a very good and
especially talented player.
First, we should consider the overall situation on the Cote d’Azur. Nice are not really a stable club. In the last two years,
the club has undergone a major upheaval with many players coming and going as well as a new owner. Moreover, their
squad has an average age of only 23.7 years. Considering his development in recent years and his constant good
performances, it cannot be ruled out that he felt too much responsibility weighing on him becoming one of the leaders at
such a young age.
Additionally, their defensive set-up is not good in general, which brings us back to the second section about Sarr’s role at
Nice. The approach is very demanding and at the same time very risky. If not executed well, gaps and spaces in behind can
be exploited easily. Sarr is just one part of a very expandable defensive structure. Their vulnerability is underlined by the
fourth-worst number of Expected Goals Against in Ligue 1 and the current table is in many ways misleading given Nice’s xG
Di erence of -0.26 per game. In a better defensive structure where he doesn’t have to defend as spacious as he has to
right now, he might do himself a lot easier. That’s indicated when Nice defends in their medium block.
Second, with all the critics and his mistakes in mind, none of that is not teachable. Sarr has already shown that he
possesses all the fundamentals that you’d hope for, including the exibility to occupy di erent positions. It seems like (and
again, this is a vague assertion by myself), Malang Sarr just needs that new challenge in a di erent environment with a
coach that works with him on his weaknesses in a very detailed, but also trusting, way to get back to where he was and
beyond that, make the next step in his career. A dent in the development is nothing unusual for a 21-year-old. However, it
is all the more important to re ect on the problems and causes in order to work on it and regain old strength.
Conclusion
As this tactical analysis has hopefully shown, Malang Sarr is a talented central defender despite some weaker
performances this season. He possesses many abilities that you expect from a modern centre-back. At 21, Malang Sarr still
has a lot of potential and room for development to get closer to become an elite defender and overcome his weaknesses.
What’s next for him is a crucial question. Given all the problems that he has had this season, I would argue that he’s not
ready for a move to a top club in Europe as of yet. An intermediate step to further develop himself, work on his weaknesses
might be the best for him in the long-term.
That said, many clubs that have been linked with him previously have proven track records of developing young talent,
whether Gladbach, Leverkusen, or Leipzig. In addition, they all have highly-valued coaches, all of whom certainly value a
exible young defender. Personally, I hope to see him in the Bundesliga as his style would t very well. Either way, there
should be no shortage of interested clubs even in times of Covid-19. Now it is up to Malang Sarr and his agent to make the
right decision.
Motivated management student with strong passion for football, strategy, and innovations.
Twitter: @NiklasHemmer
Related Posts
Bafode Diakite 2019/20 – Jennifer Hermoso 2019/20 – Javi Martínez 2019/20 – scout
scout report Scout Report report
Toulouse have been struggling in Ligue 1 This tactical analysis scout report will Javi Martínez has been a core part of
this season. They’re dead last, having analyze FC Barcelona Femeni player and Bayern Munich since joining the German
collected merely 13 points from powerhouse in the summer of 2012. […]
winning three games, drawing four, and current Primera Division de la Liga de BY CARL ELSIK | APRIL 27, 2020
losing […] Futbol […]
BY ROFIQ NAUFAL | APRIL 10, 2020 BY MATT DORMAN | APRIL 17, 2020
ABOUT US CONTACT ADVERTISE WRITE FOR US PRIVACY POLICY CANCELLATION/REFUND POLICY
ALL CONTENT © 2020 TOTAL FOOTBALL ANALYSIS MAGAZINE

Malang Sarr - Total Football Analysis - Scout Report

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Malang Sarr - Total Football Analysis - Scout Report

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

      GET THE APP  MY ACCOUNT SUBSCRIBE

GET THE LATEST MAGAZINE

#29 July 9th 2020

May 4, 2020 | Niklas Hemmer-Hiltenkamp |  

Malang Sarr 2019/20 – scout report

Sarr’s role at Nice Video: How to practice transition

The TFA La Liga Analysis Podcast #6

VIEW ALL PODCASTS

Flexibility and athleticism

Where does the drop in performance come from?

Why is he still good?

ABOUT US CONTACT ADVERTISE WRITE FOR US PRIVACY POLICY CANCELLATION/REFUND POLICY

ALL CONTENT © 2020 TOTAL FOOTBALL ANALYSIS MAGAZINE

You might also like