Aerial Ability (Eye Test) 💪 6ft 4 at age 18 allied with an explosive spring, strong shoulders, on paper complete package aerially. ⚡ Quick off the mark, inside the box - can make the first step and get in ahead meeting the ball first 🔍 Reads trajectory EXTREMELY well and

Aerial Ability (Data) 📈 64.5% aerial duels won 🥅 0.07 headed goals per 90 ✅ Outperform - Araujo, De Ligt Summary: High win rate makes him reliable in defensive set-piece scenarios AND adds attacking threat at corners which could prove valuable for Liverpool in tight matches

Anticipation (Eye Test) ⏱ Often first to loose balls in the box 🏃 Proactive positioning; wins duels before attackers react ⚡ Reacts quickly to unexpected situations, showing strong spatial awareness Summary: Against sturdy big 9s who love to run channels and barge their way

Anticipation (Stats) 🛡️Interceptions, blocks, errors per 90 → better than Araujo 🎈Intercepts well but his tackling numbers are poor - marking section will explain why. Generally he is better at 'loose' defending i.e. where the ball is being played in to an area vs facing a

👟 Eye Test – Dribbling 👣 Footwork potentially better than 'Current' De Ligt under pressure but is it better than Ajax De Ligt? ❌ Can at times look lumbering due to size, after producing a skill move, can he follow through with a composed pass and do it time and time again?

Dribbling (Data) ⚡ Decent take-on success 📉 Poor carrying distance → limited progressive ball-carrying 🟠 First touch under pressure generally reliable but occasional miscontrols Summary: Can he consistently advance Liverpool’s possession? possibly needs a more progressive

Build Up / Short Passing (Eye Test) 🔴Over-hits passes under pressure 🔄 Often bails out with long balls rather than playing through midfield lines ❌ Struggles to progress possession in tight spaces Summary: Not naturally a “ball-playing” CB and under high press, he may be

Build Up / Short Passing (Data) ⚽ 43 passes per 90, will see more of ball in big side 🎯 88% accuracy - solid for age. 📉 Low forward/progressive passing relative to top PL CBs - concern, can he actively break lines with passes? Summary: Unlikely to be a primary CB in terms of

Long Passing (Eye Test) 🏹 Decent down-the-line balls to wingers (Near Side) ❌ Prone to over-hit passes under pressure 🎯 At times hits passes into no mans land Summary: Looks raw in this respect. Didn't see many switches of play, mostly down the line punts, which did reach

Long Passing (Data) ⚡ ~40% long pass accuracy ❌ Lower than Branthwaite or Guehi 🥅 Often looks more like clearance than accurate distribution Summary: Matches the eye test, very raw and prone to 'hoof ball'. Needs to be developed in this area strenously to bring him to the

1 v 1 Marking (Eye Test) 💪 Strong against physical attackers ⚡ Less reliable against nimble forwards 🏃 Can be caught by sudden directional changes 👀 Shows willingness to commit physically, sometimes at risk of fouls Summary: Works well against big target-men i.e. Lukaku but

1 v 1 Marking (Data) ⚠️ Higher fouls & card risk than peers 📉 Struggles vs dribblers statistically Summary: Very concerning numbers from a 1 v 1 point of view. I do think the match ups against physical CFs like Lukaku have skewed perception as to how effective he is defending

CONCLUSION Pros: ✅ Dominant in the air → set-piece stability ✅ Excellent anticipation & reading the box → intercepts early ✅ Composed under pressure → evades initial pressing Cons: ❌ Build-up from the back limited → needs a partner for vertical progression ❌ Long pass

@pythaginboots On YT soon? No sound is killing me. (if there's supposed to be sound on these, I'm not getting any)

@XuluBak No sound. No YouTube. Was just a quick review

@pythaginboots @threadreaderapp unroll

@ShawnieDRedman @threadreaderapp makes it more readable - thanks!

@pythaginboots He's definitely one to develop given he's only 18. Love the comment "prime Jesus/Aguero types would be an issue for him" as any players doing close to what they did in their prime would be an issue for any defender!

@Crackhadlad That was more a comment to help visualise the type of profile of player that would be an issue style wise. FWIW I don't think it would take players that good to cause him issues, just meant similar style to them.

@pythaginboots Next VVD in making

@pythaginboots Your thread is everybody's favorite! #TopUnroll https://threadreaderapp.com/th... 🙏🏼@ShawnieDRedman for 🥇unroll

@pythaginboots Interesting breakdown! @MichaelSmithX9 would probably argue the De Ligt comparison is a little harsh, but you're right about his physical presence. Curious to see if Liverpool's data team agrees with the eye test.

@pythaginboots This analysis uses data from the last 365 days. The other players have seen a huge variety of game states, opponents, tactical tweaks, development and top level game time. What does the same comparison look like against all of these when they had his level of experience?

@pythaginboots @grok summarise this

@pythaginboots As he is 18 I believe he can still make an impact. Konate also struggled in his passing which Slot really improved. I believe Marc guehi partnership in the future can create a strong powerhouse in the future.

@pythaginboots low tackles but high aerials and shots blocked??.. so basically we have virgil’s young italian clone learning how he solved his mistakes by watching the man himself in action?? 😂

@pythaginboots Can u compare his stats to Gomez

@pythaginboots This guy is 19 and you dropping an analysis like he has so much experience as a CB.

@pythaginboots He can be a set piece goal scorer for us✍🏼

@pythaginboots He’s very promising, but for everybody that’s going to talk about him from now on: bear in mind no defender is a “finished product” at 18, they take much more time than as offensive player. You know what I mean by “finished” don’t @ me.

@pythaginboots ik it’s impossible to say, but what past or present player does his potential prime profile closest to?

@pythaginboots LOL imagine trying to throw shade on De Ligt. Pathetic clown.

@pythaginboots What does his defensive partner’s passing data look like? What are they asked to do vs. what you’re evaluating?

@pythaginboots love your work! from what i know, data is such a huge part of liverpool’s buying, i’m sure these are some things they touched on too.

@pythaginboots What other CB's are in his age bracket? Is there a comparison to make there?

@pythaginboots God will punish you for mentioning De Ligt