International tournaments are where legends are born. There are countless examples of players dazzling at international level with the knock-on effect being either a big transfer or a renewed impressive form at their current club. Jill Roord has impressed wherever she’s played thus far in her career, and she hasn’t even reached her peak years yet. This scout report will provide a tactical analysis that will paint a clearer picture of the type of player she is and what she offers the Dutch side’s tactics heading into Euro 2022, with an analysis of all key aspects of her game.
Background
The 25-year-old is a versatile midfielder, currently playing for Wolfsburg in the Frauen-Bundesliga. With a CV that boasts some famous previous clubs such as FC Twente, Bayern Munich and Arsenal, she is a well-established key figure of any team she steps into and could play a huge part in the Netherlands’ Euro 2022 campaign.
In the latest campaign, she helped her side win the league title, losing just once in 22 games, scoring 82 times along the way. While her natural and most regular position is central midfield, she can play there in several roles, from box-to-box to an attacking midfielder. She also has experience playing on the left flank on an attacking line. From these positions, Roord has contributed 16 goals and six assists from 34 games in all competitions for Wolfsburg — form she will hope to carry through to this summer.
Data Analysis
The data set above gives us a clearer indication of her importance at club level. When comparing her stats from this season against the league average, there are many areas in which she excels, especially when it comes to passing — and not many areas that should be considered weak spots.
In attacking metrics, her points of excellence fall within areas such as non-penalty goals per 90 (0.51), shots per 90 (3.05), offensive duels won % (33.21%) and successful dribbles % (60.29%). In all of these areas, Roord has shown exceptional talent and consistency which have made her a vital part of Wolfsburg this season. The numbers suggest a talent and good level of aggressiveness in the final third, while the percentile ranks for each of these metrics compared to the league median cement this.
However, there are some areas that don’t possess such strong numbers, with touches in the box per 90 (2.29) and dribbles per 90 (3.46) standing out in that regard. When considering those numbers next to the percentile ranks, it gives a clearer idea of her playing style and perhaps aren’t direct weaknesses at all. For example, the dribbles per 90 rank may have been low, but her dribble success rate is exceptional, suggesting she has good timing and decision-making when it comes to making a dribble attempt. Meanwhile, the low rank for touches in the box per 90 suggests that Roord is more present and also more effective outside of the box, acting as a player to link play up between midfield and attack rather than being on the end of it.
Judging by her data in passing metrics, it looks as though Roord’s forte is passing. Areas like accurate forward passes % and accurate passes % display a strong consistency in a range of passing, suggesting both an ability to help her team progress an attack but also to retain possession when necessary. We can see that her involvement is high as well thanks to metrics like passes per 90 (43.25), passes to final third per 90 (5.08), and progressive passes per 90 (4.93). All of these high-ranking passing metrics tell us that Roord is present in a high number of her team’s moves. On the other end of the rankings, key passes per 90 might be an area in which she wants to improve as she only averages 0.3 per 90.
When analysing her defensive data, we can see that while she does contribute strongly in some areas, some metrics paint a clearer picture of her position and role in midfield, and it isn’t a defensive one. She impresses in metrics like duels won % (42.3%), aerial duels won % (46.3%), PAdj interceptions (3.65) and PAdj sliding tackles (0.67), all of which suggest she is aggressive when required and capable of breaking up play in important spaces, as well as competing effectively in the air. However, she ranks low in metrics such as aerial duels per 90 (2.85), defensive duels per 90 (5.59), defensive duels won % (63.64%), shots blocked per 90 (0), and fouls suffered per 90 (0.71). When looking at some of these stats more closely, the first two mentioned are a low number of attempts on average but as we discussed previously, her win percentage is impressive. The other low-ranking metrics may be more to do with Roord’s position and role rather than defensive ability, especially when considering her other defensive data.
Attacking phase
Since Jill Roord’s contributions occur more frequently in an attacking sense, we will analyse her offensive play first. We will be taking a look at the positions she takes up to support attacks, as well as how her high level of passing ability helps her team. As you will see in the analysis below, she has a clever ability to locate small pockets of space and use them to her advantage and often bringing the opponent out of position. Her vision allows her to progress attacks with speed and precision.
This first example shows Roord taking up a position in between the opposition midfield and defensive lines in an attempt to use herself as an option to link up the play. Her positioning and body shape provides several possible next moves — she could turn out and play the ball to a teammate on the left, control the ball and look to drive at the opposition backline herself, or play a pass to the supporting wide player (which is the option she opted for). It is difficult to defend against Roord in the highlighted area because if one defender rushes out to press her, that will leave gaps elsewhere to be exploited, potentially leading to a goal-scoring opportunity.
Her high ranking when it comes to forward passing accuracy makes her extremely efficient with build-up play around the box, along with her high involvement with passing in general. She likes to get involved in any attacking phase she can and has the ability and composure to do so in tricky areas.
Here we see Roord drifting into space occupied by an opponent, but her presence causes a second opponent to rush in to try and block the attack. This created significant space higher up the pitch thanks to Arsenal’s poor shape and organisation in midfield, but Roord needed to use composure and awareness to ensure the attack progresses. She is supported by a nearby teammate who is unmarked and offers support at a good distance and angle. Upon playing the pass to the teammate, Roord knows that wherever she moves next, she will be followed by her marker, and this will give her teammate more space and time to make the next move on the ball. Roord shows good agility and speed to get into positions before the opponent, and her move into the open space higher up forces Arsenal’s midfield to retreat into a more defensive depth.
In this next example, again we see Roord operating in those spaces between midfield and defence, using the opposition’s positioning to her advantage. In the image above, Arsenal’s midfield is again unorganised, and they committed heavily to the right flank as they failed to stop the attack from progressing there. This leaves plenty of space in the centre, which is recognised by Roord who drives into the space upon receiving the ball before playing the next pass to the supporting teammate arriving on the right flank, presenting a one-versus-one opportunity in a dangerous area. After she makes her pass, Roord continues her run but keeps to a more central location, readying her for a cross/pass at the edge of the box. She again displays good awareness, vision and agility to execute this move
In this final analysis of Roord’s attacking work, we see her operating in a deeper zone as she looks to get her team out of a well-executed press by Arsenal which limited Wolfsburg’s options. While Arsenal’s presence in the close area was high, there was space on the opposite flank being occupied by Roord’s teammate at left-back; Roord quickly noticed this and directed a brilliantly executed long ball over to the left flank which allowed her team to turn a pressure situation into good possession with attacking potential and forced Arsenal to quickly retreat to their own half. This is a great display of passing range ability, composure and vision from Roord, something that will come in very useful as the Netherlands may have to adapt from game to game.
Transitions
Roord’s work rate is another positive part of her game. She is constantly looking for the next pass, the next run — the next anything — to progress an attack. This helps her be well-prepared in the event of both attacking and defensive transitions, as we can see below.
In this attacking transition, Roord is taking up a position in anticipation of her teammates stopping the Barca attack and regaining possession. Her positioning gives an immediate outlet for her teammate in possession — an outlet which can be reached instantly. From here, Roord has two options: 1. drive forward to spearhead an attack or 2. hold onto the ball to retain possession and allow her defensive and midfield teammates to gain yards up the pitch. She opted for the latter, and Wolfsburg were able to then control the ball higher up the pitch.
In terms of defensive transitions, Roord’s actions will differ based on the location of the transition and her position on the pitch. If she is playing more of a central midfield role, she will often put the work in to assist her teammates in marking up the opposition. However, when she is undertaking a more attacking role, positioning is key as she looks to close off passing options along with her teammates. In the instance where the player she’s marking still gets the ball, her defensive capabilities are more than enough to put the opponent under good pressure along with an effective tackle.
Defensive Phase
Roord’s role may hold more of an attacking responsibility than defensive, but her work off the ball has been important for Wolfsburg and she will want to transfer that into the national side this summer. The important difference, however, is where she will operate for the Netherlands compared to where she plays for Wolfsburg. For her club, she sometimes operates in a more attacking role which obviously impacts where her defensive actions take place. Below, we will look at a couple of examples of defensive contributions for Wolfsburg that will still be of use to her national side.
The image above shows a Chelsea counterpart receiving the ball while facing her own goal. She did receive the ball further up the pitch, but Roord’s reaction and pressure forced her back deeper into her own half. Roord does this with good aggression and intensity without committing a foul, and her teammates marking opposition passing options combine well to make an all-around impressive pressing play. There will be fixtures this summer in which the Netherlands look to hurry the opponent on the ball and limit time & space in which to work, so pressing in this way will be very effective.
The example above again shows Roord dropping in from a higher position to offer defensive assistance. Her tactical knowledge and anticipation are on display in this analysis too; there are two Wolfsburg teammates applying pressure to the Barca player but both on the same side (location-wise) and without Roord’s pressure, the Barca player on the ball would have the licence to drive forward into the attacking third. Instead, Roord quickly applies pressure with an effective challenge which in turn gets the ball back into Wolfsburg feet, and Roord provides support in the following phase of possession. It is clever defending from Roord as she uses the positioning of the two teammates in the highlighted area. As they are both pressing from the same side, the Barca player is left with just one choice as to where she will go next. This informs Roord’s subsequent decision, and her tackle is well-timed.
Physical Profile
At 5’7, Roord is not relying on her physical presence to win her battles. Her strong level of aggressiveness and good strength help her in duels, while she also shows good signs of jumping ability, useful for aerial duels.
Her frame allows her to execute actions with good speed and reaction which often gives her the upper hand in individual duals. This combines well with her generally good pace and movement, and a low centre of gravity that helps her when running with the ball.
Conclusion
There are a good number of players that spectators will be interested in seeing at this year’s Euros, and Jill Roord is certainly one of them. A dangerous player in attack with a good ability to link and progress play quickly and effectively, her record speaks for itself in terms of G/A but her data below that also supports her talent. Roord brings innovation, quality, and consistency to a team that will look to turn a few heads in this summer’s tournament.
