This transfer window, many talented attacking players have been purchased from Championship clubs. Examples include Che Adams, Neal Maupay and Oliver McBurnie. However, while the aforementioned players have all made the step up to a Premier League club, Kemar Roofe made an unusual switch from England for Belgium in the form of a transfer from Leeds United to Anderlecht. This tactical analysis scout report will investigate the player, identify his background, strengths, weaknesses and provide an objective statistical appraisal of the player in comparison with other departing attackers. Such analysis will be utilised to discuss how Roofe fit into Marcelo Bielsa’s tactical system at Leeds, and how he may fit into Vincent Kompany’s Anderlecht.
Background
While synonymous with many players who have developed through an English club’s academy system, Roofe’s career pathway also has some moves many would find unexpected. Starting out at West Bromwich Albion as a youth player, Roofe impressed enough to earn a professional contract, however, he was unable to force his way into the seniors to make any first-team appearances during his four-year professional stint at the club.
Like many youth prospects, Kemar Roofe was transferred on several loan deals, the first of which was Víkingur Reykjavík, the unexpected move mentioned above. Roofe made two appearances for the team but failed to score. After the combination of a lack of opportunities and performance-based impression, Roofe took on loan deals closer to home at lower-league clubs including Northampton Town, Cheltenham Town and Colchester United. However, the player only scored one goal in 17 appearances and failed to nail down a starting role or permanent transfer.
At 22, Kemar Roofe was still young enough to progress his professional career. He went on loan to Oxford United and finally produced the performances which his reputation as an exciting academy prospect from a Premier League team suggested. Roofe scored six goals in 16 games and did enough to tempt Oxford into making his deal permanent.
After dropping down the leagues to secure a first-team role at Oxford, Roofe then began to showcase his talent on a regular basis. He scored 26 goals in 49 appearances at Oxford in 2015/16, a ratio of 0.53 goals per appearance, essentially meaning he scored just over one goal every two games. Due to his impressive performances, Roofe was voted English Football League Two player of the year in 2016 and was also included in the League Two team of the year. His individual performances helped Oxford gain promotion to League One in second place.
The 2015/16 performances of the Englishman were enough to attract the attention of Leeds United, who won the battle to sign him for an undisclosed seven-figure sum. Since then, Roofe has played under numerous managers including Garry Monk and Marcelo Bielsa, both of whom saw Roofe as an instrumental player in the team. Between 2016 and 2019, Roofe scored 28 goals in 110 appearances for Leeds as they pushed for promotion to the Premier League. A decreased rate of 0.25 goals per appearance occurred, however, comparisons between his time at Oxford and Leeds are difficult due to the higher quality present in the Championship.
2018/19 under Marcelo Bielsa
Marcelo Bielsa is well known for being an influential manager, earning praise for his tactical innovation over the years from Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino. To give a quick summary, Bielsa Ball, as it is frequently referred to, is a tactical system which involves fast attacking football, aiming to win the ball back in high areas to enable dangerous starting points for attacks. Within possession, there is a mixture of rehearsal and creative invention, with players allowed offensive freedom within the confines of play which involves multiple positional rotations in order to create space and overloads in different areas of the pitch. The team plays out from the back on many occasions. Full backs and wingers push high, the central defensive midfielder drops back or roams where needed, the other central midfielder holds hs position while the number 10 pushes up behind the striker. Out of possession, the system is frequently identified as a 4-1-4-1, but in possession, it plays as a 3-3-1-3
Kemar Roofe fit into the system well, with his work rate, physical ability, movement and link-up play being cited as strengths in the defensive and build-up phases, before his finishing ability and goal return impressed in the box.
Playing as a centre-forward, Roofe had to be the trigger for Leeds pressing, to complete this role successfully and press the central defender or deepest player on the ball, Roofe needs the mental attitude and physical ability to continue to press intermittently for 90 minutes. Roofe understood that his movements may need to be unselfish, he may not win the ball himself, but his pressure may force the opponent to play a pass to a team-mate, who should be under pressure from another Leeds player. This process would continue until Leeds win the ball back or the opposition team beat the press. Another example of Roofe’s work rate can be seen in his tracking back. Roofe often shows his determination to win the ball back by tracking a player who beats the press, often deep into his own half. While Roofe doesn’t always win the ball, he makes it far more difficult for the offensive player to progress.
