Antoine Semenyo Scouting Report At Bristol City 2021/2022: The Forward Turning Heads – Player Analysis

Over the years the English Football League, notably the EFL Championship, has proven to be a great testing ground for young and talented players.

It is not uncommon to see young players given considerable minutes at first-team level as they find their feet and work on their game’s rough edges.

In some cases, we also see the cream rise to the top and start to attract the interest of clubs at Premier League level.

The latest player to catch the eye in the Championship is Bristol City‘s 22-year-old English forward Antoine Semenyo.

Semenyo is a perfect example of a young player who has benefitted from his club’s patience.

Indeed, such has been his impact at first-team level this season that the EFL experts on Sky Sports highlighted him as part of their 21 under 21 series, which looks at the best young players in the English Football League.

Semenyo spent time away from the club on loan, with three separate loan spells at Bath City, Newport County, and Sunderland, but he failed to really catch the eye in any of those spells.

Bristol City, however, trusted the process and stuck with its young forward, and now it is reaping the benefits.

He is best used as a central striker, although he displays the capacity and willingness to play in the channels or even wide areas.

He is very versatile in terms of his role as a forward player, as he can come back to receive the ball with his back to the goal.

At the same time, his muscular build allows him to receive under pressure.

Still, he can also play on the shoulder of the last defender, and his pace and power cause real problems for defenders should the ball be played into the space behind the defensive line.

In this Antoine Semenyo scouting report, we will look at the strengths of Semenyo’s game.

Antoine Semenyo Player Profile

Let’s start by looking at the data profile for Semenyo.

The above dashboard shows the percentile ranking for his performances against all other forwards in the Championship so far this season — the longer the bar on the bar chart, the better.

As you can see, he has played 1495 minutes in the Championship at the time of writing, and so far, he is averaging 0.36 goals per 90 minutes from an xG per 90 of 0.3.

The data clearly shows his attacking abilities, as he is taking 2.47 shots per 90 seconds and attempting 6.14 dribbles per 90 seconds.

As you can clearly see, however, Semenyo is not purely a goalscorer in the final third.

He is also a creator with an average of 0.36 assists per 90.

When combining his goals and assists this season, we see a player with a goal contribution per 90 of 0.72.

Antoine Semenyo Dynamism And Ball Carrying Ability

While Antoine Semenyo is not the tallest striker (he is listed at 178cm | 5’10”), he does have a stocky and muscular build, which, along with his pace, makes him exceptionally difficult to contain on his day.

He is capable of leading the line and occupying and pinning opposition defenders to areas of the pitch in which they aren’t the most comfortable.

When engaging in duels for loose balls, his power and core strength allow him to compete and come out on top against defenders.

This allows his team to play quickly to the highest line as they are confident that he can move dynamically and get on the ball in dangerous spaces.

When in possession in these areas, Semenyo is a threat to drive beyond the defence but he can also form an effective attacking platform when holding the ball up and waiting for attacking players to join him.

We see an example here of how dangerous and dynamic Semenyo can be in the attacking phase.

Here, he has moved out into the wide spaces and engaged in a duel with an opposition player.

While he has the skill and ability to turn and move in tight spaces he actually uses raw strength in the first instance when pushing off of the defender and creating space.

He is then aggressive and decisive when driving inside and finding an angle to cut back into the edge of the area for a teammate to get a shot on goal.

Here, we again see how dynamic Semenyo is in the attacking phase.

He actually regains possession in the wide area through a defensive duel, and his first thought is to turn and attack the space aggressively.

He trusts his ability and athleticism and beats the first player before playing a strong touch into space and moving aggressively to attack the final third and carry his ball forward.

Antoine Semenyo Explosive In Front Of Goal

While Semenyo is undoubtedly a creative player, able to beat defenders and attack space, pick a pass, and break a line, he is also an explosive and capable finisher.

One of his best attributes in front of goal is his ability to strike the ball on either side with power and with minimal backlift.

He generates real power and likes to strike the ball quickly before the goalkeeper can ready himself.

This example is taken from the match between Bristol City and Fulham, with Semenyo in possession on the corner of the penalty area.

In these situations, he can go inside or outside, but here, he drives outside and overpowers the defender.

However, with the angle tightening, you would possibly expect a cross from that area.

Instead, Semenyo strikes with power and accuracy at the near post and beats the goalkeeper.

This time, I have highlighted an exceptionally creative finish from Semenyo that displays his composure and creativity in the area.

With Bristol City attacking in the wide area, Semenyo makes an aggressive movement towards the near post.

As the ball is crossed low into the area, Semenyo adjusts his feet quickly to flick the ball with his heel past the goalkeeper at the near post.

Antoine Semenyo Passing Ability

While we know that Semenyo can beat a player on the dribble and carries a goal threat, we also have to acknowledge that he is creative and unselfish with his ability to create chances for others.

When playing in deeper spaces, he can find passing lanes and angles to break lines for teammates to run onto.

His ability to create havoc in the final third also creates space and opportunities for teammates.

This time, we see Semenyo battling for the ball on the highest line. He uses his strength to unbalance the defender and emerge from the duel in possession of the ball.

He then has the opportunity to drive to the right and attack the space in an attempt to break into the penalty area; we see that Semenyo is an unselfish forward player.

Conclusion

Antoine Semenyo is at the stage now where he is really coming into his own as a forward player.

He has all of the tools needed to succeed as a striker in the modern game, and he can fill different roles within the attacking third where needed.

His profile should ensure that he gets an opportunity to play at a higher level than the English Championship sooner rather than later.

He has already been attracting interest from clubs, including Celtic.

Still, I would expect that to continue to develop, especially as Semenyo will be out of contract at the end of the 2022/23 season.

Bristol City will likely have to sell this summer if it wants to retain any value in the player.