Athletic Club are certainly a club of their own. They are deep-rooted in the history, the pride and the passion of the people of the Basque Country. Needless to say, the policy of allowing only players born in the Basque Country or who learned their football skills at a Basque club to be part of the team is a unique, seemingly uncontemporary, testament to their philosophy. The academy has always been central to the strategy and the fortunes of this club.
On the pitch, this year’s squad is filled with three exciting young players who are helping Marcelino’s collective to achieve a top-half finish together with a possibility to compete for silverware in Copa del Rey. Oihan Sancet and, lately, Nico Williams are emerging as important components for Los Leones. The newest generation is also represented by Nico Serrano, an 18-year-old who just entered the scene to make things look even more promising in the near future.
In this data analysis, we will take a look at the strengths of Athletics next generation. Also in this analysis, we will discuss their roles in the teamss system.
Oihan Sancet
Oihan Sancet is certainly one of the brightest products of Athletic Bilbao’s academy. Born in 2000, 188 cm tall and 75 kg of weight, he is often deployed as a second striker in a 4-4-2 but he is also able to play as an advanced midfielder. Despite a tough injury (cruciate ligament rupture) early on in his career, he gained consistent playing time over the last two seasons, making his debut aged 19 against Barcelona in August 2019. In the current season, he has become an integral part of Marcelino’s setup: he started in 11 of 20 matches in which he was available but also managed to offer an instant impact coming from the bench as well.
The pinnacle of his season thus far has been the hat-trick scored away at Osasuna in the first match of 2022, though he has recently found the net with more regularity having scored all his 6 goals in La Liga this season in his last 6 games played, including goals against Real Madrid and Real Sociedad in the Basque derby.
Despite being an offensive-minded player, the most significant aspect of Sancet’s playing style is his unique all-round ability. He is an atypical attacking midfielder with the physique of a centre-forward, the vision of a technically skilled midfielder and a good eye for goal. Thanks to this versatility, he comfortably partners up with a striker who likes to attack the space in behind the defence (Inaki Williams in Marcelino’s 4-4-2) or he can also be an option as an attacking midfielder of an offensive 4-2-3-1.
Sancet is in fact particularly effective when receiving the ball between the lines, shielding it with a mix of body strength and good ball control under pressure to link up play with the wingers and his attacking partner. He creates an average of 3.57 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes compared to an average of 2.65 for attacking midfielders and forwards in La Liga. Adding other stats, in terms of xA (0.17 p90) and touches in the box (6.18 p90), proves as further evidence of his excellent offensive contribution. His technique is superb even when closely marked: he is comfortable with both feet and can quickly shift direction without losing spatial awareness and maintaining great balance. When he lays the ball to one of his teammates, his immediate aim is to get into the penalty area with outside runs and spot pockets of space. When he finds himself in a position to release a shot, he shows striker instinct and good ball shooting technique, both in and outside the box. One to watch for any defender in La Liga.
