Gojko Cimirot 2019/20 – data analysis

Gojko Cimirot is a defensive midfielder playing for Standard Liege in the Belgian First Division A. Cimirot, originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been highlighted as an exciting, young, defensive midfield player in a recent data analysis piece by Toni Bilandzic. The data analysis piece analysed all central and defensive midfield players within the Belgian First Division A, a context which has produced Premier League players such as Sander Berge, Youri Tielemans and Leander Dendonker in recent years. It was suggested to perform a data analysis on Cimirot, to identify his strengths and weaknesses via statistics in offensive and defensive moments, as well as the tactics which suit his game. This data analysis will hopefully shed more light on the player in the aforementioned areas, identify where he could improve and speculate on whether he could apply his talents higher up the league in Belgium, or within Europe’s top five leagues in the form of the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 or Serie A.

Player profile

The Bosnian midfielder is 27 years old, based on generic theory, this suggests he is in or approaching his prime years, where the physical, technical, tactical and psychological components of his play are in optimal balance. The player stands at 5ft 10in, suggesting that he is average height and neither a diminutive, agile midfielder nor a tall, strong physical presence.

In the 2019/20 season, Standard Liège mainly utilised a 1-4-3-3 or a 1-4-2-3-1 formation. Due to this, Cimirot could potentially be used in the central defensive midfield position or a left or right central midfield role in a 1-4-3-3. Alternatively, he could be used in a left or right defensive midfield role if a 1-4-2-3-1 is used. All of these positions hold different responsibilities and change the dynamic of the player in an individual sense and a tactical team sense. For example, in a 1-4-3-3, the central defensive midfielder may be the only midfielder who is asked to sit, screen the back four and act as a playmaking link between defence and midfield units.

In a left or right central role in a 1-4-3-3, the players are likely to be more balanced in terms of defence and attack, with more license to go forward and operate in wider areas, given the lack of wide midfielders. Alternatively, in a 1-4-2-3-1, the two deepest midfielders are commonly referred to as a double pivot, where one player may have a more defensive role, whilst the other more attacking. Or, they can operate in dynamic roles, with both adapting their style of play and positioning based on the actions of their teammate. For these reasons, it is useful to analyse in which position Cimirot is most often used, given this will inform further analysis, comparisons and interpretations. Given Standard Liège’s Europa League participation, all data utilised for analysis and comparison will come from performances in the Belgian First Division A only, this will reduce the influence of European competition on Cimirot’s data, given his data will be compared to players who did not feature in the Europa League.

The chart highlights that Cimirot is naturally, or at least most often picked, in a defensive midfield role. His role is predominantly central, but he also played a lot of his minutes in a left defensive midfield position within a double pivot, with right defensive midfield duties also earning him some minutes. Overall, he played 2006 minutes in a defensive role and just 599 minutes in more offensive, or more balanced central midfield roles in the form of left and right central midfield. For this reason, the context of the piece, data analysis and comparisons between other players will hold a defensive midfield viewpoint. Overall, there were 26 players in the Belgium First Division A who played over 1000 minutes and whom Wyscout identifies defensive midfield as being their main position.

Offensive data

Whilst we know that Cimirot is naturally, or at least heavily utilised in a defensive midfield position, it is worth covering all aspects of play to understand the impact he has on the team in an attacking sense in comparison to other defensive midfielders in the league.