André Franco 2021/22: The catalyst behind Estoril Praia’s meteoric rise – Scout Report

Evolutions and revolutions have occurred as football has passed, about tactics and management philosophy. A major impact on these changes within the game is positioning, and how coaches utilise players in certain roles. Over the last couple of years, we have seen a major shift in the number ten role, with the shift from 4-2-3-1 formations being utilities, and managers reverting to the 4-3-3. Players such as Mesut Özil at Arsenal and Juan Mata at Manchester Utd have been shown a cold shoulder at the elite level, because of their lack of intensity out of possession.

Creative players of this generation, such as Chelseas Mason Mount and Florian Wirtz, share a commonality with the likes of Özil and Mata, as they are both creative output for their respective teams while showcasing the required tenacity in the press. Within this modern-day mould, André Franco, a Sporting Lisbon academy graduate, currently plays for high-flying Estoril in Primeira Liga in Portugal. The young attacking midfielder is generating noise because of standout performances against Portuguese heavyweights Benfica and FC Porto. Franco has flair and will run the hard yards, but most of all, he is an out-and-out creator in and around the penalty area, looking to put the ball on a plate for others.

This tactical analysis and scout report will look into what makes André Franco so interesting, regarding his creation of attack, as well as his set-piece prowess. Last, I will cover some weaknesses André Franco possesses that, if ironed out, can bring him to the next level.

Position history

For Estoril, André Franco plays on the right side of a midfield three in a 4-3-3 formation. Because he is left-footed, when occupying this position, Franco can open his body and try to control and create chances with in-swinging balls. Also, as a number eight within Estoril manager Bruno Pinheiro’s system, he can interchange with the near side winger and rotate positions.

When observing André Franco’s heat-map, we can see this season he has been positioned solely on the right-hand side this season, occupying the wide areas and the right half-spaces. From these areas, Franco can do his best work. The heat-map also shows André Franco operating slightly deeper; the Portuguese midfielder mostly plays within the middle and final third but does like to drop deeper from time to time to facilitate build-up play and add a bit of urgency to his team’s play.

Creativity and technical quality

Before playing a creative pass into a teammate and showing his range of passing, an attacking player must be able to utilise space effectively and place himself correctly to receive the ball. André Franco’s primary goal and role within the team is to speed up attacks and play the killer pass through when on the attack, but during the first phase of play, Franco excels when positioning himself in between the lines to receive. To position himself well, Franco well uses scanning over both shoulders.

Here we can see Patrick in possession during the first phase of play. André Franco, in the right half-space, is perfectly positioned to receive, turn, and progress the play forward.