Dan Burn 2021/22: The centre-back key to Newcastle’s survival – Scout report

Since the Saudi Arabian takeover of Newcastle United, the club has been doing what it can to ensure survival in the Premier League. This started with the sacking of Steve Bruce and the hiring of Eddie Howe, which eventually lead to an upturn in form. Newcastle United then set about strengthening their squad in the January transfer window with the additions of Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood, Matt Targett, Bruno Guimaraes and Dan Burn. They have all brought something to help Newcastle in their bid for survival but arguably Dan Burn has been the most vital. He has played nine games for Magpies, winning five, drawing one and losing three. Plus, he has only conceded 10 goals at an average of 1.11 per game and of these 10 goals conceded, half came in one game against Tottenham Hotspur. Before Burn came into the backline Newcastle conceded an average of two goals per game. Now, this is not entirely down to Burn but his impact on the side cannot be understated.

This tactical analysis and scout report will take a deeper look at Burn’s key attributes and the impact he has made on Newcastle United since his arrival.

Data

Addressing the data is now a key aspect of the player analysis and scouting process and will be discussed in this analysis of Dan Burn.  Now using data for evaluating Centre-backs is not an exact science and context is an imperative aspect that must be mentioned. For example, there are many attributes to a defender which cannot be quantified, think anticipation and reading of the game. Data isn’t the be-all and end-all, but it can help us understand the style of the defender, which will help us understand more about Dan Burn.

Firstly, we will look at defensive duels per 90 and defensive duel win percentage. Now defensive duels per 90 will favour players who play for low possession teams which can help us understand why players such as Laporte and van Dijk are well below the average number of duels per 90.  As you can see below, Burn is one of few defenders who are above average in the number of duels with 7.4 per 90 and a win percentage of 67.55%.

This shows Burn to be effective in his duels but also that he is an engaged defender. This can be reinforced by his aerial duels per 90 and aerial duel win %.  Now Dan Burn stands at around 6ft 7, so being strong in the air shouldn’t be a surprise but the data does confirm he is a dominant player in the air.