Royal Antwerp were one of the strongest sides in the Belgian Pro League during the 2019/20 season. The goals from former EPL striker with Hull and Norwich, Diermerci Mbokani, were a crucial factor in their finishing fourth overall and qualifying for the Europa League next season. One player who was really impressive was young Cameroonian winger Didier Lamkel Zé. Zé was formally part of Ligue 1 side Lilles academy, before a spell in the second division of France lead to his transfer to Antwerp.
This season Zé has really blossomed at Antwerp and was rewarded with a first call up to the Cameroonian national team. At only 23 years of age, he has had plenty of controversy in his career, including a couple of training ground incidents. Clearly a bit of a maverick, Zé is certainly entertaining on and off the pitch.
This tactical analysis, in the form of a scout report, will take a deeper look at the charismatic Cameroonian. This analysis will focus on the strengths of the winger, how he played in the tactics deployed by Antwerp, as well as looking at an area he needs to improve going into next season. With a new coach arriving in the city, Zé will hope that his performances in 2019/20 will convince the new manager Ivan Leko to continue to play him.
Goalscoring winger
In 2018/19 Zé only managed one solitary goal in the Pro League from his 18 appearances. This year he has managed six, a vast improvement on the previous season. He has exceeded his 4.66 xG and is averaging 0.25 goals per 90. He ranks fifth in terms of goals scored when we compare him to other players who play in his position. Taking more shots has resulted in this improvement. Zé has taken 50 shots this season, at an average of 2.12 per game and an xG per shot of 0.09.
What helps Zé to score as many goals as he has is getting in the box often. As we see from the graphic below, all but one of his goals have come from inside the penalty area. He takes most of his shots in the penalty area, with an xG of 5.33 and a goal conversion of 16.2%. Furthermore, Zé is certainly comfortable shooting with either foot. While 44 of his shots this season have been with his right foot, he has managed to score two goals from his 18 left footed shots.
It is clear that the Antwerp management have persuaded Zé to get on the end of deep crosses. What helps this is that clearly Zé reads the game well to judge where to get to in order to score goals. For example, in the game against lowly Waasland-Beveren, we see Zé highlighted below at the top of the image while the ball is being worked into a crossing position on the right-hand side.
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