The UEFA Under-19 European Championships kicked off in style with many young talents looking to make a name for themselves on the European stage; eight teams are taking part in this years competition, including the likes of Spain, Portugal and Italy.
However, defending champions England failed to qualify, setting the stage for another nation to take home the title this year.
Each team boasts a plethora of talent at their disposal, and as we know, this competition has witnessed the emergence of numerous young players on its stage.
For instance, in 2019, Gonçalo Ramos enjoyed an outstanding tournament for Portugal as they finished runners-up to a Spain side that included the now-Barcelona duo, Eric Garcia and Ferran Torres.
In this tactical analysis, which will take the form of a scout report, we will highlight some players to watch out for during this years tournament.
We will examine their roles within the teams tactics, analyse their skill sets, and explain why you should keep an eye on them.
Cher Ndour Scouting Report Italy U19
First up in this analysis piece is Benfica man Cher Ndour.
The 18-year-old is a central midfielder who primarily operates on the left side of a midfield three for both club and country; this provides him with the freedom to roam between the middle and attacking thirds, as we can see from the heatmap below (taken from all his games for Benfica B during the 2022/23 season).
By moving freely between the thirds, the young midfielder can often create numerical advantages in different areas of the pitch.
His fluid movement keeps the opposition guessing and makes it challenging for them to mark and track Ndour effectively.
Cher Ndour Heat Map
Although not necessarily a ball carrier, Ndour possesses a turn of pace and dribbling ability that enables him to drive into open spaces and advance the play when given the opportunity, complementing Benficas pass-oriented style of play.
Here in figure 1.1, for example, we can see Ndour demanding the ball from his teammate as he is in acres of space.
He receives the ball and i
