After playing a crucial role in Julen Lopeteguis Europa League-winning Sevilla side, Éver Banega is off to finish his final professional contract at Saudi Arabia with Riyadh-based side Al Shabab FC. Although the transfer agreement was reached in January, the Argentine finished his spell at Seville, ultimately marking a successful season for Los Palanganas.
Although already 32, Banega is a graceful playmaker and ticks all the boxes to be a vital figure for Pedro Caixinhas side. This tactical analysis will explore how Banega will fit at Al Shababs tactics and what he will add to the currently eight-placed Saudi Arabian side.
Positioning
Under Lopetegui, Sevilla mainly switched between a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-3-3 scheme. Banega played as a number 10, also referred to as an engine, just behind the striker. He plays as an advanced playmaker, connecting the midfield with the lone striker and the wingers.
However, in the 4-3-3, Banega starts as a left-attacking midfielder, who tends to drift towards the centre of the pitch to operate more as a central playmaker. Since Sevilla opted to follow this scheme more often this season, the Argentinian was ordered to operate from the left and was given a more central role vertically towards the left, which is made further evident by his season heatmap:
Similarly, Al Shabab usually line-up either in a 5-4-1 formation an improvised form of 3-4-3. When Al Shabab are on the ball, one of the fullbacks inverts and completes the midfield four while the wide midfielders cover wide attacking areas. Since Banega prefers to play in a three-man midfield or as a number ten, playing him in a 5-4-1 can be challenging, but can be achieved by deploying a diamond midfield. In this way, Al Shababs way of transitioning into 3-4-3 wont be affected and Banega can also retain his most effective role in the new side.
However, Al Shabab tend to be ve
