Filip Benkovic: Celtic’s on-loan defensive star

During the summer, Filip Benkovic was attracting interest from the likes of Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund. The Croatian defender opted for a move to Leicester City, before immediately joining Celtic on a season-long loan. Still just 21, he is seen as one of the most promising central defenders in European football. In this player analysis, we take a look at the attributes and statistics that make him stand out as an elite prospect.

Story so far

Having progressed through the youth ranks at Dinamo Zagreb, Benkovic made his professional debut at the age of 18. He would go on to make 88 appearances for the club. On the international stage, he has represented Croatia at every level from under-17 to under-21. Perhaps surprisingly, he has yet to play for the senior team, but that will likely change before the end of the season.

Beating competition from a host of top clubs, Leicester City signed the 6342 defender for a reported £13 million in August 2018. Just a few weeks later, Benkovic demanded a loan move in order to guarantee regular opportunities.

“Im young, I need the minutes on the park and the manager agreed with me. Going to Celtic gives me a year to adapt to British football.”

The early signs are positive in Glasgow and Celtic fans appear to have warmed to him already. He continues to be an influential player in their title fight with Rangers.

Proactive defending

Benkovic favours a proactive approach to defending. He’s consistently aggressive in recovering possession for his side and regularly steps out of the back line to intercept passes before they get to the opponent’s strikers.

He tends to go to ground a lot with his tackles, a trait that might be evened out as he matures. During his 14 games so far in Scotland, he has recovered possession 13.32 times per game. The youngster also completes an average of 5.09 interceptions.

The images below highlight his aggressive style of defending, with an opponent wide player looking to deliver from inside Zagreb’s penalty area. Instead of simply preparing to defend the cross, Benkovic moves out to deal with the source of the problem.

After he gets out to the defender, he doesnt look to stall or block. He makes the challenge and recovers possession for his team. The imposing defender angles his approach to block off the crossing lane while looking to time his tackle. In this play, Benkovic slides in and takes the ball, allowing his teammates to counter.

He prefers to be proactive and aggressive, and backs his ability to read the game and dispossess the opponents. Although positivity is one of the most impressive aspects of his profile, his tendency to dive into challenges and go to ground will likely be tempered as he gains experience.

Distribution

An ever-increasingly desired trait in modern defenders, his range of passing is exceptional. He can break lines vertically with direct passes to the striker, or play through gaps to find teammates between the lines.

His diagonal passes