Cesc Fàbregas’ project at Como is among the most interesting in Europe’s top five leagues at present.
After finishing second in Serie B two seasons ago, achieving promotion to Italy’s top tier for the first time since the 2002/2003 campaign, Fàbregas guided Como to 10th place last season.
At the time of writing, they currently sit in sixth place this term, on course to build on their solid first season back in the big time.
Alongside the high-profile coaching appointment, Como are drawing attention for their intent to develop young players.
Nico Paz is, perhaps, the poster boy for that element of Como’s strategy, with young Croatian starlet Martin Baturina also shining in recent weeks.
Another young talent worthy of some attention at Como is Jesús Rodríguez (185cm/6’1”, 77kg/169lbs), who joined the Italian side this past summer from Real Betis for €22.5m.
This Jesús Rodríguez scout report and player analysis outlines why the 20-year-old Spaniard is one of the most exciting young wingers to watch in world football right now, with a specific focus on his primary strength: Dribbling.
Jesús Rodríguez Stats
The data in Figure 1 tells us what type of winger Rodríguez is.
The four metrics used are custom-built.
Each one describes a certain aspect of a winger’s style of play.
A higher score in one metric and lower in another doesn’t necessarily tell us about quality so much as it tells us about style.
Each metric groups related actions that serve a similar purpose.
The metrics are composed of Wyscout’s raw data.
Inputs are measured and standardised across all wingers to have played at least 800 minutes in Europe’s top five leagues over the past calendar year.
The first metric displayed, ‘Ball Progression Score’, is a combination of progressive runs and dribbles that together indicate how much a winger moves the ball upfield, carrying it through space and under pressure.
Wingers who take more responsibility for advancing the ball from deep will perform better in this metric than those who tend to receive the ball while already occupying a more advanced position.
Secondly, ‘1v1 Threat Score’ combines the volume and success of both dribbles and offensive duels.
A high score in this metric is achieved through consistent success in the relevant areas rather than standalone moments of brilliance.
The aim is to numerically distinguish those who consistently beat their opponents 1v1 from those who attempt a high number of inefficient actions.
Next up, ‘Goal Threat Score’ is a combination of xG, shot volume, and touches inside the opponent’s penalty box.
The aim is to reflect chance quality, attacking intent, and threatening positioning.
Wingers with a high score on this metric regularly occupy dangerous areas and directly threaten the opposing goal.
Lastly, ‘Creative Threat Score’ combines assists, xA, and volume of accurate crosses.
This metric quantifies how consistently a winger creates chances for teammates by combining the quality of chance creation, realised outcomes, and repeated delivery success.
Wingers who consistently provide reliable final balls over time will achieve a higher score here.
Jesús Rodríguez Winger Percentile Ranks, Heat Map & Position Map
With all that in mind, when we view Jesús Rodríguez’s game through the outlined framework, Figure 1 presents a clear picture of his style of play and how the Como man influences games.
With his strongest performance coming in Ball Progression Score, the Spain U21 international is elite among top-five-league wingers at advancing with the ball.
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