Jonathan David is the latest young prospect to be heavily linked with Barcelona, and the La Liga giants seem to be in the running for the 20-year-old forward as one of the several clubs standing in line for his signature.
But would he actually be a sensible buy or should the Catalans let him go to one of the many Premier League or Bundesliga clubs that are also interested? This tactical analysis will give you a scout report on David and provide you with an analysis with an aim to find out whether the young Canadian would fit Barcelona’s tactics.
Player overview
David is a 20-year-old forward plying his trade over in Belgium at Gent and his recent emergence has already turned a couple of big European heads, prompting some of the giants of modern football to turn their gaze upon him.
The young talent thrives in the attacking midfield position but has also been known to play as a second-striker or even a sole centre-forward for both club and country. He excels at wreaking havoc through the middle channels, carrying the ball forward when needed and beating the opposition’s defensive line with his dribble and technique.
But what also stands out when further analysing his player profile seem to be his runs behind the opposition’s backline and his awareness and positioning that often put him at the right place at the right time.
For that reason, it doesn’t surprise that he’s managed to score 18 goals and assist further eight across just 27 games in the Jupiler Pro League and three in seven Europa League appearances.
But how exactly would he fit Barcelona and their tactics? Let’s find out.
Compatibility with Barcelona
When looking at the player, far too often we make a mistake of judging them solely on their ability without considering the whole context. At Gent, David is a star and rightfully at the centre of everything good they’re doing in attack.
But just his incredible talent and skill don’t instantly make him a perfect fit for any team’s tactics. This season, the Belgian club has mostly been operating in a 4-3-1-2 formation, utilising it in 78% of occasions. And David is used in that no.10 role and just behind the striker 43% of the time, connecting the midfield with the attack and bursting into the box with pace.
But this is actually the first problem he could potentially run into at Barcelona if he is to be used in his favourite role at the Camp Nou. The Catalans have completely abandoned the notion of a natural attacking midfielder, favouring their traditional 4-3-3 scheme on the pitch for one single reason – they have Lionel Messi instead.
When we compare Messi’s heatmap to David’s we can see one crucial overlap exactly around that zone 14 and in the half-spaces.
Of course, Messi’s influence is naturally much bigger than the 20-year-old’s but just the fact that well-established players like Philippe Coutinho or even Antoine Griezmann have either already failed or are still struggling at the club does indicate this is something that could potentially present a huge problem for such a young player.
Both the Brazilian and the Frenchman, for instance, like to operate in a similar zone and had to adjust their positioning accordingly to accommodate for the best no.10 on the planet. Expecting Barcelona to change their approach for David would be a bit of a stretch, to say the least.
