At just 20 years old, Kenan Yıldız has earned a reputation as one of the most exciting talents on the European market.
The Turkish winger is a product of the Bayern Munich academy, having joined Juventus in 2022.
He already has 24 caps for his national team, which shows his ability is recognised.
Playing at the Old Lady, now under head coach Igor Tudor, he has shown moments that can define his role as a key player at the club.
Yıldız can play as a left-winger in a 4-3-3 or as an attacking midfielder behind the striker in a 4-2-3-1 system.
His dominant traits are his flair, composure, and glimpses of physical presence in duels.
The Turkish international can operate between lines, create overloads and combinations, and cut inside on his stronger right foot to execute numerous actions, from a simple pass to a shot in the far corner.
Through this Kenan Yıldız scout report, we will examine the tactical aspects of Kenan Yıldız’s game, including his positional tendencies and tactical behavior, to determine his strengths and areas for improvement that can help him shine brightly for his Juventus and Turkish national team sides.
Kenan Yıldız Style Of Play
Let’s look at how Kenan Yıldız operates at Juventus.
Build-Up & Progression
Kenan Yıldız has variation to his game when his team is in possession, which keeps his opponents guessing.
He continually adjusts his positioning when dropping to receive in the build-up or progression phases.
Here, Kenan Yıldız is receiving from his centre-back, hugging the touchline.
In these situations, his left-back is often inverting and provides an inside passing option.
If the Turk has space to receive on his back foot, he opens up and drives forward.
In other cases, when he is followed by a defender (like in this example), he attempts to either dribble infield or find a teammate for a combination play.
In this example, he plays a one-two with the left-back, who is inverted and is operating in the half-space.
Yıldız’s spatial awareness is key here.
He is quick to determine that space is opening up in the central zone, which can be unlocked by playing a little combination.
Other times, Kenan Yıldız operates in the half-space when the left-back is positioned in the wide area.
In this example, we can see Yıldız dropping into the half-space to receive from his centre-back.
Meanwhile, the left-back is making an opposite movement in the wide area to drag the opponent away, which gives Yıldız more space upon receiving.
Developing a relationship with his full-back has helped him utilise pockets of space more effectively, as he no longer has to rely solely on technical ability and speed to escape tight spaces.
Yıldız has also demonstrated the ability to help his teammates escape tight spaces.
In moments when he drops and does not have the space to turn, he can set the ball for someone attempting to play a one-two around the corner.
In this example, the Juventus left-back is under pressure.
Yıldız drops to offer support.
They link up around the pressing player, and the left-back receives in the half-space, with more space to work with.
Yıldız is also adept at getting out of tight spaces himself by either taking an exit touch or playing a one-two to receive in space.
In this example, after receiving in a pocket of space, the Turk takes an exit touch away from the press.
He later manages to escape from four opponents by playing a one-two with a teammate.
Actions like these render him a reliable teammate to play under pressure, as he possesses the ability to get himself out of these situations.
Kenan Yıldız Chance Creation & Shooting Actions
Kenan Yıldız is at his best when he is given positional freedom.
He likes to roam from wide areas to central ones, receiving between the lines to execute a range of actions near the opponent’s penalty area.
Here is an example: Yıldız has drifted infield and receives between the midfield and the defence opposition lines.
In these areas, if he is allowed enough space to receive on the turn, he can either release a runner in-behind or go for a shot himself.
In this image, the 20-year-old receives in a pocket in the central zone.
The opponent’s backline is outside the penalty area, which means there is enough space for a runner to receive in-behind.
The Turk releases the striker, who makes a run.
Here, he receives the ball in the central zone, very close to zone 14.
Although he is inside a pocket of space, he is not immediately pressed from behind.
He takes advantage, receiving on the turn and shooting from near the edge of the box.
Attacking players who are eager to shoot in and around the penalty area are assets, since they have multiple ways of inflicting pain on the opponent.
Kenan Yıldız is adept at playing through passes behind the opposition defenders when he is allowed time and space to pick out a pass.
In this example, Yıldız is in possession along the halfway line in the wide area.
The defender blocks enough space to block a dribble.
However, the Turk takes a touch to his right to open up space and play a clipped through ball to the striker, who makes a run in behind.
Here, Kenan Yıldız receives behind the opponent midfielders and releases his striker, who is making a run through on goal.
His pattern of releasing his teammates suggests that he is a creative force between the lines.
He plays through passes from different vertical channels and zones, which showcases variation.
Here is one more, this time in the attacking third.
A teammate plays the ball to Yıldız, which puts him up against the opposition full-back.
Since the full-back has cover from a teammate, the Juventus teammate makes a blind-side run, which is met by a pass from Yıldız.
He can very well be on either end of these combinations.
This is an element of his game that shows his variation in actions.
Here is an example of him receiving in the half-space: As the left-back offers width, he drags a defender close to himself.
With the covering defender not staying close, Yıldız gets enough room to receive right at the edge of the penalty area.
From this position, he can either cut inside or knock it down the line.
With enough variation in his game, he can keep the opponent guessing.
His ability to take players on usually gives his teammates an advantage.
When opponents double up on him in certain situations, it creates space for a teammate.
In this image, he is swarmed by three opponents.
However, he identifies space for his teammate positioned at the edge of the penalty area.
The Turk sets his teammate up for a shot from a much better position.
Situations where opponents double up on him are common, which is increasingly a testament to his ability to cause danger to the opponent.
Kenan Yıldız Dribbling & Crossing
Kenan Yıldız is a proficient ball carrier, especially in transition.
His ability to break lines through dribbling and positioning his body to avoid tackles makes him invaluable for any system that involves dynamism and transition moments.
Here is a clip of his involvement with the Turkish national team.
He picks the ball up inside his own defensive third, drives through the opponent’s line of midfield, and ends up in the attacking third.
Actions like these showcase his ability to inject pace into a game by himself.
He is also effective in take-ons in the wide area, where he can either knock it past his opponent to cross, or cut inside.
In this video, Kenan Yıldız showcases masterful deception to bait defenders for cutting inside action.
Once they overcommit, he knocks it down the line to play a low cross into the six-yard box.
The striker meets it at the back post for a finish.
The Turk is not only lethal with his strong foot but also effective with his weak foot.
This gives him opportunities to exploit when his opponents reveal his weaker side.
Kenan Yıldız can also cut inside to cross, as shown in the situation above.
The three opponents in the wide area don’t offer him much space to go down the line.
However, he can take a touch to his right to put an inverted cross to the back post.
Crossing with both feet makes a winger tedious to defend against.
When Yıldız cuts inside, he displays variation in his actions.
As shown earlier, he is capable of cutting inside and crossing, as well as cutting inside and executing a combination play.
One of his strongest traits is cutting inside to shoot.
Yıldız has a mean shot and can find the far top corner in moments like these.
Here is an example: Juventus attack moves from the right to the left.
As the pass comes to Yıldız, the opposition defenders slide across to cover the space.
The 20-year-old takes his first touch towards the outside.
When the defenders slide wider, he cuts inside to create space and take the shot.
Although he possesses the ability to execute several actions, he has yet to find consistency in all his actions.
His weaknesses include decision-making in the attacking third.
For instance, here is a situation where he is attempting a shot from just inside the penalty area.
However, with three opponents in front of him, the shot gets blocked.
In the same situation, he could have played it to the teammate on his left, who has enough space to touch it down the line, shoot, or potentially cross.
Kenan Yıldız Defensive Phase
While defending, Kenan Yıldız has displayed moments of awareness by staying in good positions with respect to his teammates and opponents while pressing.
However, the consistency with which he executes those actions leaves more to be desired.
Here is an example of what can be refined more in the Turkish international.
The opponent centre-back receives the ball and has the opportunity to move it to the right wing-back.
However, Yıldız curves his pressing run so that he can return to the other side, playing either sideways or backwards.
Conclusion
Kenan Yıldız is a highly talented winger who has risen to significance at just 20 years old.
He can play as a left-winger or an attacking midfielder.
His strengths include taking on defenders, cutting inside, shooting, playing in combination, and making key passes in the attacking third.
He thrives the most when he is given positional freedom and gets more space to work with.
Being highly proficient, the Turkish international also has to work on consistency in those actions and increase the effectiveness of his defensive actions.
Yıldız has a high ceiling and can very well imagine being a world-class winger in the coming years.
It won’t be long before the big European names come knocking at Juventus’ door.
