FC Twente Enschede are a team on a mission at the moment.
After suffering relegation from the Eredivisie in the 2017-18 season, they topped the Dutch second tier in the following season, returning to the top flight in 2019.
They have since virtually improved year-on-year, moving from a 14th-place finish in 2019-20 and 10th in 2020-21, all the way to fourth in 2021-22 and fifth last season.
The Tukkers currently sit fourth this season, with 33 points from 15 matches, level with third-placed AZ Alkmaar.
They have scored 32 goals and conceded 17, proving to be an entertaining side to watch at either end of the football pitch.
One of their star performers this term has been young forward Manfred Ugalde, who has set the Eredivisie alight.
He has played in all of their league games so far, starting 14, and has recorded five goals and five assists.
That means he has already breached the number of goal contributions he recorded in the league last season (nine eight goals and one assist) in nine fewer matches.
What has led to this improvement?
In this scout report and tactical analysis, we aim to provide an analysis of Ugaldes start to the league season, his role within Twentes tactics and explain how he has proven to be a productive performer for a Twente side on the rise.
Who is Manfred Ugalde?
Ugalde began his career at Deportivo Saprissa in his home country, where he permanently joined their first team in 2019, at the age of just 17.
He made 52 appearances for Saprissa, recording 17 goals and 10 assists, before moving to Belgian lower-tier team Lommel a year later.
After just a year in Lommel, for whom he scored 11 times in 23 matches, the Costa Rican was loaned to Twente in July 2021 for two seasons.
Across the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns, Ugalde played 59 games across competitions, scoring 13 goals and laying out six assists.
While those numbers dont exactly stand out, Twente placed their trust in the forward, signing him on a permanent deal and handing him a four-year contract this summer.
Ugalde, who made his debut for Costa Rica back in 2020, has won six caps for his nation, scoring once in 377 minutes of action.
Manfred Ugalde Player Profile
Twente have largely utilised a 4-2-3-1 formation this season while also occasionally reverting to a 4-3-3.
In both formations, Ugalde operates as their centre-forward, with Daan Rots and Michel Vlaps on either flank.
In the 4-2-3-1, the trio are supported by Sam Steijn, another emerging talent in the Eredivisie, who leads the team in league goals this season with nine; Ugalde is third with five behind Steijn and veteran Ricky van Wolfswinkel (seven).
Ugaldes heatmap below shows that he isnt merely limited to the box and often drops deeper in the final third and, at times, into midfield to support Twentes attacks.
His most intense zones are understandably down the middle, though he also favours operating from half-spaces on the left.
The latter comes through in his underlying stats as well, as he averages 0.16 through balls (82nd percentile) and 0.08 switches (78th percentile) per 90 in the league.
He averages 1.39 key
