Marcelo Moreno Martins: can ‘El Matador’ guide Bolivia to their first Copa America win since 2015? – scout report

Marcelo Moreno Martins is one of the most legendary South American strikers of the last decades but most fans outside the continent, especially the younger ones, probably don’t know him. The top-ever topscorer for Bolivia (25 goals in 78 caps) and third-highest scorer still active in the South America World Cup Qualifiers with 17 goals (only behind Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi) has had a very long career since leaving Bolivia aged just 17.

Now aged 34 and having played in the EPL, the Bundesliga, Asia, Ukraine and mostly in the Brazilian Serie A, Moreno is still a relevant figure in the continent. He’s the top scorer of the current WC qualifiers and the best player in Bolivia.

Moreno missed the first two games of the 2021 Copa América because of COVID and Bolivia lost both of them, extending a winless run in this competition that started in 2015. With their captain and best player back for their third match against Uruguay, we’ll see in this tactical analysis what he bring to Bolivia’s tactics and why he’s their main hope if they want to end their negative streak.

Player overview

Moreno is the leader of Bolivia’s attack. He usually waits between the centre-backs and inside the box but is very vocal and guides his teammates on the pitch, letting them know where to play to and helping them make the best decisions. 

He can drop deep or drift wide if needed to receive and hold the ball while his teammates advance while also pinning the centre-backs by getting between them and challenging with runs in behind even if he doesn’t have the pace to be a real threat running into space.

His impressive work rate means he can sacrifice for his team and Bolivia relies on him to buildup and advance as he’s the only player who can receive between the lines and is calm enough to make good decisions there and keep the attacks ticking

In the heatmap below from his matches with Bolivia, we can see how Moreno intervenes very deep in the field and despite being a striker that excels in the box, he understands he needs to have a much more complete role if Bolivia want to develop their full potential.

It’s especially interesting to note some differences Moreno experiences when playing for club and country. For his club, he intervenes more in the game, averaging 16.13 passes and 11.31 aerials per 90 in 2020 for only 13.99 passes and 7.59 aerials with Bolivia in all matches with available stats. His service is also much better at club level and he touches the ball in the box 3.96 times per 90 with Cruzeiro and only 2.29 per 90 with Bolivia. 

However, he’s one of those players who has better performances at the international level and despite having better service for Cruzeiro (0.25 xG per 90 in 2020; 0.21 xG per 90 with Bolivia), he scores at a much higher rate with the national team (0.37 goals per 90 with Bolivia and just 0.14 with Cruzeiro in 2020). This legendary aura also influences his teammates, who see him as a leader and know he’ll score if he has the chance.