After analysing two strikers Mirko Marić and Antonio Čolak from Osijek and Rijeka, we decided to make scout report on one highly valued 18-year-old centre-back: Mario Vušković. Vušković plays his debut season for his hometown club HNK Hajduk Split. This scout report will consist of: tactical analysis and data analysis.
In 2018 The Guardian highlighted Vušković in their ‘’60 of the best young talents in world football born in 2001’’ article. Vušković got his playing time increased when Igor Tudor came as a coach in winter and changed formation to three defenders. Serie A giants Juventus, Napoli and Lazio already showed interest for tall centre-back, some of English Premier League clubs as well. Some of the defenders from 1.HNL that were transferred in young age to Champions League quality clubs in recent years are Jozo Šimunović to Celtic, Filip Benković to Leicester City, Tin Jedvaj to Roma and latest one Boško Šutalo to Atalanta.
Player overview
Mario Vušković is an 18-year-old right-footed central defender. With a height of 189 cm, it is easy to spot him on the field. What is impressive for Vušković is his technical and passing ability. Vušković is still in the growth phase and he needs some time to learn to use his body more effectively to win more duels on the ground and in the air while adjusting to senior football as well.
His heatmap is unusual for a central defender and it is a product of his progressive runs with the ball. His ability to contribute for his team when in possession is the main reason why he is in demand. Vušković showed maturity this season and determination which is a quality sign for his future development. The next image is made by Matchmetrics. Matchmetrics calculate their own Effective Play Indicators (EPI) for each player from thousands of positional event data points, using big data algorithms and machine learning. The image compares Vušković to the other central defenders in 1.HNL.
