At the Genesis of their Bundesliga campaign, Wolfsburg have begun with an excellent defensive record.
A 20-year-old, fresh from Sochaux in Ligue 2 this summer, has been at the forefront of this admirable defensive effort.
Oliver Glasner has coached his side into conceding just four goals in five games so far this season, the second-best in the league.
Die Wölfe have a handful of youthful first-team members who are at least playing at a decent Bundesliga level right now, and some of them have the potential to play at a much higher level.
Xaver Schlager, Josip Brekalo, and Maxence Lacroix, the focus of this piece, are all such players who are performing at a good level currently, with plenty of room for growth.
In this analysis, we will distinguish what makes Lacroix in particular such an exciting prospect.
Lacroix has several strong attributes, including his intelligence of knowing when to step out of the defensive line or not, putting pressure onto attackers and forcing them to face away from goal, and his calmness in possession.
Standing at a well built 6’3”, Lacroix possesses a good leap which is supplemented by his strong positioning.
This Maxence Lacroix scout report will reveal his style of play and how he fits into Glasner’s tactics this season.
In this tactical analysis, we will cover his main attributes, his role in and out of possession, and how high of a ceiling the young Frenchman has.
Maxence Lacroix Style of play
When analysing Lacroix’s style of play, we will focus on three key sides of his game.
These combine to offer an insight into the kind of player that Lacroix is and what he could grow to become in the future.
Still only 20 years old, in this stage of his career, it is worth pointing out which features of his game are strong, and which are weaker, to discover how he will aid his side in winning matches.
Now, what are Lacroix’s key strengths and what is his playing style? He is a strong player with good technique on the ball, great defensive positioning, and intelligent body angling to receive a pass.
His first touch is decent and prefers to pass mainly with his stronger right foot, from which he displays a great range of passing, though his decision making in this regard has room to improve.
He is very traditional in the sense of putting his body on the line, as he is constantly seen diving in front of shots to prevent them.
Lacroix is a right-footed centre-back who played as part of a four-at-the-back system at Wolfsburg, capable of playing in a deep defensive block and a high line.
The 20-year-old has spent much of his playing time in the right half-space, but his clever defensive positioning means he is adept at defending wide spaces too.
When he picks up the ball in these areas, he is all about finding a forward with an attempted long ball, but sometimes the execution on these attempts is what lets him down.
He has found a good balance with John Brooks, his defensive partner, who typically stays back to cover Lacroix stepping out of the defensive line.
Maxence Lacroix Heat Map
Lacroix’s heatmap from the 2020/21 Bundesliga season.
Maxence Lacroix defensive acumen
Under former LASK Linz coach Glasner, Wolfsburg like to press with intensity and win the ball back as quickly as possible.
