The AZ Alkmaar academy has proven to be one of the best academies in Europe lately and quite a few players have had the chance to play and impress in the first team. A name that came under the radar last year is Myron Boadu. The 20 year old striker had an outstanding season in 2019/20 and is now looking to repeat it after a slow start to this campaign.
He is one of AZ’s key weapons in attack and has scored 11 goals so far this season but it is their defensive performance that killed their chances to challenge PSV and Ajax for the title.
Despite being a centre forward, Boadu isn’t the typical target man winning air balls and staying only in the penalty area. His movement and pace are what brings explosiveness upfront and allows him to catch the opposition off guard.
With a rumoured interest from quite a few European big names including Milan and Liverpool, it looks like Boadu’s time at AFAS Stadion could soon come to an end.
In this tactical analysis in the form of a scout report, we examine his main traits and look if he is worth the hype and the attention of the European giants.
AZ Alkmaar in attack and his role there
AZ are quite an attacking team that look to create many opportunities and convert them into goals, trying to control the game in the opposition half. With an impressively young and efficient attacking line, the team rely a lot on individual skills and pace. All of their current top goalscorers are under 24 years old which gives the team a lot of freshness and provides explosiveness in front of the goal.
Boadu fits well to their tactics being the second-best scorer with his 11 goals playing as a centre forward both in 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 formations. His link-up-play abilities combined with his pace are impressive, making him a successful direct threat and a great passing option whenever the team want to finish their attacks.
His team rely on counter-attacking quite frequently and his off the ball movement and flair help him in finding the best position for taking advantage of these opportunities. The team heavily rely on attacking down the wings and crossing, producing 13.6 shots per 90 on average. Boadu is often being the target of these crosses looking to finish the attacks, although both wingers do tend to cut inside and provide a direct threat.
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