After a brilliant developmental journey at Real Madrid, progressing from academy to first team, Nico Paz is now the star of Cesc Fàbregas’ Como 1907 in Serie A.
He only needed a few matches to become the protagonist of Fábregas’ system.
His new head coach knows how a midfield should work, as he is a legend in the midfield, and could be a fantastic mentor for Paz.
In addition, the Spanish-Argentine was called up by Argentina for the ongoing CONMEBOL qualification matches.
So, the 20-year-old has emerged as one of the most interesting talents across elite football in the early part of 2024/25.
In this tactical analysis and scout report, we will provide an in-depth Nico Paz analysis, the tactics involved in his new role at Como, and his abilities in each part of the game.
Nico Paz Player Profile
Despite being 20 years old, Paz has experimented with different roles throughout youth categories at Real Madrid and Argentina.
In general, we could categorise him as a midfielder, although he has played as an attacker and has offensive abilities.
The main interesting detail about his profile is that he stands out in the technical section, but is 1.86m tall.
With the congestion in offensive positions at Real Madrid, it seemed unlikely that he would see many minutes this year.
That’s why he is now at Como.
Nevertheless, a talent of his kind is influential, and he is showing that under Cesc Fàbregas.
How Cesc Fàbregas Gave Nico Paz The Keys To His Midfield
At Real Madrid, Paz played as the right advanced midfielder/right midfielder in a diamond, so he tended to be positioned close to the touchline, mainly on the right side.
Now, Fàbregas allows him to move along the final third between the lines.
With Sergi Roberto and Máximo Perrone in the double pivot, he has two teammates with good passing abilities to get the ball to the final third.
Nico Paz tends to be found with his back to goal and behind the opposition’s midfield.
At Real Madrid, it was similar; the difference was the horizontal freedom.
He was part of a positional-restricted zone of influence on the right.
He is Fàbregas’ link between the midfield and the final line, frequently making through passes to progress through to dangerous zones.
Just see how his present heatmap is different from the past year.
Nico Paz Heat Map
Paz detects which location at his height on the pitch is better to create damage to the opposition’s defence.
Constantly scanning, he positions himself and thinks about the following action.
Nico Paz Style Of Play – Oriented Control & Through Passes
Paz played at a relatively elite level during his youth, and his tactical reading is privileged.
Let’s analyse this in the specific sequence below.
Nico drops to the left in front of the final line.
Before receiving, he scanned his surroundings, noticed the space next to him and let the ball run.
Once the ball is close to the touchline and his teammate runs in behind, he executes a through pass and skips the final line quickly.
His timing was perfect in the context of an offensive transition, specific mismatches in the rival’s block, and passing tension.
This happens so much per match, and his technical-tactical abilities create constant advantages.
He can show off his passing technique and vision when he enjoys more time and space than the rival must allow.
His passage by Real Madrid Castilla has an incredible repertoire of oriented control, change of pace and passing technique.
While in 1º RFEF, RM Castilla usually faced low blocks or teams with a lot of space behind them – beautiful contexts for Nico.
In the above sequence, he drops deeper to the right and attracts his marker.
With his body positioning and backward steps, he seemed to be preparing to either reset the play or carry the ball forward, allowing it to roll ahead.
However, being 1.86m in height, he mixed his hip with a subtle change of direction and made another through pass to the far free man.
His body shape to crash is great.
Being a midfielder, he possesses both agility and strength.
In the sequence above, without vision behind, he detects space, understands how to receive the ball and hides it while his marker jumps.
Two players are jumping, and he puts the ball into the space he’d seen before.
He crashes without falling, and the other marker loses his reference.
The defence is destroyed, and quick progress is made.
He is doing something like this at Como, but from the left, as his progressive passes map shows.
Nico Paz Progressive Passes Map
Regarding progress, Nico Paz is an accurate player arriving at the opposition’s box.
His technique, while carrying with his long legs and a good velocity peak, makes him a threat while driving the ball.
He is powerful with the ball at his feet, so he is capable of attacking the final line running in behind, and his dribbling is clever, too.
Look at his penetrating carries this season.
Nico Paz Penetrating Carries Map
This frequent presence in the final pass is crucial to his football.
When a talent is as privileged as Paz, you must give him the keys to your offensive proposal — and Cesc Fàbregas knows it.
Nico Paz’s Ball-kicking
His long passing range indicates that Nico Paz has a top ball-striking ability.
This topic is the last one that allows him to be a playmaker.
He was the set-piece taker in Real Madrid youth categories and has assumed the role at Como, too.
His left foot will be one of the best in the world.
He has a unique sensibility with the ball and cares about possession.
This technique is also a resource while shooting from a distance.
He tended to shoot from challenging locations at Real Madrid Castilla, as shown in the shots map below.
Nico Paz Shots Map
His xG average per shot was low at 0.07, and he scored more than his expected goals, scoring, at times, from ridiculous distances.
One of his main techniques is the low strike from distance to the first post, as his goal against Napoli in the UEFA Champions League shows.
He has been producing similar actions at Como.
Against Napoli, too, he shot from a similar angle but more open, so he decided to shoot to the far post.
It was no goal because it crashed off the post.
In addition, the margin of danger from set-pieces is higher if he takes it.
Direct or not, he can generate a goal from set-piece actions.
This ball-kicking technique is amazing.
He has yet to score this season at Como FC, but it is only a matter of time.
The range of possible shots from any angle and direction is very unusual, being 20 years old.
Nico Paz Physical Profile
As stated before, Nico Paz uses his body to hide the ball and win seconds in possession while crashing.
In that sense, he is strong.
His physical profile makes him a player who can compete with solid defenders in each topic.
He can adapt to different contexts if he cannot combine with a passing circuit and dismarking runs from his teammates.
As an ‘attacker’ at Como, he can overload the box and offer himself as an option from crosses; his aerial play is competitive.
Although his jumping reach is not the greatest, he can win aerial duels because he is tall enough to play in central channels.
This strength, along with his tackling skills, makes him a good tool in the defensive phase.
As the image shows, he tries to close down the rival using his body.
His numbers at Como are excellent.
But, as an offensive midfielder, he stands out in defensive duels compared with the other players in his position, as his pizza plot shows.
Nico Paz Radar Map
We have to take into account that Como is a promoted team.
Nevertheless, Cesc Fàbregas is implementing a brave system with a high defensive line, and his team needs players to recover in dangerous zones.
So, Nico Paz can do an excellent defensive job and help the team’s balance.
Nico Paz Defensive Territory Map
Conclusion
Nico Paz is one of world football’s most promising and versatile midfielders.
His striking is privileged, and he understands how to create the best context to exploit it with an excellent reading of the game.
Physically, Paz is an anomaly.
He can spin fast despite being 1.86m in height.
He has the skills of a classic ‘10’: vision, reading, the capacity to spin fast after receiving behind the opposite midfield, and ball-kicking.
In addition, what modern football always asks for is winning duels and resources.
His physical biotype is a duel-machine, and he is committed, intense, and strong while defending.
He will keep growing under Fàbregas, building more resources and contributing more with goals/assists.
And we will watch a brave, recently promoted team as the present Como.
While Real Madrid has profiles like Arda Güler, Brahim Díaz or Jude Bellingham positioned between the lines, another elite talent is always welcome.
That is why they have a re-buy clause for this talent.
