Nnamdi Ofoborah 2019/20 – Scout report

In the beginning of a look around the EFL League One’s best performing under 23 players, this first week focuses on Wycombe Wanderers midfielder Nnamdi Ofoborah. On loan from EPL side Bournemouth, Ofoborah has been a key part of the side that went on to win promotion through the playoffs against Oxford United at Wembley earlier this month.

With promotion secured, Ofoborah’s future looks unclear as his parent side face relegation to the same tier. A possible loan back to the chair boys could be on the cards, but with his impressive performances, Eddie Howe may look to involve Ofoborah in the squad to bounce back which would come as a major blow to Gareth Ainsworth’s side.

In this tactical analysis/scout report, we will look closer at the how Ofobrah has excelled in Ainsworth’s side to get his shot at the Championship and how he fits into the tactics deployed at Wycombe.

The role Ofoborah plays

Ainsworth tends to set up his side in either a 4-4-1-1 or a 4-2-3-1, with Ofoborah operating as part of the two-man central midfield. Ofoborah looks to implement his physical power on the opponent on the left side of the two as shown in the example above from the second leg of the EFL League One Playoffs against former Manchester City midfielder Joey Bartons Fleetwood Town.

In possession, Wycombe tend to look forward quickly, into space behind the opponent. With the ball in the opponents third, Wycombe look to maintain possession high by winning the second ball, with players in close proximity to maintain and build from a higher line. Ofoborah looks to play forward quickly himself, which can be seen at a detriment to his passing statistics. In 21 appearances in all competitions, Ofoborah shows 23.32 passes per 90 at an accuracy of 65.7%, ranking poorly against his league one counterparts. However, he shows that 10.76 of those passes are forward with 4.63 being progressive at an accuracy of 74.19%.

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