Robin Quaison is a 26-year-old Swedish footballer who currently players for FSV Mainz 05 in the German top flight. Quaison is Mainz 05’s leading goalscorer with 12 goals in all competitions this 2019/20 season, as well as sitting fourth in the overall 2019/20 Bundesliga goals-scored table.
Quaison joined FSV Mainz 05 from Serie A side US Palermo at the end of January 2017 and played over 3000 minutes for the Italian side. Quaison has already surpassed his xG statistic, which currently sits at 9.7. Since joining FSV Mainz 05, he has made himself a key player within the side and is attracting interest from top clubs around the world, including those from the EPL.
This scout report will examine Quaison during this campaign. Through the use of tactical analysis, the left attacking midfielder’s movement in between the lines during the build-up will be analysed, as well as the effectiveness of his actions when in the final third. This analysis will conclude by investigating Quaison’s role out of possession and how he prevents teams from advancing further up the pitch.
Quaison’s movement during the build-up phase
One of the main areas in which Quaison is the most effective is in the other teams half and this analysis will analyse his movement in between the lines during his teams build-up phase. When Mainz 05 are in possession of the ball, Quaison has the freedom to vacate his left attacking position and roam in between the oppositions defensive and midfield line. This movement means it is very difficult for the other team to track his runs and follow his movements. During this campaign, Quaison has touched the ball 378 times in the midfield third and 353 times in the attacking third. He has only touched the ball 87 times in the attacking penalty area this season.
In this first example, we can see Quaison receiving the ball in the midfield third and he has the time and space to control, turn, and advance forwards. Quaison has drifted into the central space to receive, which then attracts and pulls the Union defender out of position, as highlighted in yellow in the image above. The engagement of this player cues Quaison’s teammate, Jean-Philippe Mateta, to make a run in the space which Quaison vacated.
During this game against Union Berlin, Quaison received a pass in the midfield third 18 times and receives a pass on average 12.08 times per 90 minutes. Although some could argue this statistic is low for an attacking player, the movements he makes in between the lines to create space for himself, as well as others to receive, is one of the main strengths that he holds when Mainz 05 find themselves in possession and looking to build play.
