Magomed Shapi Suleymanov, or simply Shapi Suleymanov, is one of many promising talents coming out of Russian side Krasnodars academy. Upon being founded in 2008, Krasnodar have built their way to the top of Russian football, securing Champions League football next season where Suleymanov is likely to play a large role, in parts down to the injury of star man Viktor Claesson.
Suleymanov is a current Russian under 21 international at 19 years old and was involved in Krasnodars UEFA Youth League final defeat to Real Madrid before making his transition to the first team last season. Suleymanov originally hails from Dagestan, an even more interesting part of Russia which is starting to produce famous Russian athletes such as MMA fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov. Krasnodar were able to acquire him from Dagestani side Anzhi Makhachkala in 2013, and have since then developed him into the talent we see today.
In this tactical analysis, Ill show what a top prospect Suleymanov is, and why I would expect many top sides from across Europe to be watching him with eager eyes this coming season.
Playing style
Suleymanov is a pacy, tricky winger with a body type which could be compared to Eden Hazards. He stands at 537 inches tall and despite his height has a well-built frame, meaning his centre of gravity is low and that he can change direction quickly.
This lends itself to a key aspect of his game- cutting in from the wing. As a left-footed player, Shapi plays on the right wing for Krasnodar and is always looking to cut inside to get onto his dominant foot. This is evidenced by his heat map for the season, which shows a clear trend from the wing moving into the central areas.
But all this heat map really shows is that Suleymanov plays on the right wing, so how does he contribute to the team in these kinds of positions?
One way is through these kinds of penetrative passes, between the full-back and central midfielder. Suleymanov often gets into these situations through his acceleration, so that when he arrives to a full-back, the central midfielder is chasing back. A right-footed player may struggle to play a penetrative pass into the middle and instead run down the line, but Suleymanov instead plays this pass, which leads to a chance being created.
