Who Is Sofyan Amrabat?
One of the fairy-tale stories of this precarious rendition of the FIFA World Cup has been Morocco.
Walid Regragui, having been in charge for just four months prior to the tournament’s commencement, managed to rally his troops and capture the hearts and minds of, not only the Moroccan people but the millions and millions watching from home.
Having topped a difficult group which included Belgium, Croatia and Canada, the Atlas Lions managed to hold off Spain for 120 minutes in the Last-16 before eventually winning on penalties to progress to the quarter-finals, the furthest that the African nation has ever gone at a World Cup.
More impressively, Morocco only conceded one goal in the first four matches which was coincidentally an own goal against Canada. The team have been so solid defensively that only Morocco can score against themselves.
The key performer of the Moroccan national team, and one of the best throughout the tournament so far overall, has been Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat.
Playing as the base of Regragui’s midfield trio, the 26-year-old has been a rock, acting as the teams fulcrum in and out of possession.
This tactical analysis piece will be a Sofyan Amrabat scout report at the World Cup. It will be a player analysis of why the former Feyenoord man has been so vital within Morocco’s tactics in Qatar.
Sofyan Amrabat Style Of Play
In Florence, Amrabat has been used as a single pivot at times, although this season, the Moroccan has played in a double-pivot alongside Rolando Mandragora.
However, Amrabat looks far more comfortable on his own, sitting in front of the centre-backs and protecting space between the lines.
At international level, Amrabat’s role is far more restricted than with his club in Serie A.
With Fiorentina, the midfield general is given a greater license to make forward runs and get involved in the attack.
This is perhaps because he is not the only pivot player. If Amrabat gets forward on the attack, his partner will still be sitting deeper and protecting the backline. This adventurous nature is noticeable in the player’s heatmap for Fiorentina.
Sofyan Amrabat Heat Map
However, under Regragui at the World Cup, given that Amrabat is deployed as the sole number ‘6’, he is not afforded this freedom.
The instructions from his manager in possession are to sit in front of the centre-backs and help to circulate the ball as well as to progress it forward. Often, it entails dropping beside or in between the central defenders too but Amrabat will rarely venture forward.
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