Yasser Larouci 2019/20 – scout report

Liverpool have undoubtedly set the global standard at present for the position of fullbacks. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson are more than just key players in Jürgen Klopp’s system; In fact, they have been elevated to a phenomenon status for those positions. If Liverpool runs the best school for fullbacks, it would be interesting to look at the graduates of Liverpool academy. Previously we published a scout report on Neco Williams and today I shall examine his counterpart at left-back, Yasser Larouci in this scout report.

The 19-year-old Algerian has made frequent appearances for the U23s in the Premier League 2 and the UEFA Youth League. After gaining first team exposure during the pre-season friendlies in the summer of 2019, he made an appearance in the third round of the FA Cup against Everton. His 6^th minute substitution came as a result of Milner’s unprecedented injury but he managed to play the rest of the game as a left-back and was selected in the starting lineup for the next round’s fixture against Shrewsbury Town. Using a combination of data and tactical analysis, we shall examine Yasser Larouci’s attributes and go into a deeper analysis of how he fits into Klopp’s tactics.

Style of Play

The left-footed Larouci stands 175cm in height and has a strong physique weighing 70kg. His physical attributes allow him to use his pace to dominate the left flank. Originally developed as a left-winger, he has been recently converted into a fullback given the diverse profile of the position currently at the club. That said, he has also been deployed as a left midfielder in the UEFA Youth League and as a centre forward in the U23s league.

By closely looking at his video replays, we see that the winger tendencies are stronger than that of a left-back. He prefers to have a lot of space to receive and dribble at opponents. He also prefers receiving the ball in the space in front of him which he can chase with his pace, rather than at his feet. Take a look at his heatmaps from the FA Cup the first one against Everton, where he was forced to operate deeper against a more attacking opponent. He tends to struggle in games that demand a lot of defending as it he doesn’t seem to have been developed as a defender in his youth.

The second one was against Shrewsbury town where he was able to advance higher and almost play as a winger in the opposition half. His attributes are manifested much more dominantly when he has the freedom to attack the spaces higher up the pitch.

A specific movement that comes naturally to Larouci is attacking the space behind the opposition fullbacks in the progression or creation phase of attacking organisation. Here we see two instances in both the games where he picks the right moment to make a run in behind the opposition defensive line. This helps push the line back, giving his team greater space to circulate the ball in possession, provide space to his advanced players to receive between the lines and support the finishing phase with an extra forward.