After two breakthrough seasons at Internacional, Yuri Alberto has earned himself a €20M move to Zenit St Petersburg in the January transfer window.
The young centre-forward came through Santos’ youth academy before moving to Internacional on a free transfer at 18 years old.
Since then, Yuri Alberto has been a key figure for the Porto Alegre giants with 36 G+A over two seasons.
With Zenit constantly qualifying for the UEFA Champions League Group Stage, the Brazilian will have a platform to impress Europe’s biggest clubs.
Yuri Alberto is a complete centre-forward who is able to press, create, and score.
He is very intelligent in his movement and positioning but also has the flair and skill to entertain.
In this scout report, we will utilise statistical and tactical analysis to define Yuri’s playing style and explain why it was so effective in conjunction with Internacional’s tactics.
Yuri Alberto Positioning
Yuri is a very active centre-forward, both in and out of possession.
He is not a traditional number nine who looks to stay in between the centre-backs and provide depth, such as Lukaku.
On the other hand, he is not a false nine who looks to drop in and get on the ball constantly.
The 20-year-old has a very unique playing style, heavily reliant on his movement off the ball.
He was crucial in helping Internacional’s attack break into the final third.
His movement was key to disorganise defensive structures and create space for others.
In addition, he also looked to link up and combine further up the pitch with his back to goal.
In the final third, he is very dynamic.
He is very intelligent with his movement inside the box, often finding open spaces to receive the ball.
Additionally, he may also look to drop into the half-spaces just outside the box to combine with the midfielders or inverted wingers.
Internacional often looked to enter the ‘assist zone’ and deliver low crosses or cutbacks, and Yuri was critical in that.
Yuri Alberto Link up
Yuri Alberto’s ability to play with his back to goal is very impressive.
Whether his team is trying to enter the final third or create goal-scoring opportunities, he is very efficient in linking up with his teammates.
