When Andreas Skov Olsen joined Bologna in the summer of 2019 from Nordsjælland as a 19-year-old, much was expected. But, after an underwhelming 2.5 years Skov Olsen has swapped Emilia-Romagna for Bruges, joining current Belgian champions Club Brugge. The hope is that with a new environment, Skov Olsen will once again thrive, with him pushing to be a member of Denmark’s squad for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.
This tactical analysis and scout report will look at some of the attributes that Skov Olsen can bring to Club Brugge; and hopefully bring a spark to a side looking to win three Belgian league titles in a row.
Positioning overview
As the heat map shows above, Andreas Skov Olsen enjoys to be out on the right wing, with most of his contribution during attacking phases originating from the near touchline. He also is starting to get more involved in the defensive third as well; this as a result of him playing more as a right wing back during the end of his spell at Bologna. This is a position he will have to adapt to more, as Alfred Schreuder utilizes a 3-5-2 system at Club Brugge, with Skov Olsen being deployed there in his first two matches off the bench for the Belgian side.
Simple with his dribbling ability
With Skov Olsen being a wide player that thrives off of 1v1 duels against defenders, he naturally has good dribbling ability, but it still could be improved. During his time in Serie A, Skov Olsen attempted 6.67 dribbles per 90, with a success rate of 57.6%. Skov Olsen isn’t a tricky winger like Riyad Mahrez at Manchester City who seems to get by any defender with his dribbling ability; however, he is no slouch when it comes to getting by players either.
The phase of play above shows on a simpler scale what Skov Olsen is capable of with his dribbling ability. He is in possession on the near touchline and has the fullback isolated in a 1v1 situation. Skov Olsen is able to do a couple of step overs to get his defender unbalanced, before using a burst of acceleration to get past his marker. This allows him the space to whip a cross into the box towards his forward. Unfortunately, the first defender is able to head the ball away from danger.
When it comes to the amount of trickery Skov Olsen attempts when he is on the ball, it isn’t much. He is more so a simple dribbler, with him not attempting too many fancy tricks and flicks to try and get past his defender. Above against Sassuolo shows another example of this. Skov Olsen, this time situated on the far touchline, is 1v1 against Sassuolo fullback Rogerio. What Skov Olsen does to get past Rogerio is simple, a couple of step overs to get him off balance, and then a burst of acceleration in behind. This once again allows Skov Olsen the time and space to send a cross into the box. However, the cross once again is poor, with the ball not getting past the first opposition defender.
Another facet of his dribbling is the ability to occasionally make something out of nothing. In the match above against Juventus, Skov Olsen is this time in a 2v1 situation. Here, he is able to chop the ball back onto his left foot, before using his close control and acceleration to get past the defender and to the byline. This allows him to somehow find the space to send a cross into the box to try and find Arnautovic, which he does. Unfortunately, Arnautovic skews his header and Juventus regain possession. In this phase of play, though Skov Olsen is in a 2v1 situation, he is still able to use good close control and simple dribbling, nothing fancy, to create a scoring chance out of almost nothing.
Though it is rare for Skov Olsen’s first touch and dribbling to let him down, it does happen. In the phase of play above against Sassuolo, Skov Olsen takes the throw-in. His teammate plays the ball back to him, with Skov Olsen taking a really heavy touch, with the ball going out for a goal kick.
All in all, Andreas Skov Olsen’s dribbling ability is very much simple but effective. Though he occasionally has lapses in concentration when in these types of situations, his effectiveness on the ball will be a benefit to a Club Brugge side who have sent record signing Kamal Sowah on loan, and the loss of Ignace van der Brempt to RB Salzburg in January.
Likes to cross
When it comes to Skov Olsen’s end product, it needs some work. With that being said, he does have an innate ability to send good crosses into the box. Skov Olsen is very much a one-dimensional player when it comes to when he is in possession in the final third of the pitch. He will drive to the byline and take a defender on 1v1 before sending a cross into the box to be attacked by his teammates.
In the phase of play against Genoa above, Skov Olsen is able to find himself in space near the edge of the 18-yard box after drifting away from his marker and receiving the pass. He is able to spot the back post run of the attacker and play a perfectly weighted cross above the defence and to the back post. His teammate is then able to head across goal, but unfortunately, no goal results from this chance.
Once again, in the phase of play above Skov Olsen is able to beat the defender 1v1 and drive to the edge of the byline. Once he gets there, he is able to whip a perfect cross into his teammate making a near post run. Unfortunately, his teammate misses a golden opportunity, with his header going just wide of the post.
Another example of Skov Olsen’s ability when crossing is shown above. In this match against Cagliari, from a resulting corner, the ball is able to find Skov Olsen in space near the edge of the 18-yard box. Before the defender closes him down, he is able to switch the ball onto his left foot and deliver a good cross into the box towards his teammates. The ball is played by a teammate, but instantly gets cleared after that.
Skov Olsen’s tendency to drive to the byline before sending a cross into the box is very one-dimensional and does not always succeed. With that being said, the quality of his crosses makes up for it when he gets to these positions, with him also able to cross from deeper areas of the pitch as well. This will be a definite benefit for the attacking style of Alfred Schreuder and Club Brugge.
Defensive involvement
Over the last couple of seasons at Bologna, the defensive side of Skov Olsen’s game has improved massively. With Bologna normally deploying a similar back three formation to that of Club Brugge, Skov Olsen already has experience playing as a wingback. While his defensive contributions may not always be perfect, he has all the right attributes to continue to improve the defensive side of his game.
The phase of play above shows what Skov Olsen is capable of defensively when having to defend 1v1 against tricky wingers. Against Sassuolo, Skov Olsen is tasked with marking tricky former Chelsea winger Jeremie Boga. Boga tries to do a couple of stepovers to get Skov Olsen off balance, but he is able to stay with him. This allows him to stick a perfect foot in to win the ball, with it dropping to a Bologna player to start a counter attack.
He was also able to show his defensive capabilities in his first match for Club Brugge, against Gent in the cup. In the phase of play above, the Gent attacker has gotten to the byline and is attempting to send a cross into the box. Skov Olsen is able to stay with his man the whole time, staying tight to him. As a result, he is able to block the cross so it goes out for a corner for Gent.
Another good example of his 1v1 defensive capabilities also occurred in the same match against Gent. This time, Skov Olsen is beaten on the inside by the Gent attacker. However, he is able to still step out quick enough to get in front of the ensuing cross, blocking it.
Conclusion
This analysis piece has shown some of the key strengths of Andrea Skov Olsen. It was an interesting choice for Bologna to let him go, considering he had played in 18 of their matches this season. With that being said, moving to Club Brugge is the perfect next step for Skov Olsen’s career. He joins a side that is perennially in Europe, as well as a manager in Alfred Schreuder whose tactics are very similar to what he experienced at Bologna.
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