With Spartak Moscow struggling for goals from forwards this season, partnered with their disappointing ninth place standing at the winter break in Russia, they decided to dip into the transfer market to try and bring more goals to the Russian capital. They decided to look to Belgium, bringing in 24-year-old Jamaican striker Shamar Nicholson from RSC Charleroi for just under €9 million.
With 13 goals and 5 assists so far through 18 matches for the Belgian side, this tactical analysis and scout report will look at the strengths and weaknesses of Nicholson’s game and analyse whether he is an improvement on the forwards that are currently at the club.
Positioning overview
Nicholson likes to position himself inside the 18-yard box, as the heat map above shows. With his height of 6’4”, this makes him an excellent target for crosses and balls whipped into the box. This also allows him to showcase his lethal finishing ability in and around the penalty spot. However, he also has played in wide left positions earlier in his Charleroi career, as shown in the heat map. While he has now transitioned into an out-and-out #9, his ability to play out on the left flank if needed will be very helpful for Spartak — with Ezequiel Ponce, Aleksandr Sobolev, and Jordan Larsson presenting alternative forward options — and is able to give new manager Paolo Vanoli more options in attack.
Good shot accuracy with clinical finishing
With the aforementioned 13 goals this season, Nicholson has very much turned into a clinical striker in front of goal. In the league last season, Nicholson only managed nine goals all season, so he already has four more than all of last season at the halfway point. A lot of this can go down to an improvement in his shot accuracy, with the Jamaican taking more shots per 90 this season than last but at an increased accuracy. In the 2020/21 season, Nicholson took 2.39 shots per 90 with a 44.4% accuracy. So far this season, he has taken 3.61 shots per 90, but with a 50.9% accuracy.
The image above shows exactly the type of clinical finishing that Nicholson is capable of. The ball is played through to him after he finds himself in space just inside the box. He lets the ball run onto his favoured right foot before taking a powerful first-time shot past the goalkeeper that goes into the far corner. This also shows the confidence and current form that he is in, as he could have taken a touch or two before shooting or even laid the ball off to his teammate but instead shot first time.
Another trait that Nicholson has within his finishing locker is his composure in front of goal. In the phase of play above, Nicholson makes a run in behind and is played through by his teammate. As shown, he is being closed down by three opposition defenders, as well as the goalkeeper coming off his line to try and close down the angle. Nicholson stays calm and can attempt a finesse shot, which goes past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
Though Nicholson stands at well over six feet tall, he very much has the striker characteristics of someone much smaller. This includes the ability to be a fox in the box type striker, as well as someone who can react quickly to loose balls. Here, his teammate takes a shot that the goalkeeper doesn’t do a good job of saving, with Nicholson able to react quickly enough to pop the rebound into the back of the net.
With the struggles that Spartak Moscow are currently having domestically, bringing in a striker with the clinical finishing capabilities of Nicholson will go a long way to helping them rise up the table, as well as possibly rub some of the finishing off on the other forwards already at the club who are struggling for form this season.
Excellent hold-up play
When people think of strikers with excellent hold-up play, names like Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal and Romelu Lukaku of Chelsea come to mind. Shamar Nicholson compares well to these two in that respect, as his hold-up play is also excellent, allowing his teammates to run beyond him to give him options to pass to off of long balls or other long passes. His capability to hold-up play also demonstrates Nicholson’s strength in these situations, with his stockier body frame helping in these instances.
The phase of play above shows a great example of Nicholson’s ability to hold up play. The ball is played to him off a throw-in while he is in his own defensive third. The three Genk defenders use this opportunity to try and press Nicholson to close him down and win possession back. Nicholson is able to chest the ball down and keep it close to his feet before turning with the ball still at his feet and proceeding to play a pass into the path of his teammate running into the space left by the defender closing him down from behind. At this moment, Nicholson doesn’t panic, keeps his composure, and can get his teammates started on an attacking move, all because of his hold-up play.
This time, Nicholson has the ball played to him from his goalkeeper, who was put under pressure from the Genk attackers. The opposition centre back gets dragged out of position to engage in almost a wrestling match with Nicholson in his own defensive third. He can hold up the play long enough to allow two runners to get beyond him. One of these runners is able to dart into the open space left by the defender pressing Nicholson. This allows Nicholson to play the ball back to his teammate in front of him, who then proceeds to play the pass into the space left behind to start a counter-attacking opportunity.
It is not just holding up play for teammates that Nicholson excels at; he can make space for himself as well. In the phase of play above, Nicholson is once again forced to hold the ball up from a throw-in. Even with a defender on his back and two more pressing him from the front and his side, he can control the ball before turning and accelerating into the space behind. He is able to drive towards the edge of the 18-yard box before being fouled and winning a free-kick for Charleroi in a dangerous area.
This ability to hold up play will be a welcome addition to a Spartak side with the likes of Quincy Promes and Ezequiel Ponce able to make good runs into space left behind by defenders. Nicholson also has a similar profile to young Russian striker Aleksandr Sobolev who is already at the club, meaning the two of them can be rotated and Spartak will not lose that hold-up play ability in their side.
Off the ball movement
Nicholson also has excellent off the ball movement, with him being able to notice the spaces and make intelligent runs in behind the opposition defence. While many may think of Nicholson as a pure target man striker because of his height and physicality, his off the ball movement is one of the strongest attributes of his attacking play, with him able to make space for others or himself with his off the ball movements.
Above shows a good example of his off the ball movement. Charleroi are engaged in a quick counter-attacking phase after winning possession back in midfield. Nicholson, circled in red, notices the space that is left behind as the opposition defence is discombobulated while trying to get back into position. He can make a good run into the space behind but unfortunately, his teammate is not able to look up quick enough to spot him, with Nicholson never receiving the ball.
Above shows another good example of Nicholson’s intelligent movement off the ball. His teammate has possession and is driving centrally. He is marked by the fullback, who was dragged out of position by man-marking him. Nicholson notices the space that is left behind by the fullback being dragged out of position and decides to make an in-to-out run attacking that vacant space. While the ball is not played to him, it once again shows his ability to notice the space and make intelligent runs to gain separation from defenders.
Aerial presence
Standing at 6’4” tall, Nicholson is the first player that his goalkeeper looks to when attempting to play the ball long. Nicholson doesn’t disappoint aerially either; he is, in fact, very strong in the air, with the ability to flick the ball on to teammates making runs beyond him or heading it down into the path of a teammate in front of him. While he of course does not win every header that he challenges for, he does win over half that he is involved in. Through the first half of the season in Belgium, Nicholson averaged 7.02 aerial duels per 90, with a success rate of 51.4%.
A perfect example of this aerial presence is shown above. The goalkeeper plays a goal kick and targets Nicholson, who can get up above the defender to win the header. He then plays a perfect flick-on into the path of the attacker running beyond him, allowing him to make a possible run in behind on goal. Unfortunately, the attacker takes a poor touch, allowing the defender to clear the ball away.
Heading the ball down into the path of teammates is another thing that Nicholson excels at with his aerial presence. In the phase of play above, Nicholson has the ball played to him by his goalkeeper who is under pressure. Nicholson is able to position his body so that he wins the header once again over the defender, and can play a perfect pass into the feet of his teammate. This can start a counter-attacking opportunity for Charleroi, but it doesn’t result in anything.
Nicholson is also adept at winning second balls in the air. In the phase of play above, the opposition defender wins the first ball in the air by the near touchline and plays it towards where Nicholson is positioned. Nicholson is once again able to get up above the defender and win the second ball, though unfortunately, he is not able to find an open teammate.
This aerial presence is something that Spartak will appreciate, with Sobolev one of their only other options for winning the ball in the air in dangerous areas. It could be interesting to see a possible front two of Nicholson and Sobolev for Spartak, with players like Promes able to run off of them onto their headers in behind.
Conclusion
Spartak Moscow are getting a very good striker in Shamar Nicholson as this analysis has shown. It took him a lot of hard work to reach this point in his career, but it is thoroughly deserved. Charleroi are losing a very good player, and it will be intriguing to see how he gets along with Spartak and their tactics, as he attempts to help them get back up the table in the Russian league, as well as try to bring titles back to the club in the future.
Comments