Aboubakary Koita is currently in the midst of a breakout season at Sint-Truiden in regards to his attacking output.
The 25-year-old Belgian-born Mauritania international joined the top division club from SK Beveren in the summer of 2021, with Koita scoring three goals and contributing three assists in his first two seasons in Limburg.
However, since Thorsten Fink’s arrival in the summer as the club’s new head coach, Koita has been deployed in a more advanced position, which has paid dividends.
The 25-year-old has scored 11 goals through 17 matches in the Belgian Pro League this season, making him the second-highest scorer in the league.
In this tactical analysis, we will look at the evolution of Aboubakary Koita’s role under Thorsten Fink and his tactics to the one under his predecessor, Bernd Hollerbach, while also analysing Koita’s style of play, strengths, and any standout weaknesses in the form of a scout report.
Aboubakary Koïta Position overview Under Fink & Hollerbach
In the Belgian Pro League this season, Sint-Truiden has become a much different team tactically under Thorsten Fink than they were the previous two seasons under Fink’s compatriot Bernd Hollerbach.
Under Bernd Hollerbach’s tactics, Sint-Truiden was set up in a more defensive-minded style of play.
The Belgian side averaged 44.1% of ball possession last season, one of the lowest totals in the Belgian Pro League.
Aboubakary Koïta Heat Map Under Bernd Hollerbach
The heat map graphic above shows Aboubakary Koita’s average position during Bernd Hollerbach’s two seasons in charge of the Limburg-based club.
The German tactician usually opted to set his side up in a 5-3-2 formation, with Koita being deployed at the left wingback.
This role did allow the Mauritanian international to get forward, but due to Sint-Truiden’s lack of ball possession more often than not, Koita was not able to be as productive with the ball in the attacking half of the pitch.
The German coach opted to use Koita as more of a defensive-minded player who had the capability to get forward when the time was right or the situation called for it.
Looking at Koita’s production from an attacking perspective during these couple of seasons, the 25-year-old did not rank highly in any of the categories he is excelling in this season.
Koita is not anywhere near the top half in 1v1 and dribbling, shots, or goals.
Aboubakary Koïta Heat Map Under Thorsten Fink
This second heat map graphic above shows Koita’s average positions so far this season, this time under fellow German coach Thorsten Fink.
One noticeable difference straight away is how Koita has had fewer touches and activity in the defensive half of the pitch, with Fink allowing the 25-year-old more freedom to get forward and attack.
Another factor that helps is Fink’s tactics during the half-season he has been in charge of Sint-Truiden.
The numbers are night and day compared to their ball possession last season.
While the Limburg side had one of the worst possession numbers in the division last season, they have the third-highest so far this season, with Sint-Truiden averaging 56.1% possession per match.
Fink’s side have also attempted the second-highest amount of passes this season while also having the highest passing accuracy of any side.
Another key stat to consider for ball possession is passing rate, which measures how many passes a side averages per minute of possession.
Sint-Truiden has the highest passing rate this season, with 15.1, again highlighting their more possession-based and attack-minded approach under Fink.
So far this season, Fink has looked to set his side up in some variation of a back three system, either a 3-4-3 or a 3-4-2-1.
Both of these formations have allowed Koita to start more advanced, either as the left-sided midfielder/winger in a 3-4-3 or one of the two #10s in a 3-4-2-1.
This means the 25-year-old has consistently found himself on the ball in more advanced positions, which has paid dividends for both Koita and Fink.
As we have illustrated, all of these factors have led to a breakout offensive season for Koita.
The 25-year-old has led the division in 1v1 and dribbling opportunities, been second in shots and goals, and also led the division in progressive runs since Thorsten Fink’s appointment in the summer.
As this scout report progresses, we will dive deeper into Koita’s strengths.
Aboubakary Koïta Progressive runs & dribbling
The first strength of Aboubakary Koita that we will
examine in this analysis is the 25-year-old’s ability on the ball.In the Belgian Pro League this season, Koita leads all players in both 1v1 and dribbling statistics, as well as progressive runs.
Koita has attempted 165 take-ons this season, with Yann Gboho of Cercle Brugge having the second most with 115.
Breaking this number down by a per-game statistic, Koita is averaging 9.05 dribbles per 90 minutes, with a success rate of 60.6%.
Aboubakary Koïta Ball Progression Map
The data viz graphic above shows the ball progression of Aboubakary Koita this season, with the figure looking at both progressive runs and dribbles.
As we can see, the 25-year-old is most active offensively from the left side of the pitch, though he will occasionally drift to the right at times when in possession.
Koita has been able to display the danger he can create in possession relatively often this season.
A lot of Sint-Truiden’s ball progression into the final third comes from Koita’s tendency to make progressive runs, driving at opposition defenders with the ball at his feet and allowing time for teammates to get forward and support.
The image above shows an example of Koita’s tendency and ability to take on opposition defenders.
The 25-year-old creates space for himself and takes a shot from distance that comes back off the post.
The ball circulates from the right to Koita, and the Mauritania international is faced with a 1v1 encounter against an OH Leuven defender.
Koita is then able to get the defender off balance, with the midfielder cutting to the inside as the defender attempts to stick a leg in and regain possession.
As this is progressing, the Leuven forward, who has dropped back to help defend, shifts over to make it a 2v1 against Koita, with the 25-year-old cutting inside directly into the forward’s path.
However, as the forward commits to the challenge, Koita is able to dance around him, creating space for a shot from around 25 yards out.
His ensuing shot rattles back off the post but shows the chances Koita can create with his ability on the ball.
The figure above shows Koita’s close control and dribbling ability, as well as the tendency to make progressive runs into the penalty area from a recent league match against Mechelen.
This attacking move originated on the break for Sint-Truiden.
The ball was switched to Koita from the far side, and the 25-year-old was able to gain control and drive towards the penalty area.
Koita faces up with the Mechelen defender, dropping his shoulder to the outside to get the defender off balance before quickly changing directions and cutting inside to drive into the penalty area.
The figure above shows what Koita is able to accomplish with his close control once he gets into the penalty area.
The 25-year-old is able to put two Mechelen defenders on the ground before continuing to dribble towards the far edge of the 6-yard box.
Once reaching this area, Koita is able to make room for a shot on goal, which again bounces off the post before falling to a teammate who is able to score.
As this section has illustrated, Aboubakary Koita has shown the full range of his ability on the ball since Thorsten Fink’s appointment in the summer.
This has been able to pay dividends, with the 25-year-old Mauritania international establishing himself as one of the best dribblers in the Belgian Pro League this season.
Dangerous from distance & set pieces, but could improve shot selection
Another attacking trait that Aboubakary Koita has been able to showcase this season is his ability in front of goal.
The 25-year-old has scored 11 goals this season so far in Belgium, the second-highest total in the top division.
Koita has also attempted 75 shots this season, the second-highest total behind only Cercle Brugge’s Togo international striker Kévin Denkey.
Aboubakary Koïta Shots Map
The data viz graphic above shows Koita’s shots this season in the Belgian Pro League, giving a more illustrative example of the areas where the 25-year-old typically attempts his shots.
In regards to where Koita ranks in different metrics in front of goal, the Mauritania international has attempted the third most shots per 90 minutes in Belgium this season, with 4.12 per 90.
However, he does not have the highest number of shots going on target, with only 40% of his attempted shots being on target for Sint-Truiden this season.
The main reason for this is that Koita has attempted the most shots from outside the penalty area this season, with over half of his shots, or 47 total, occurring from outside of 18 yards.
This could be classified as a slight weakness for the 25-year-old, with Koita tending to attempt shots from range instead of getting into more favourable positions in front of goal.
However, Koita’s four goals from outside the penalty area this season is the most in the Belgian Pro League, highlighting that he still needs to be closed down and put under pressure when within 25 yards of goal, even if he could improve on his shots on target percentage if he is to become a reliable goal scorer season in and season out.
The image above shows what Aboubakary Koita is capable of when striking a ball from outside of the box.
In this phase of play against Mechelen, the 25-year-old has just taken a free kick from outside the area.
His strike hits the wall and bounces back out to the edge of the penalty area.
With the defenders from the wall rushing out to engage and close the Mauritania international down, Koita can keep his composure.
He is able to take a touch to settle the ball in front of him before firing a shot through the crowd of players in front of him.
The ball is hit with such precision that it goes through everyone and slots into the bottom far corner, leaving the goalkeeper no chance as he sees the ball too late to react properly.
This example illustrates the quality that he displays from these areas around the edge of the penalty box.
While Koita may still need to improve his shot accuracy and target percentage in the long term, he does possess a legitimate threat to opposition defences if given the time and space to attempt a shot from outside of the 18-yard box.
The figure above displays an area of weakness in Koita’s game that was previously mentioned, shot selection and partially decision-making in these advanced areas.
In this phase of play above against former Barcelona and Bayern Munich midfielder Mark van Bommel’s Royal Antwerp, the 25-year-old finds himself in an advanced position in the centre of the pitch.
Koita finds himself in this position after winning possession back in the attacking half, though he makes the wrong decision at that moment.
As we can see, two Sint-Truiden players have been able to find themselves unmarked on the far side, creating an overload against the Antwerp fullback.
Koita had the opportunity to play a ball into the path of the player closest to the touchline but took too long on the ball, allowing three Antwerp players to surround him and close off the potential passing lane.
However, the 25-year-old never even looked up to see his teammates in space, and the Mauritania international only had one thing on his mind: shooting from a distance.
His ensuing shot always rises, going well over the crossbar and not resulting in anything.
Another strength in Aboubakary Koita’s style of play is his ability from set pieces.
He is perfect at deadball situations from positions on the edge of the penalty area and even further out.
This free-kick goal from their league match against Westerlo demonstrates the 25-year-old’s quality in these situations.
Koita’s ensuing shot sneaks through a hole in the wall, ending up in the far corner past the outstretched goalkeeper in the Westerlo net.
To summarise, Aboubakary Koita’s shot selection can be a bit of a mixed bag at times, with the 25-year-old needing to refine this side of his game a little bit more to become a more clinical goalscorer.
The same can be said with his vision on the ball at times, in situations where it would be better for him to look for a teammate in a better position than take an almost impossible shot.
However, Koita has shown this season that his future lies as a more advanced player, with Thorsten Fink able to transform the 25-year-old into a key player for his Sint-Truiden side from an attacking perspective.
Conclusion
As this scout report and tactical analysis show, Aboubakary Koita has become a different player since Thorsten Fink’s arrival at Sint-Truiden this summer.
The 25-year-old has been pushed into a more advanced role than the one he played in the previous two seasons under former manager Bernd Hollerbach, which has paid dividends.
Koita has become one of the best players in the Belgian Pro League with the ball at his feet this season, and it will surely be interesting to see how the rest of the season goes for him and if any potential bigger clubs come in for him next summer.
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