The 2023/24 campaign has so far been a career season for 23-year-old RFC Liège forward Adriano Bertaccini.
His 11 goals in the Challenger Pro League this season make him the highest scorer in the Belgian second division. His form in the first half of the season has attracted interest from sides in Belgium’s top flight.
The Belgium U19 international was part of the youth setups at four different Belgian Pro League clubs: Sporting Charleroi, Standard Liège, Club Brugge, and Genk. He made his senior debut in the 2019/20 season on a loan spell at Deinze.
A move to Austria Lustenau, when they were in the Austrian second division, followed before a prolific two-year spell at Belgian third division side Thess.
This past summer, the 23-year-old got his move up a division, joining the recently promoted RFC Liège in the Challenger Pro League.
This tactical analysis and scout report will examine a few areas in the striker’s game, analyzing his strengths and weaknesses and determining whether he is ready for a potential move to the top flight in Belgium.
Adriano Bertaccini Positioning overview & style of play
First, we will have a look at where Adriano Bertaccini typically finds himself on the pitch and where RFC Liège has deployed him under Gaëtan Englebert’s tactics.
Adriano Bertaccini Heat Map
The data viz graphic above shows Bertaccini’s heat map during this current Challenger Pro League campaign with RFC Liège.
The 23-year-old is typically deployed as the lone striker in either a 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-4-1 formation, so most of his time is spent in and around the opposition penalty area.
However, we can also see that he will spend time in the midfield areas, and it is not uncommon for Bertaccini to drop into pockets in the midfield to help link play.
Standing at only 5 ‘8”, Bertaccini is not a forward who looks to contest aerial battles often. Most of his quality comes when the ball is at his feet.
He also is not the type of striker who looks to play with his back to goal and hold up the play.
Instead, when Bertaccini drops into pockets of space to be involved in link play, it is usually with quick one-twos, as the Belgian U19 international tends to be at his strongest when he faces up defenders and is inside the opposition’s penalty area.
This is not to say that Bertaccini is not a strong and physical forward.
The 23-year-old may not prefer physicality but does not shy away from becoming more physical with opposition defenders.
He looks to try and keep opposition defenders at arm’s length when he is in possession and driving towards goal, with the striker tending to rely on his quickness and ball control to get past defenders.
Defensive is definitely the area of Bertaccini’s game where he could use more refinement and improvement, though his off-the-ball work rate is tremendous.
He does not look to engage in many defensive duels, and while he does average more aerial duels per 90 minutes than defensive duels, his under 50% success rate does not make him a reliable presence in this phase of the game.
As this Adriano Bertaccini scout report progresses, we will examine a few of these areas in more detail, analyzing his strengths and weaknesses.
Adriano Bertaccini Technical ability
One of the first things we will look at is the technical ability of Adriano Bertaccini, specifically his dribbling ability and tendency to look to drive at opposition defenders.
Looking deeper at the statistical numbers, the 23-year-old striker has averaged 4.12 dribbles per 90 minutes this season, with a success rate of 56.7%.
This rate is good for one of the highest totals in both categories for strikers and centre-forwards in the Challenger Pro League.
Adriano Bertaccini Ball Progression Map
The data viz figure shown above examines Adriano Bertaccini’s ball progression and dribbling in the Challenger Pro League so far this season.
As the graphic shows, the majority of Bertaccini’s attempted dribbles have occurred outside the opposition penalty area and typically in the centre areas of the pitch.
The 23-year-old will drift wide at times to offer support in the channels, and though Bertaccini does not have the skill set of a proper winger, he does look to take defenders on 1v1 in these types of areas.
The image above shows an example of Adriano Bertaccini’s quality when allowed to take defenders on.
In this phase of play above, the 23-year-old receives possession from a wider area of the pitch, exposing a high defensive line and finding himself 1v1 against the defender.
Standing at only 5’ 8”, Bertaccini has a lower centre of gravity, which allows him to sometimes almost wriggle past much taller defenders.
Here, the RFC Liège forward is able to use his left foot to cushion the ball and move it to a more favourable position on his stronger right foot.
At the same time, Bertaccini can use this close ball control ability and his outstretched arm to keep the space between himself and the defender, eventually getting a shot off and scoring with his stronger foot.
This is just one example, but it already begins to explain why he is being linked with a move up to the top flight in Belgium.
It is not just the ability to take defenders on 1v1 that makes Bertaccini a threat when running at opposition defences.
The striker also has unpredictability about his game in possession, and Bertaccini can use his pace and acceleration to get past defenders.
In the phase of play pictured above, the 23-year-old is in possession and driving at the opposition defender, who is expecting Bertaccini to attempt to take him on 1v1.
This forces the defender to stand his ground, looking to get his body shape right before attempting a tackle.
However, Bertaccini had another idea.
We can see in the figure above what Bertaccini does instead to get past the defender.
The 23-year-old notices the defender looking to get faced up, and Bertaccini decides to try and accelerate past him.
The RFC Liège striker uses a purposeful, heavy touch to get the ball past the defender on the outside, catching him off balance and preventing him from reacting appropriately.
Bertaccini then uses a burst of acceleration to get past on the outside and run onto the loose ball, getting behind the opposition’s defence and creating a goalscoring opportunity.
This example demonstrates Bertaccini’s unpredictability in these dribbling moments, showing he is not just a one-trick pony when it comes to his abilities with the ball at his feet and facing up opposing defences.
Adriano Bertaccini Ability to link play
Another thing to look at in Adriano Bertaccini’s skillset is his ability to link play.
The forward does not shy away from dropping into pockets in the midfield to gather possession and help support attacks rather than just being on the end of them.
Looking at his passing statistics so far this season, the 23-year-old is averaging 12.55 passes per 90 minutes in the Challenger Pro League with a passing accuracy of 75.5%.
Though these are not standout numbers, and he needs to work on improving his link play, he is still skilful in these moments, so it is worth looking at it in this scout report.
Adriano Bertaccini Touch Map
The data visualization above shows Bertaccini’s touch map from this season. This graphic helps us better understand the areas of the pitch where the forward typically looks to gather possession.
As we can see, while he has had a fair number of touches inside the penalty area, the majority of his touches have occurred inside the attacking half of the pitch, in these deeper pockets.
The image above shows the off-the-ball movement and link-play ability that Adriano Bertaccini is capable of creating.
In the above phase of play from RFC Liège’s most recent match against Patro Eisden, the 23-year-old drops into a pocket of space in the midfield to show for a progressive passing option.
The striker uses his vision to spot his fullback under pressure from a pressing opposition player, with Bertaccini dropping into a pocket of space to show as an option.
Realising that he will be put under immediate pressure from two Patro Eisden players, Bertaccini can play a one-touch pass out wide to the wide player, Jérémie Lioka.
This allows RFC Liège to continue building into the attacking half, with Bertaccini then able to quickly turn and drive back towards the penalty area to become a potential option in a more dangerous scoring area.
Another thing that Bertaccini is able to help his side because of his willingness to drop into the midfield is second balls.
In this phase of play above, the RFC Liège midfielder is able to win the first ball off a goal kick, which is flicked on into the attacking half of the pitch.
Noticing the space in the midfield, the Belgian U19 international drops off of the backline and into the pocket of space.
This movement allows Bertaccini the time to control the ball and allow his side to keep possession. The forward can play the ball back to the midfielder, who gets fouled, allowing RFC Liège to get a free kick just inside the opposition’s half.
While he may not be the best with his back to goal and could use a bit more strength to become more consistent playing in this way, Bertaccini has the capability to support attacking moves in this manner, making him more than just a goal poacher who prefers to stay in more advanced positions.
Adriano Bertaccini Shot selection and goalscoring ability
What has probably impressed most Challenger Pro League followers about Adriano Bertaccini this season is his shot selection and goalscoring ability.
The 23-year-old has scored 11 goals in the Belgian second flight this season, picking up where he left off when he played for third-tier side Thess last season.
In total, Bertaccini managed 38 goals in total for Thess, and his goalscoring has been able to translate up a level during his first season in the Belgian second tier.
Adriano Bertaccini Shots Map
The data viz graphic above shows the shot map for Adriano Bertaccini this season under RFC Liège, highlighting the areas where the 23-year-old tends to get most of his shots off.
As we can see, he has averaged 0.16 xG per shot this season, a pretty respectable tally.
Bertaccini has also overperformed his total xG this season, so it will be interesting to see if he can keep this goalscoring pace up for the rest of this season and in the future.
Looking a bit deeper into the statistical numbers, Bertaccini has averaged 2.89 shots per 90 minutes this season, with 57.4% being on target.
The figure above shows the clinical nature that Adriano Bertaccini has possessed in front of goal this season.
In this phase of play above, the 23-year-old is bearing down on goal, with two opposition defenders looking to engage the forward and dispossess him.
This example illustrates the composure that the Belgian U19 international has shown in these areas this season.
Bertaccini’s shot was perfectly placed into the far corner through a tight window and past the opposition goalkeeper.
One thing that Bertaccini has been able to demonstrate this season, as the previous example and now this one shows, is his ability to score goals with minimal touches and from extremely tight angles.
In this phase of play above, the ball is played over the top and into the penalty area, with Bertaccini making a run from deep, beyond the backline, and allowing the ball to drop in front of him, with the 23-year old’s positioning keeping the defender behind him and not able to challenge without likely giving up a penalty.
As a result, the ball drops right in front of Bertaccini, with the 23-year-old taking the shot on from a half-volley.
His ensuing strike is perfectly placed, with the ball going past the goalkeeper and into the side netting at the back stick.
This section has shown Bertaccini’s technique in more detail, helping to illustrate his clinical ability in front of goal and why his shot selection and goalscoring, as well as composure under pressure in these advanced areas, have attracted the attention of teams higher up the pyramid in Belgium.
Conclusion
As this tactical analysis and scout report has shown, Adriano Bertaccini has made the step up to the Challenger Pro League and has not missed a beat.
Though he has only been with RFC Liège for just over half a season, his performances have attracted the interest of teams in the Belgian Pro League. It would be unsurprising if he moved on this summer if RFC Liège does not win promotion to the top flight for next season.
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