Anel Ahmedhodžić has had an interesting path that has eventually taken him to Sheffield United. He began life at his hometown club Malmö FF before joining the academy of fellow English and now Premier League side Nottingham Forest. He made his only appearance for Forest aged 17.

He then returned to his beloved Malmö in 2019 on a three-year deal; this is where the Bosnian started to perform. Following a short-lived loan to Danish side Hobro IK, he continued to develop and improve.

In September of last year, Ahmedhodžić made his Champions League debut against Italian giants Juventus. His experience at the top level will bring so much value to Sheffield United as they look to clinch promotion.

Furthermore, for the last part of the 2021/22 season, he was loaned out for Bordeaux in Ligue 1. He has a wide range of experience at a relatively young age of 23. His upbringing and rise will have helped him massively.

Subsequently, his impressive performances have earnt him nearly 20 senior international appearances for Bosnia-Herzegovina. The upwards trajectory for Ahmedhodžić’s development is only getting greater. This scout report will look at his progress so far and explain how the Bosnian has become a staple for Sheffield United.

In this tactical analysis, we will look at how Anel Ahmedhodžić has been deployed at Sheffield United and the tactics used to get the best out of him.

Player profile

Ahmedhodžić plays as a centreback; during his time at Malmö, he played in a back four as a right-sided centre-back. In more recent times, he has been used in a back three, where he excels.

During his short stay in France, the Sheffield United man was deployed mostly on the left side of a back three. He is comfortable on the ball and well able to play on his supposed ‘weaker’ side. With him being predominantly right-footed there was never a real issue in terms of building up on his left side.

Under manager Paul Heckingbottom, Ahmedhodžić has been played on the right side of a three for virtually all his minutes so far, although he has featured on the left of the three. His experience in playing both sides of a back three and also a back four, which he plays in for Bosnia-Herzegovina, makes him a very reliable and flexible addition to any defensive unit.

His heatmap above shows how he is utilised for Sheffield United. Playing as a wide centre-back in a defensive three means he has a license to roam up the pitch and be involved in attacking build-up play.

This style of play is something often associated with Sheffield United of the past under Chris Wilder. Ahmedhodžić is excellent at stepping up the pitch and receiving the ball in pressured situations. His role in the team is to provide an out ball when his team is building up from defence.

Ahmedhodžić stands at 6’4’’ tall making him one of the tallest players around. He is physically strong for a defender of his age. He uses his body well in defensive situations and is firm in a challenge.

On the ball

Being part of a confident Sheffield United team means that all players must be good on the ball. Sheffield United rank 8th in the league for average possession with 51.2%.

As Ahmedhodžić’s pass map shows, he is involved heavily down the right-hand side. As briefly mentioned, he has been used in a back three this season. This formation utilises wingbacks to provide width, and Ahmedhodžić has built up a good relationship with right wingback George Baldock.

The way Sheffield United build-up encourages Ahmedhodžić to find himself in very wide areas. When the ball is with the goalkeeper, he takes up a role that a right-back would usually occupy, which means he is in an advanced position, to begin with.

Ahmedhodžić, top left of the photo, is in a large amount of space created by his wide positioning which gives him time on the ball to be able to play.

His pass map shows how advanced he finds himself and is often in the attacking third where a traditional winger may be. Ahmedhodžić has good composure on the ball and is very capable of playing good short passes.

Below is an example of how he takes up the space in the wide area. The system he is part of gives him time on the ball and allows him to play comfortably forwards or backwards.

The Bosnian defender is good at making quick first-time passes. He can scan and be ready for the ball at his feet, while he often knows what his next pass will be which is an important skill. By doing this, he allows for the build-up to continue at a good tempo.

Furthermore, he has the ability on the ball means he can pick out teammates in the final third. His positioning and involvement in the attack make him an extra option during the final third.

He breaks the line of the opposition’s defence with a well-weighted pass into the path of his teammate. The composure needed to play this pass, whilst under pressure, is very high. His timing and vision are both excellent in the final third, especially for a centre-back.

His attacking input is valued by Sheffield United greatly, he makes continuous forward runs and always finds himself in the final third, as previously mentioned.

The data above shows how attack-minded Ahmedhodžić is, compared to other Championship centrebacks. The graph displays data for progressive runs per 90 and touches in the opposition box per 90 — Ahmedhodžić ranks highly for both, placing second in both categories.

One part of the possession side that hasn’t been up to the standards of the other aspects is his long passing. He is well able to execute long-range passes as shown by his time in Malmö so far this season he has only managed a long-range pass accuracy of 52.5%.

This could be down to the fact that he faces much greater pressure from the opposition. The Championship is very aggressive and little time is given to those on the ball. However, when given the space to play passes he is able to.

His confidence will grow with time, playing as a wide centreback will help his chances in terms of positionally to play long passes. Below is an example of where Ahmedhodžić drives into space, avoiding the press, before playing a perfectly weighted pass.

Defensive ability

As good as Ahmedhodžić is on the ball his primary objective and role in the team are to stop the opposition from scoring. He has formed a good partnership with experienced defender John Egan and is beginning to assert himself defensively.

One area in which the Bosnian is brilliant is stepping in and ‘pinching’ the ball from his opponent. Below is a perfect example of how he times his move to step in and win the ball back before the opposition gains complete control.

His tall stature helps him to reach around opponents rather than go through them and commit fouls. This is especially important in areas like the one above as a freekick in that area is very dangerous.

Furthermore, Ahmedhodžić has a great desire to defend and get stuck in. Similar to old-school centre-backs of bygone eras, he loves to make tackles and stop goalscoring opportunities. His determination has seen him make several goal-saving clearances, tackles and interceptions.

Below is just one of these, the ball is about to be played across the six-yard box, and Ahmedhodžić is not yet in close proximity. He uses his defensive ability to slide and intercept this pass saving an almost guaranteed goal for the opposition.

Not only is he individually good at defending, but he has also developed a good understanding of the system that he plays in. Having already a lot of experience in playing in a back three, Ahmedhodžić knows the position very well.

The three defenders must look out for each other and be alert to situations they need to cover. The Bosnian is good at reading these situations and is quick to drop deeper than his teammates to supply this cover.

The position that he takes up allows him to react to all possible scenarios quickly. He can go and close down the player with the ball if needed. He can easily move over and apply pressure to the spare man but most importantly, he is in a good defensive position to drop deep and defend the goal if a quick break happens.

Areas for improvement

Every player has aspects of their game that needs to develop and improve. At just 23 years old, Ahmedhodžić has plenty of time for these developments. Due to his height, he sometimes struggles to change direction quickly. This does get exposed, especially in wide areas.

As he is deployed as a wide centreback most of his engagements take place in the wide channels. This often causes him to be isolated in 1v1 situations. He does struggle in containing his opponent and is beaten with a quick change of pace.

As you can see above, he leaves a large gap open for his opponent to drive into. His body shape should be angled better forcing him down the line rather than giving him an option to come into the box.

Having said this, he does not get beat by players cutting the ball back, he is very alert to these situations and regularly makes well-timed tackles.

Continuing on the subject of body shape, he is caught out by this and it can damage his chances of progressing to the top level. Another example of where this has caused difficulty is when defending the ball from far away.

As you can see below, the defence is set up expecting the long ball. Ahmedhodžić highlighted in the black box, is positioned too square to the ball and not side on as his teammate next to him is.

This poor body shape and lapse in concentration leads to the opponent having an advantage as Ahmedhodžić must rotate his feet before he starts to run. The opponent makes up ground quickly and can get on the end of the long-range pass.

These improvements and small details will be worked on and developed over time. Once they are understood and implemented Ahmedhodžić will be able to make the step to the next level.

Conclusion

Overall, Ahmedhodžić is definitely one of the best defenders in the second tier of English football. There is no doubt that he will be playing Premier League football next season either with Sheffield United or at another club.

His confidence on the ball makes him an asset to any possession-based side. Furthermore, his comfortability in a back three brings value. A great signing for Sheffield United, the Bosnian has settled in quickly to life in England.