Armel Bella-Kotchap recently arrived at Southampton for a fee of around £9 million and has very quickly become a formidable opponent for Premier League attackers. The 20-year-old has been a part of a new recruitment process conducted by Southampton, with a focus on signing young, unproven players, who they believe have the ability to gain first-team minutes instantly. While it may seem a risky approach, Southampton’s superb scouting has seen them start the season strongly, although injuries to key players have slowed down the progress made.
The young German defender’s impressive performances have not gone unnoticed, with Hansi Flick deservedly promoting Bella-Kotchap to the senior German team for the first time in his career. The timing of this call-up is crucial, and if he impresses during the international break, he may be heading to the World Cup at just 20 years of age.
This article will contain a tactical analysis in the form of a scout report to show exactly what made Armel Bella-Kotchap impress from the get-go. The analysis will highlight the skills Bella-Kotchap possesses that make him so strong defensively and the tactics which have helped him to thrive.
Player Profile
The young German defender has comfortably adjusted to the intensity and physicality of the Premier League in central defence — a position in which many players peak in later parts of their careers. Bella-Kotchap has displayed both the physical and mental skills required to play in the Premier League, skills which are usually associated with the elite-level defenders in the league. At 6’3”, Bella-Kotchap is one of the taller players in the league, which combined with his pace and power, as well as his lean body, allow him to be one of the most mobile players in central defence.
This mobility and physical prowess allow Bella-Kotchap to excel in many different styles of play, whether it is in a low-block or a high press where there is lots of space left behind. The heatmap from the current Premier League season shows the young German playing in his favoured role as a right centre-back, with dark areas on the side showing how comfortable Bella-Kotchap is at defending in wider areas as well.
A mature defender
Although he is only 20 years old, Armel Bella-Kotchap has shown promising signs of intelligent defending, which have allowed him to be so secure defensively with relatively little experience in the position. The heatmap below shows the areas in which he has covered for the Saints this season. It is clear to see that Bella-Kotchap nearly covers an entire quarter of the pitch, thanks to a combination of his defensive qualities and physical presence. The width of the area shows his ability to defend wide channels, while the height of the area shows that Bella-Kotchap is comfortable in both a high line and inside his own box.
Arguably his biggest strength is his ability to comfortably defend in 1v1 situations, in wide channels when the ball is played behind the full-back. Bella-Kotchap has the pace and power to keep up with even the quickest forwards in the league. Furthermore, the young German’s defending stance and lean body allow him to easily keep up with quick changes of speed and direction from opposing attackers.
Pictured below, we can see the 20-year-old forcing his opponent to keep running down the line, with the confidence that if the ball is knocked into the space, Armel will win the foot race and recover the ball. If the attacker tries to turn inside, as Mount attempts in the image below, Bella-Kotchap has displayed excellent footwork to reduce the length of his stride, thus allowing him to be able to change direction more easily and prevent Mason Mount from turning inside.
Bella-Kotchap’s intelligent footwork and physical presence allow him to control most 1v1 scenarios and have success in most ground duels. This season, he has won 78% of ground duels from 5.5 duels per 90. This impressive return means that Bella-Kotchap ranks third-highest in the league in that regard.
Furthermore, Armel Bella-Kotchap has displayed high levels of defensive IQ, by maintaining control of situations even when outnumbered. The Southampton defender understands how to restrict space, by cutting off passing lanes in 1v2 situations. This tactic wouldn’t necessarily work for most defenders, but his pace and power allow him to concede small amounts of space.
The picture below shows Bella-Kotchap completely cut off the passing option, forcing Raheem Sterling to engage in a 1v1. The young German has the confidence to go up against one of the best dribblers in the league, and still come out successfully after gifting Sterling a small amount of space. The ability to quickly increase the length of his strides allows the 20-year-old to cover short amounts of distances in next to no time.
Another key skill which helps the Saints centre back to be a commanding defender is his bravery when defending his own box. In the image below, Christian Eriksen has a free shot from six yards away, which Bella-Kotchap instantly recognises and closes down. Furthermore, the ability to quickly form a k-shape barrier with his legs optimises his chances of blocking the shot by cutting off any central space and forcing Eriksen to either find a corner or see his shot blocked.
Another important trait the ex-Bochum defender possesses is his impressive ability to defend the box through excellent positioning and reading of the game. In the instance below, Bella-Kotchap quickly scans to locate a free attacker at the back post and closes down the potential cross across the face of the goal. His ability to predict this outcome allows him to be in the right place to easily clear the ball away from danger. In addition to the great awareness, Armel’s body orientation also allows him to be able to deal with both cut back’s and aerial passes, as he can quickly pivot around his right foot to turn and face the space by the penalty spot in case the ball does get delivered there.
After spending his career in German football, Armel Bella-Kotchap has faced many transitional situations when defending. This experience in transition football has helped him develop the necessary skills to calmly deal with counterattacks.
It has already been made clear that he has the physical capabilities to handle defending large amounts of space, and the 1v1 skills to defend against ball carriers in transition. What makes Bella-Kotchap such an exceptional defender is his positional intelligence in so many different defensive scenarios.
In the image below, we can see the young German correctly position himself in a place where he prevents a central through ball, whilst also being appropriately positioned to cut out a potential passing option. Armel Bella-Kotchap always seems to have the situation figured out, even when faced with so many different defensive problems. His ability to turn so quickly allows him to be in a prime position for a foot race back to goal, in case a pass is played in behind. When the pass is played behind him, Bella-Kotchap can easily turn to intercept the ball and prevent a dangerous situation.
Armel Bella-Kotchap is not only extremely mobile, but he also is very strong in the air. The 20-year-old is very strong, despite a thin frame, which allows him to spring high and hang in the air. He can jump early, and hang in the air, preventing the opposition striker from even attempting to challenge for the aerial duel. Engaging in 6.2 aerial duels per 90, Bella-Kotchap has a 54% success rate, which makes him the 16th best in the league at aerial duels.
Armel Bella-Kotchap has also displayed great abilities to perform a different role in the back line. While playing as a leader and holding the defensive line, the 20-year-old also has the reading of the game, and aggression in duels to jump out of position and intercept passes when possible. While moving towards his own goal, the Southampton defender has proven that he can quickly change direction and move into the lane of the pass. This smart trait allows him to prevent attacks before they even get close to the goal.
Armel Bella-Kotchap’s great reading of the game is highlighted below, with him already having intercepted numerous passes in the opposition half, only six appearances into his time at the club. The cluster in the bottom right corner further highlights just how comfortable he is in wide areas, even near the halfway line.
On ball frailties
The biggest thing preventing Bella Kotchap from taking the next step in his career so far has been his lack of belief in his team on the ball. While he isn’t bad at this aspect, the level required to consistently play out from the back has not yet been reached.
The young German defender has shown glimpses of strong ball-carrying abilities. When faced with an opponent and space behind, Armel has displayed close control over the ball through his use of body feints to unbalance his opponent and carry the ball beyond them. He has also, at times, displayed a good ability to turn with the ball on either side, evade pressure and retain possession.
Bella-Kotchap has at times displayed strong passing over long distances. His ability to strike through the ball allows him to spray the ball over long diagonal distances in behind for his teammates to chase. While he has the range, Armel hasn’t always been accurate with the trajectory of his passes which makes him unreliable in these situations.
Armel Bella Kotchap’s passing in tight spaces under pressure has prevented him from being a reliable player in possession. His pass selection hasn’t been up to standard, which prevents him from keeping possession consistently. In the image below, the Young German releases the ball too late and gives away possession in his own third. Bella-Kotchap doesn’t have the awareness, or the footwork to open up another angle for himself and find a spare teammate when there are two on his left side. Instead, he opts for a risky line-breaking pass which doesn’t pay off.
His pass map below displays his preference, to play the ball to either his right-back or central defensive partner on his left hand side. The pass map only displays completed passes, with Armel Bella-Kotchap being hesitant to play passes which are harder to complete, but more likely to move the team upfield. In future, he can mask these problems by going long, as long as there is an outlet upfront to bring the team up the pitch. If he plays for direct teams, this problem is unlikely to ever be exposed.
Conclusion
Armel Bella-Kotchap has shown over the past six games just how dominant he is in defensive scenarios. His amazing physical abilities, agility and balance, and defensive intelligence have helped him to shine in what is one of the hardest leagues in the world. With just over a month to go until the World Cup, Armel Bella Kotchap has to maintain these standards and will likely be on his way to Qatar as a 20-year-old defender. This is a monstrous defender, who is unlikely to be beaten by any opponent due to his physical presence and experienced mentality.
Comments