After failing to make a lasting impression on Spanish football in his early career, another Basque prospect has begun to take the EFL Championship by storm.
Borja Sainz’s electric start to the 2024/25 season has captured the attention of fans worldwide.
The Spaniard is spearheading the attacking benefits of a more progressive style at Norwich City.
Having shone as a transitional ball progressor in his first season at Carrow Road, Sainz’s attacking output has rapidly increased over the space of 12 months.
He sits atop the Championship scoring charts with 11 goals thus far.
For a player who appeared to struggle while operating within different team environments in La Liga, witnessing the rapid adjustment between two vastly different tactical systems during his time at Norwich has been seriously impressive.
Sainz quickly developed some of the more fundamental aspects of his game learning under David Wagner’s mentorship, although the former manager preferred a much more conservative tactical approach.
Fast-forward to present-day Norwich and new boss Johannes Hoff Thorup has entrusted Sainz with alternative attacking positioning.
This allows the Spaniard to threaten opposition defences in different ways with some refreshing tactics.
This tactical analysis and scout report will begin to highlight how Sainz has become so effective within each of these tactical systems as he continues to showcase his individual talents in the English second tier.
We will also begin to highlight how Sainz may fit into some of the top-tier sides that may knock on the door once the winter transfer window opens, with keen interest from Galatasaray and Athletic Club.
Borja Sainz Style Of Play
When defining Borja Sainz’s style of play as a player, it is important to highlight how effective he has been when in possession of the ball this season.
Borja Sainz positionally operates on the left wing of Norwich’s attack and is supremely confident when carrying the ball intently into the attacking third.
Having grown accustomed to playing on either flank throughout his career, Sainz can hurt opposition defences much more effectively when inverting from the left wing.
His dribbling ability to create space to shoot from range is one of the main reasons his goal catalogue has become so outrageous this season, with incredible ball-striking and unwavering confidence on the ball.
Despite not being the tallest or strongest Championship winger at just 5’10” and 72kg, it is essential to note that he can bypass most of these physical deficiencies with his actions in possession.
He possesses the agility and explosive attacking movement to quickly evade defensive pressure and remain incredibly press-resistant when operating within more congested central areas.
David Wagner’s Tactics At Norwich City
When acclimatising to English football, Sainz operated within a David Wagner system, which had been labelled as too conservative and one-dimensional.
Unfortunate injuries to critical players ultimately drained the squad’s ambition due to the defensive nature of their tactics, despite a late push into the playoffs last season.
The main principle of David Wagner’s tactics at Norwich was that the full-backs operated high and wide while in possession, providing the necessary width in the attacking phase.
This allowed Norwich’s wingers to invert and adopt more centralised positions within either half-space, meaning Sainz would often drift in from the left flank.
With both Sainz and Sara often coming inside the pitch to allow their two full-backs to advance, this created a box shape within the attacking third, incorporating Barnes and Josh Sargent’s strike partnership.
Norwich’s attacking gameplan still had an element of fluidity, with one of the forwards operating slightly more advanced to provide bursting runs beyond the defensive line.
However, the example above does begin to highlight the attacking coordination and proximity between the attacking quartet.
Sainz’s central positioning didn’t necessarily translate to supreme offensive output.
Still, it did allow the Spaniard to exercise his desire for possession by dropping deeper into midfield to receive the ball.
This was evident when facing tougher opposition in the crucial moments of the season.
Sainz could look to instigate his side’s ball progression by dropping into holding midfield and driving at the opposition.
Wagner’s gameplan at Norwich had often been deemed ‘unambitious’ due to his desire to revert into a low block when out of possession, soaking up opposition pressure with the goal of picking teams off in transition.
Whilst this may not have developed Sainz’s technical prowess, it did allow the Spaniard to display effectiveness in his defensive efforts.
Sainz was able to support his full-back while defending in the wider areas, block interior passing lanes, and negate opposition threats between the lines.
For that reason, the underlying statistics saw Sainz rank within the 98th percentile for tackles and interceptions per 90 (3.74) when analysing Championship attacking midfielders and wingers.
The interesting aspect of this would be that most of these tackles were within the defensive and middle thirds, with only 0.26 tackles per 90 in the final third of the pitch.
This would suggest that whilst Sainz was effective in regaining possession in deeper areas, he was unable to effectively counter-press or gain possession to create high turnovers, potentially as a result of Wagner’s more conservative positioning without the ball.
Growing Into Thorup’s System
Borja Sainz’s upturn in form this season has been no coincidence, as it perfectly coincides with the managerial switch from Wagner to Johannes Hoff Thorup’s coaching style.
After moving to Norfolk from FC Nordsjælland, Thorup has adopted a more possession-based approach with a fluid build-up system to unlock the best out of his most influential players.
One of these critical tweaks would include using an inverted full-back within Norwich’s build-up, utilising either a 2-3-5 or 3-2-5 build-up shape, depending on whether the extra man joins the defensive or midfield line.
This impacts Borja Sainz the most because Callum Doyle has most often been inverting into midfield or defence from the left side of the pitch, allowing Jack Stacey to overlap high on the right flank.
With Doyle drawn inside the pitch through the left channel, Sainz is often the most immediate passing outlet within Norwich’s deeper build-up, with a direct passing lane that the Canaries have utilised to progress play quickly along the wing.
Especially when Sainz is supported by one of Norwich’s central midfielders sliding across, we see impactful passing combinations that aim to release Sainz with some explosive runs behind the defensive line.
The decision to get Sainz on the ball at the dangerous end of the pitch has seen a huge upturn in his progressive statistics, with a jump from 1.63 to 3.06 carries into the final third per 90 between his two seasons at Norwich.
Sainz ranks within the 82nd percentile for touches in the opposition’s penalty area, which is a clear indication that Thorup is now using the Spaniard in the most effective areas.
Even though Sainz has sparkled in the Championship with some dazzling long-range efforts, an expected goals figure of 0.38 xG per 90 would suggest that his attacking output is not exactly down to luck- and can be replicated as the season progresses.
Potential Future Destinations
Despite Sainz aiming for a Premier League spot with Norwich City, many clubs are circling ahead of a potential move, either this upcoming window or during the summer.
The first potential destination would signify a return to Turkish football, in a league where Sainz really began to find his feet within senior football when playing for Giresunspor.
Süper Lig champions Galatasaray have reportedly displayed interest in Sainz.
Implementation into Okan Buruk’s system appears relatively straightforward compared to their current starting left winger, Yunus Akgün.
Borja Sainz Vs Yunus Akgün Radar Map
Buruk’s use of wingers in central positions to boost midfield solidity has been significantly effective against some of Türkiye’s finest competition.
Sainz has displayed a combative and forward-thinking nature when out of possession.
His attacking qualities are much more apparent, but Sainz’s desire to roam within the half-spaces and stretch the verticality of opposition defences have helped form an important connection with Josh Sargent at Norwich.
So imagine what Sainz could do when coupled with Victor Osimhen‘s elite striking instincts and Gabriel Sara’s creative talents—another former Canary who has reached new heights after a transfer to Istanbul.
Because of Sainz’s Basque upbringing, a return to Athletic Club has also created narratives as to how the Norwich winger could potentially replace Nico Williams should his outgoing transfer finally materialise.
Borja Sainz Vs Nico Williams Radar Chart
Comparisons between the two wingers should be taken with a pinch of salt when accounting for the difference in quality between leagues, but they do indicate similarities in attacking output.
Within Ernesto Valverde’s tactical system, Athletic Bilbao have also taken advantage of full-backs and midfielders, drawing defensive attention inwards to create isolated attacking opportunities for their wingers to exploit.
Sainz would also benefit from a familiar attacking style at Athletic Club, where Guruzeta often drops deeper as the central striker to allow his wingers to attack the vacated space.
Thorup has utilised this season to allow Sainz to remain threatening through the central channel, with Josh Sargent here manipulating the opposition’s defensive structure with his movement towards the wing.
Conclusion
Borja Sainz really established himself as a prolific scorer at a time when Norwich needed desperate attacking reinforcement after the loss of Jonathan Rowe.
In just his second season at Carrow Road, he has experienced a huge leap in direct attacking output, growing into a real game-changer who can score in an instant.
With Norwich’s season stuttering after a positive start, it will be exciting to see the next steps in Sainz’s Championship career and whether he can inspire another late push for playoff contention under Johannes Hoff Thorup’s tactics.
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