The beginning of the 2023/24 season was a poignant moment in the career development of Brahim Díaz.
After three successive years of plying his trade on loan at Milan, Stefano Pioli and the Milan hierarchy failed to exercise a permanent transfer clause for €22 million — allowing him to return to the Spanish capital.
The decision to let Brahim walk was certainly confusing to Rossoneri fans, especially as the Spanish forward had shown glimpses of excellence, having ranked second in Serie A for goal-creating actions (0.84).
With Real Madrid in what appears to be a slight transitional period in the attacking third, the loss of Karim Benzema has allowed many of Real’s younger offensive talents to flourish with increased minutes in La Liga.
In turn, Brahim has signified his capabilities at the highest level, becoming impactful from the bench and additionally leading the charge from the front with Jude Bellingham‘s increased absence.
Having enhanced his tactical flexibility while out on loan, Real Madrid now has an incredibly well-balanced dynamic playmaker who can only promote the attacking spark led by the likes of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.
This tactical analysis and scout report will highlight how Brahim Díaz has returned to life at the Bernabeu
. Manager Carlo Ancelotti has entrustedhim with increased responsibilities, not only in the attacking third.
We will address how Brahim has been moulded by the ‘new look’ Madrid tactics, with an analysis of his tenacity and defensive work rate, which sets him apart from the majority of young forwards in Europe.
Brahim Díaz Offensive Position this season
Towards the beginning of this current season, Brahim was forced to make his mark in the later stages of the game, often coming on for substitute cameos in an attempt to bring life when others were fatigued.
However, since injury issues catching up with star signing Jude Bellingham, Brahim has had the opportunity to emerge into the starting eleven and showcase his abilities from the outset.
His schematic flexibility has seen Brahim being deployed as the No.
10 in the absence of Bellingham, as well as a strike partner to the likes of Rodrygo or Vinicius.
However, in Ancelotti’s system, we do not really see him as a traditional striker in that sense.
The two forwards often split wider to utilise space on the flanks, creating more of a front three who can work the ball inside to interchange and creatively link play.
Having benefited from his time in Milan learning how to play in attacking midfield, Brahim has developed his positional value by having the capability to become comfortable both out wide on the flanks and between the lines in the central channel.
His ability to find pockets of space nicely compliments his proficiency with the ball at his feet, taking on the role of an offensive creator when Bellingham is not on the field.
Brahim additionally benefits from the presence of an attacking-minded full-back supporting his positioning on the right flank.
As we have seen when playing alongside the likes of Lucas Vázquez and Dani Carvajal, their progressive nature and willingness to bomb forward allows Brahim to drift further inside and pick up pockets of weakness to exploit the defensive frailties of the opposition.
He is not one-dimensional in this sense either, as Brahim has been shown to stay wider at times to allow the right-back to make an alternative underlapping run to create further defensive confusion.
This positioning often allows Brahim Díaz to create space with the ball at the top of the box, working it onto his favoured left foot to find a pinpoint cross or through pass into the penalty area.
The moment that truly encapsulated his improvement would be his magnificent solo strike in the Champions League knockouts against RB Leipzig.
He showcased his ability to drift wide to the right flank to receive the ball from Carvajal before expertly riding multiple challenges with his technical prowess and bending the ball into the corner- ultimately handing Madrid the victory.
Not only did it encapsulate his evolution in carrying a greater attacking load with more responsibility on his shoulders, but it also began to show alternate elements of his game, which have improved since his initial outings for Los Blancos.
Díaz’s ability to bounce off challenges and maintain control can be owed to his physical development whilst playing in the Serie A, with experience in a much more physical league possibly helping to morph Díaz into the all-around talent we have witnessed in 2024.
Brahim Díaz attacking data
While it is important to remember that Brahim has only completed 1149 minutes of football across 26 matches in the league and European competition, it aims to provide insight into his capabilities.
As these opportunities have become more abundant, we have begun to observe how Brahim can become a positive catalyst in the attacking third.
Continuing nicely from his successful final season in Milan, Brahim has displayed his magical ball-carrying abilities with 2.88 successful take-ons per 90 (87th percentile) and 3.57 carries into the final third per 90 (98th percentile).
With 0.31 xA/90, Brahim has highlighted how threatening he can be with his incisive passing abilities when looking to break down the opposition.
His overall output doesn’t stand out as alarmingly brilliant, with only seven goals and three assists across all competitions.
However, once you recognise that his competitive opportunities have often come from the substitute bench or his more recent starting berth, it would certainly imply that he possesses the ability to be an offensive game-changer who is matching his career-best figures this season for Madrid.
Brahim Díaz Defensive Abilities
One of the most critical aspects of Brahim’s game is not what many would usually associate himself with.
As a modern attacking midfielder, he has an impressive defensive skillset, which allows him to increase his value for Ancelotti and his Madrid side.
In turn, with the physical growth we have witnessed since his development in Italy, Brahim has harnessed the desire to defend from the front and display his relentless work rate on both sides of the ball.
Whilst Real Madrid has become synonymous with possessing the attacking ability to break down the strongest teams in European football, the welcomed addition of Díaz creates a healthy dynamic which allows them to target an area of vulnerability without investing in the transfer window.
It starts with his ability to lead the pressing effort from the forward line.
He clearly desires and intends to be proactive as soon as the ball is kicked.
This was clear in the Champions League fixture against Leipzig, where Brahim led from the front and pressed the opposing central midfielder, forcing him into a non-advantageous carry forward- ultimately handing possession back to his team with an opportunity to attack Leipzig’s unbalanced structure.
He also works hard once the ball is behind him, dropping deeper into the middle third to press the blindside of his opponents to create an impactful and efficient pressing effort when coordinating with his teammates.
This, in turn, allows Real Madrid to be incredibly dangerous in transition, with a player like Brahim Díaz having proficiency in retrieving the ball from nowhere with his successful duels.
The most welcomed surprise to the majority of Real Madrid fans would have to be that Brahim’s inclusion increases their defensive balance when out of possession.
Despite being seen as a traditional right-winger, Brahim adopts an incredibly well-structured defensive position in an attempt to strengthen his defensive line.
In their recent match against Sevilla, as the opposition progressed along the left flank, Díaz dropped into almost a right wing-back role, creating a momentary five at the back and forcing Sevilla to retreat.
When finding himself higher up the pitch when the opposition looks to work in transition, Brahim displays high-level tracking efforts to stifle attacks and regain solid shape—something his manager certainly appreciates.
In their matchup against Rayo Vallecano, we saw him matching the run of the opposing full-back stride for stride down the left flank.
This not only eliminated the passing outlet to progress the ball down the wing further, but it forced the attacker inside, where he was met by an increased number of Real Madrid’s defensive reinforcements.
Conclusion
This scout report and tactical analysis have begun to shed light on Brahim Díaz’s style of play evolution and how we have witnessed his upturn in momentum since the start of 2024.
Carlo Ancelotti will now have an even tougher decision to make heading into next season, with the imminent transfer of Kylian Mbappe likely to further reduce the overall minutes of his attacking arsenal.
Since standing out as a character that his manager can depend upon in the heat of battle, Brahim has undoubtedly made a lasting impact.
He hopes to find a place in this Madrid side for years to come.
With a huge international tournament like Euro 2024 on the horizon, it would appear that Brahim has found his purple patch at the perfect moment. Spain manager Luis de la Fuente discussed him for an international call-up.
Whatever the future may hold, it is evident that Brahim Díaz represents an individual with a relentless nature and embodies an incredibly useful tool for clubs to utilise at the highest level of European football.
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