Elliot Watt is a 22-year-old central midfield player who joined Salford City in the summer on a two-year deal from fellow League Two side Bradford City. Watt has made over 100 League Two appearances and is experienced in professional football at a relatively young age.
Having begun his youth career with Liverpool, he then developed at Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End before moving to Premier League outfit Wolves where he signed professional terms. He has also represented Scotland at U17, U19 and U21 levels. His international progression will look to make its final step over the next few seasons with a call-up to the senior side.
Watt has previously attracted interest from a number of EFL Championship clubs and it looks as though that will be his next step up the footballing ladder.
This scout report will provide an analysis of how Watt is one of the best central midfield players in League Two. It will be a tactical analysis of the 22-year-old and the tactics manager Neil Wood uses to get the best from him.
Player profile
Watt is deployed as a central midfield player for Salford and is usually in a midfield two. He plays alongside a more attack-minded player. Together, this brings a good balance to Salford’s team as Watt likes to drop deeper and get the ball. He is 5’10” and 73kg making him a good build for a central midfield player.
His heatmap below shows us the area on the pitch he operates. Usually, you would expect a central midfielder to operate much more into the opposition’s half. However, Watt’s style of play means he tends to operate close to the defenders in his team, getting the ball from them in the build-up play of an attack.
As Salford play mostly a variation of a 3-4-1-2, Watt’s role in the team is to link the defensive players to the attacking players from deep with ball progression. His style and ability suit this more deep-lying role as he has a great range of passing.
The data
The table below shows the percentile ranks of Elliot Watt amongst all other League Two central midfield players, who have played over 200 minutes so far this season.
Attacking data
Starting with the attacking data, coloured pink, an interesting insight into Watt’s role is given from this data set. He ranks relatively low in the chosen areas. A midfield player is involved heavily in all aspects of the game, more so than in other positions, but it is not always important to excel in all areas.
As Watt’s attacking data shows he is not overly attack-minded. His low rank for touches in the opposition box backs this up. He rarely ventures into the penalty area and tends to remain further back waiting for any breakdown of attack. In comparison to the top performers, who tend to play in a midfield three, Watt ranks in the 29th percentile for touches in the opposition box.
This low rank would only be concerning if Watt’s responsibility in the team was pure attacking output in terms of goals and assists. As we will learn later, he has much more to his game.
Although he ranks in the 32nd percentile for offensive duels per 90 he has a very high success rate for offensive duels won ranking him in the 75th percentile. He is efficient in his attacking duels and uses his energy and determination to often win them. Watt is useful in the attack due to his relatively high success rate.
Passing data
The passing data, coloured white, is the area in which the young Scotsman really proves his worth. Statistically, Watt is one of the best passers of the ball in League Two. The covered areas include passes, long passes and progressive passes. Beginning with the overall passes per 90, Watt ranks in the 100th percentile, meaning that there is no other central midfield player who passes more than him, per 90 minutes.
Not only does he make a high number of passes, but they are also accurate. For pass accuracy, the Salford man ranks in the 94th percentile. Breaking his passing ability down further, for long passes per 90 Watt is in the 99th percentile. Now many may view this as a negative assuming he plays long far too often but his style of play and Salford’s tactics cater for his long passing and make it successful. Not only this, but his long passing is also successful, with him ranking in the 88th percentile for successful long passes.
The final area of passing covered in the data is the progressive passes per 90 and progressive passing accuracy. This gives a more clear indication of how Watt plays and tells us a lot about his style. He ranks in the 100th percentile for progressive passes per 90 and 85th percentile for accuracy.
Both reflect extremely well for the midfielder as he loves to move the ball quickly but also forwards. He is the tempo setter in the Salford City team and everything flows through him.
Defensive data
The defensive data, coloured yellow, is in some way similar to the attacking data. It is not outstanding but is still mostly above average. His ranking for PAdj interceptions, 61st percentile, shows he can provide some defensive steel to his side. However, it is important to note this is not his main role in the team and manager Neil Wood sets his team up to manage this.
His above-average ranking for defensive duels, 63rd percentile, is to be expected for a midfield player. This can be contrasted with his relatively poor ranking for defensive duels won, 19th percentile. This reflects massively on the type of player Watt is and how he plays. He is not someone who is overly physical when it comes to winning the ball. He prefers to pick off opposition passes, as per his interceptions ranking.
On the ball
As highlighted in the data section above, Watt’s main asset is his ability with the ball at his feet. The Scotsman is very comfortable in possession. Wood likes to set his team up to build out from the back. To do this, Watt plays a key role in the system by becoming the main out-ball for the defenders.
As seen above, Salford’s set-up whilst the ball is in their defensive half shows that Watt drops deep to receive the ball. He often likes to try and find space in the zone. This is done by Salford waiting for the opposition striker to press, therefore leaving their position. Once the opposition striker is away from Watt he can then receive the ball, turn and play forwards.
The reason why Watt is so successful at doing this is down to the team set-up. Each player knows how to move the ball so that the Scotsman can receive the ball in the best area. Not only is this key but also Watt’s footballing intelligence plays a massive role. He scans his surroundings often and quickly. By doing this, he is able to have a clear picture of where his teammates and opposition players are.
This skill is something that is vitally important for central midfield players. Watt does this effortlessly and it pays dividends.
His role in the team is visualised below with the passing map for Salford City versus Crawley Town from earlier on this season.
Watt, number 6, can be seen in a very central position just ahead of the defensive players. His role in the build-up is key and the links between the defensive players, numbers, 3, 26, 42 and 4 are very prominent.
Leading on from this further up the pitch, Watt is key to progressing possession. As seen in the data he is very good at playing the ball progressively. When in the middle third of the pitch, he looks to use his impressive passing range to break the opposition team down, especially if they are operating a defensive block. His main role is to do this from ‘deeper’ areas.
When given time and space in areas like the one above, he is very quick to find a wide player and execute an accurate long-range pass. By doing this Watt changes the speed and direction of the attack. A useful weapon to have when trying to break down a defensive unit that is sitting tight.
Above is Watt’s long pass map versus Harrogate Town. A clear pattern around the direction of his long passes can be seen. With Salford playing wingbacks in their system it means that they often have a very wide advanced player. Watt is able to find one of these wingbacks at any given opportunity. They are always a viable option and this is a clear tactic deployed by manager Neil Wood.
Out of possession
Playing as a part of a midfield paring suits Watt’s attributes. Being paired with another midfield player helps make the defensive duties less strenuous. Watt provides good cover for the defenders on his side. He is usually close by during transitions due to his in-possession role. This means that a defender can step out and engage and Watt will provide cover. This is a good system to have and one that works well.
When it comes to defending deeper, he remains disciplined and is able to help prevent any dangerous situations. Below is an example of how the midfield player cuts off any inside route for the opposition attacker. If the attacker chooses to cut inside then Watt will be there to cover. He does this regularly and helps diffuse attacks.
His reading of the opposition attacks enables him to make good interceptions, as per his percentile ranking. However, there is an area of weakness that he must manage. His mobility and change of direction are relatively poor. At times this can become a major issue, especially in the middle of the pitch.
On occasion, Watt commits a foul to prevent any further attack. He is often caught out by a quick turnover in possession or an opposition player’s change of pace. This can lead to threatening attacking scenarios as the midfield has been bypassed due to a missed tackle.
Above is an example of where he is bypassed. The space in the central area is then directly exploited by the man on the ball. It then leaves the Salford defenders in a tricky situation as they must now make a decision whether to press or hold their ground. This situation can be prevented with a better understanding of his midfield pairing and who should be covering.
Conclusion
Overall, Elliot Watt is one of the best ball-playing midfielders throughout the English pyramid. His ability and confidence to continuously get on the ball is something that must be noted. Not only this, but he will continue to improve and develop as a player.
He will be a great addition to any possession-based side that looks to build deep from their own half. He has already registered 3 league assists and continues to improve his attacking output year on year. It is only a matter of time before a club higher up the pyramid takes note and signs this talented Scottish midfielder.
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