Enzo Le Fee: One of the brightest young talents in Ligue 1

The French football production line never sleeps and never stops. The World Cup is upon us and it’s equally impressive and scary to look at the seemingly endless talent pool of their players. So many that have made the squad are either soon-to-be elite or already deep in that category. Players like Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga or the household name that is Paris Saint Germain’s Kylian Mbappé are bound to make a big splash in Qatar. But some like Lorient’s Enzo Le Fee had to be snubbed despite their undeniable quality. That, too, is a testament to their power.

Ligue 1’s 22-year-old midfielder is slowly but surely catching the eye of the public and could soon be in line for a big transfer. After all, seeing his meteoric rise of late, to say his time at Lorient may be coming to an end is no longer a stretch at all. In fact, it is almost guaranteed to be true. But who is this French talent? And what do we know about him?

This tactical analysis will give you a full scout report on Le Fée, outlining the traits and tactics that complete and complement his profile. The analysis will also delve into some data so we get a clearer picture of both his flaws and virtues. Finally, we’ll try to predict his ceiling to see what the future holds for the young talent.

Player overview

Enzo Le Fée is a 22-year-old player currently playing for Lorient in Ligue 1. Standing at 5’7/170cm and weighing 58kg, he is the prototype diminutive midfielder with a low centre of gravity, an abundance of technical quality and agility. However, he is also extremely versatile. During his young career, Le Fée has been deployed in various positions on the pitch, ranging from the left and right-sided no.8, an attacking midfielder, as part of the double pivot or even as a winger in his youth days.

As such, his roles differ. He can be used as the defensive midfielder, a deep-lying playmaker with a half-space presence or as a free-roaming no.10 just behind the striker. Predominantly, however, he can be seen occupying the left half-space, connecting the thirds. The following graph will tell us more about his statistical output in 2022/23, highlighting some clear strengths and weaknesses.

As we can deduce from the data, Le Fée gives immense offensive value to the team in the possession phase of the game. His passing is what stands out the most and is what easily slots into the elite category already. The 22-year-old is a master at creating shots and it complements his above-average expected assists (xA) figures. Le Fée’s weapons of choice are through balls, key and smart passes and deep completions, all of which are staples of elite-level creators.

But it’s also the young midfielder’s excellent ball-striking technique that bodes well for the future. Even though he doesn’t score heaps of goals, being a dead ball and diagonal long-ball specialist makes an increase in goal-scoring output a real possibility further down the line, should he be deployed closer to goal. Defensively, he is a very willing presser and a hardworking duelist, as seen in the statistics. But we’ll dissect this more in other sections of our tactical analysis.

Now, let’s dive deeper into some of his most prominent traits.

Passing & creativity

Seeing how the creative spectrum of Le Fée’s player profile is indeed his most prominent attribute, it’s only natural we start our scout report there. As mentioned earlier at the start of the analysis, the 22-year-old’s passing repertoire is already elite. In fact, it’s his use of la pausa, calmness and quickness of execution that yielded comparisons to Liverpool’s Thiago Alcântara and PSG’s Marco Verratti.

This is emphasised higher up the pitch but is also effective in deeper areas, which is where we’ll begin. Le Fée is a playmaker, yes, but he’s incredibly potent in connecting the thirds because he can receive and control the ball in tight spaces and then progress it swiftly and efficiently. Our first example will show us exactly that.

Here we see the young midfielder receiving possession straight from the goalkeeper as Lorient are under high pressure by PSG. However,  Le Fée is a safe option in these situations as it takes him a milli-second to recognise where the space and a potential receiver are at any given time. This particular sequence does a good job of showing us his decision-making and problem-solving in deeper areas but we’ll come back to it a bit later when we discuss press resistance with dribbling and carrying, in particular.

It’s interesting to note how often Le Fée deals with such scenarios with clean first-time passes. This is even more potent when entering the final third or when he’s splitting the defence with a line-breaking pass, yes, but it’s also a clear weapon in deep progression. One other trademark move of his, however, is the pass & move sequence, which he tends to use often. Le Fée’s spatial and positional awareness are excellent so he can instantly recognise where to move or pass next.

These one-two combinations with teammates are effective in every third of the pitch but are also, perhaps, a more efficient tool for quick and dynamic progression. The following example will show us more.

While this sequence isn’t ground-breaking nor does it catch the eye as much, it’s still a tendency of his that we need to highlight. Le Fée is good at recognising where he, the ball and his teammate should be at all times and it shows on the pitch. The way he moves is key to progression and chance creation at the same time. In this particular set of images, we first see him run with the ball until he can connect with a teammate and then, the moment the ball leaves his foot, he continues the run into open space just behind the opposition’s second line of press.

Seeing how he’s generally comfortable receiving between the lines and in heavily congested areas, this isn’t a particularly daunting task for the 22-year-old. But recognising the space and then having the courage and instinct to attack it is something he does often and well. Once he receives and has enabled progression from the first line, Le Fée runs forward with the ball and combines with a teammate higher up the pitch.

This gives his profile a very unique all-action midfielder frame, which is also confirmed by both the touch and heatmaps you can see next.

We can see that Le Fée often starts deep and is a huge influence on Rennes’ first phase of possession. But similarly, his contribution in the higher areas of the pitch is similarly impactful. In that sense, Le Fée gives a certain Luka Modrić vibe in the way he can be all-present on the pitch despite having a clear preference on where and how he wants to operate within the squad. Of course, it may be a while until we can genuinely compare the two – if that ever becomes the case – but the foundation is already there.

Le Fée in the first two phases is incredible so we’ll get back to that further down the line of this tactical analysis. For now, however, let’s explore the final third presence a bit more. One of his clear and most exciting traits is the ability to deploy shot-creating passes. In other words, Le Fée’s attacking contribution is simply immense. One of the characteristics of elite midfielders is their use of la pausa, as alluded to earlier in this scout report. The young Frenchman already has this nailed down.

We’ve already seen him in high-pressure situations where calmness is the priority but this ability to attract and relieve pressure and act as a valve is potent in the final third as well. One of the most impressive aspects of his passing is the ease with which he seems to break lines, often following a single touch and through the use of deceptive body positions. The next example will show us more.

No-look passes are rare and often come off as showing off. However, Le Fée is an expert in completely disguising his passing intentions by positioning his body opposite the way the ball is going to go. This can be seen in the previous example as his first touch is also the one that breaks the lines and creates a clear-cut chance. But this sequence also tells us a lot about his spatial recognition and awareness.

We’ve already established that is a strength of his but it’s even more emphasised in the final third of the pitch. Le Fée needs less than a second to spot the runner, see where the space is and how to thread the ball through the defensive block. To follow it all up with a first-touch no-look pass is just the cherry on top. Being right-footed, most of these passes are deployed with the dominant foot and mostly follow the left-to-right route due to both his positioning in the left half-space and his foot preference.

To crunch some numbers, he’s accumulated a total of 3.95 xA in the entirety of 2022/23, providing six assists in the process. In Ligue 1, he ranks in the 95th percentile for shot-assists with 1.39 per 90, 85th percentile in xA with 0.14 per 90, 92nd percentile for smart passes with 1.33 and 85th and 80th percentile for key passes (0.38 per 90) and through passes (1.33 per 90) respectively.

This can be seen in the graph here as well. It’s very interesting to note how the intensity rises in the half-spaces and how diverse his passing is in all of location, type and length. This is what truly sets him apart from the rest – Le Fée’s delivery repertoire is nothing short of elite. But it’s also not the only impressive aspect of his player profile.

Dribbling, carrying & physical traits

Another dominant characteristic of Le Fée is his dribbling and carrying ability. When it comes to his progression, he is more akin to someone like Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong in the way he uses his straight-line running power and agility to wiggle out of pressure rather than pass out of pressure. There is a distinct difference between the two and it’s also one of the reasons why he works well in a double pivot.

There are a couple of traits, however, that make him a very good dribbler and ball carrier. With only 58kg to boast with according to the latest data available, Le Fée is far from a physical presence. And this is true by looking at him even if the numbers are incorrect. His upper body still seems underdeveloped but in spite of this, he uses his 5’7/170cm frame well to shield the ball and engage (and win) offensive duels.

This graph shows us Le Fée’s progression ability, focusing on dribbles and carries. Once again the emphasis is on the half-spaces but we also see this is more of an offensive tool than a first-phase weapon. The 22-year-old often receives in the opposition’s half and then turns to attack the final third before connecting with his forwards. That’s why his progressive carries are often the set-up to the shot-assists/assists. After all, we’ve seen a very similar example with his pass & move sequence in the first section of the analysis.

Le Fée is press-resistant so he can be used in a De Jong style to assist the build-up. But considering the range and effectiveness of his passing repertoire, this could be extremely limiting as he further develops his skill set. For now, at least, it seems he’s a throwback interior with an all-action mould and could be compared to someone like Juan Sebastian Veron precisely because of that versatile arsenal at his disposal. But going back to dribbling, and his frail frame aside, the use of his weak foot to shield the ball is often key in coming out on top in offensive duels.

Le Fée generally runs in short and compact steps, which can be limiting when carrying the ball over large stretches in open space. Fortunately, however, he does exhibit the right amount of touch-length variation, meaning he will diversify depending on the situation – longer strides when attacking space and more compact steps in duels and tight areas. Similarly, especially in progressive carrying, Le Fée likes to ‘drag’ the ball with the inside of his boot to exploit open space quickly. In tight encounters, he will mostly rely on right outside-the-boot short touches for more control.

This example is very simple but also key to understanding the Frenchman’s ability. He receives the ball, which we don’t see in the image, and then proceeds to run with it until about the halfway line of the pitch. But it’s very interesting to note how he accelerates immediately after receiving, decelerates once his marker tries to block his advance and then accelerates with a quick feint to beat the defender, leaving him flat-footed.

Just like his passing repertoire, Le Fée’s dribbling tool kit is equally impressive and vast. His low centre of gravity allows for quick and effective feints, turns, speed changes and manoeuvres. And this is exactly what we saw in the last image – he uses feints to leave defenders flat-footed, something akin to Lionel Messi’s signature move, albeit, obviously, not as refined and deadly (yet)… But it is still a signature move nonetheless.

Let’s look at another example, this time with a higher starting position but a similar ending. Le Fée receives the ball just at the entrance to the final third and it’s here he uses the touch-length variation to deceive his marker.

His first touch is good and soft but when he gets closer to the opposition player, the ball ‘slips away’ for a moment, giving the defender an apparent window for a tackle. However, in a blink of an eye, Le Fée changes directions, guiding the ball to the outside to beat his man. He then proceeds to connect with his teammate on the overlap. This is another tendency of his, too.

Le Fée will often go inside and then out when dribbling, the first touch guiding him towards the inside and then the second one exploding to the outside. It’s another trademark that utilises most of his repertoire – feints, low centre of gravity, immaculate control, touch length and speed variation. When combined, it makes for a deadly sequence. The pass at the end, as crisp as it is, is once again just the icing on the cake.

The final graph in this section of the tactical analysis shows us fouls suffered for the 2022/23 season.

It comes as no surprise that most of these were committed in the half-spaces as this is where Le Fée will often start his runs. The best way is to indeed stop him before he gets going or to stop the ball from reaching him in the first place. Of course, the problem being he can easily give an impression of miscontrol and turn it into a start of a deadly sequence.

This is always the risk defenders take when engaging in a challenge against the Frenchman.

Off the ball & ball-striking

The final traits of Le Fée’s player profile we’ll discuss are his off-the-ball actions and ball-striking. Throughout the analysis so far, we’ve been saying the 22-year-old is present in all phases of the game and that includes the defensive phase. Being physically largely unimposing, Le Fée often relies on his superb reading of the game to bridge the gap. And fortunately, he does it quite well. The Frenchman is a willing presser, very hard-working and a generally astute defender.

There are, however, certain tendencies we have to highlight here. The first one is his preference for sliding tackles or rather, going to the ground. With 1.83 possession-adjusted sliding tackles per 90 minutes, Le Fée ranks in the top 2.5% of Ligue 1 in this category. A similar thing can be said for his 23.51 duels per 90 and 8.74 defensive duels per 90, enough to rank him in the top 10% and top 15% respectively. By all accounts, he is a very combative player both on and off the ball.

This does translate well into his defensive work, of course. Here we see his defensive territory and just like his in-possession maps, it tells a story of a heavily involved player across the thirds of the pitch. The only area lacking clear participation is the box itself but this is also heavily dependent on the overall defensive style of the whole team as pressing is a collective effort rather than individual. The location of both fouls and interceptions tells us a lot about Le Fée’s reading of the game.

He knows when to make a tactical foul but also recognises how and when to move to suffocate passing lanes and intercept passes to start transitions. This is an invaluable trait to have at 22, especially when paired with a hardworking profile such as his. We do need to mention, however, that despite this, Le Fée isn’t a defensive duel monster. Far from it. His numbers for successive duels won aren’t bad (56.08%) but it’s still underwhelming, even for the eye test.

Part of the reason for this is Le Fée gets outmuscled in direct challenges and often struggles to stay on his feet. It’s quite impressive when he manages to pull off a superb sliding tackle but the (over) reliance on it is a double-edged sword as well. The good news, however, is that his counter-pressing and high recoveries are very good, and the data tells a similar story.

In all the games in 2022/23, Le Fée has managed 32 counter-pressing recoveries, 27 high regains and eight dangerous recoveries in the final third of the pitch. This too is a team effort, as most things in football are, but it clearly shows his willingness, intent and efficiency off the ball. Finally, we have to shortly discuss Le Fée’s performance in front of goal and his ball striking.

Being a set-piece specialist and an excellent long-range distributor, especially when deploying diagonal passes, it doesn’t surprise the 22-year-old also has excellent ball-striking in his repertoire. This is key for his passing but also shooting technique. Le Fée isn’t afraid to let loose, both from close range and from distance, and in 2022/23, he’s rattled the inside of the net five times from a total of 37 shots. Interestingly, he’s only managed to accumulate 2.68 xG from that and a total of only 0.07 xG per shot, which is a direct result of those aforementioned long-distance attempts.

Le Fée isn’t a forward so he doesn’t get into excellent goal-scoring situations often. This can be seen in his movement inside the box, which, despite some decent chances, is still far from efficient. He can, however, be a threat from afar and even more importantly, through his creative deliveries in and around the danger zones.

Conclusion

Enzo Le Fée must be one of the biggest talents not going to the World Cup in Qatar. At the age of 22, he’s slowly but surely being moulded into an all-action midfielder bound to get a big transfer next summer. Top clubs are already after this versatile dynamo and for good reason too. His skill set can easily fit into many big teams’ tactics and soon, the world will uncover this diamond in the rough. We, for one, cannot wait for that to happen.