Who Is Michael Kayode?
The full-back role has certainly transformed into one of the most important ones in modern football.
The big clubs annually prepare their “most wanted posters” and go on the hunt for the best players in this position.
That’s when the biggest names get mixed up with some exciting new talents brought under the radar.
This summer, Fiorentina’s Michael Kayode might feel the pressure of the big clubs’ interest, as he has been one of Serie A‘s best performers in the 2023/24 season.
Despite La Viola’s inconsistent performance, the 19-year-old right-back showed a glimpse of his huge potential on multiple occasions this term.
That linked him to a few European giants like Barcelona, Arsenal and Inter.
Being part of the Juventus academy didn’t give him a head start as he was hoping for, but he earned his way up after joining the Serie D team Gozzano, where he got noticed by Fiorentina Youth.
He has already helped both La Viola and Italy to some silverware by winning Coppa Italia Primavera and Supercoppa Italiana Primavera and scoring the winner in the final of the U19 European Championship, where Italy defeated Portugal.
In this tactical analysis, in the form of a scout report, we explain Kayode’s style of play and examine what sets him apart from the rest of the players in his position.
We also look into how he fits Vincenzo Italiano’s tactics.
Michael Kayode Style Of Play & Profile
Looking at Kayode’s data profile first allows us to see the bigger picture before we dive into the details of his performance.
We have compared his data to the rest of the Serie A players in his position to better understand if his performance is below or above the average for this role.
In the first scatter plot, we compared the Defensive duels per 90 to the Defensive duels won, % to see if his defensive contribution keeps up with the average for the league.
He averages more than seven defensive duels per game with a 64.7% success rate, which is above the Serie A median.
As we explain later in the analysis, these results might be affected by his more defensive-oriented role compared to most of the right-backs in the league.
His numbers, though, indicate that he is much more reliable in 1vs1 situations than his opponents in the same position.
That’s also reflected in the number of shots that Fiorentina allow from both sides.
Over 19% of the shots that the team conceded were from the right, while only 14% were from the left, underlying his impact.
The second scatter plot illustrates his ability to read the game and his decision-making.
To look additionally into his defensive contribution, we compared the Interceptions per 90 to the PAdj Sliding tackles.
The numbers show that he underperforms in terms of ball interception.
He does dive into tackles more frequently than most of the players in this position, however, Kayode usually plays it safe and doesn’t dive into risky challenges to avoid committing fouls in dangerous areas.
The team benefit from that since they usually struggle in that area.
They commit fouls in key areas, which have led to giving away many set-piece opportunities.
At the time of writing, the team have conceded seven goals from set-plays and seven penalties as well.
We also looked at some of his technical skills by placing the Dribbles per 90 next to the Successful Dribbles %.
Despite being above the average for the league, the frequency of his attempts confirms that he wouldn’t usually dribble to take on his opponents.
That’s because Kayode is well-built and uses his physicality to hold on to the ball and progress it.
He successfully moves past players thanks to his athleticism rather than his dribbling.
The last scatter plot shows his success in terms of crossing.
Despite his defensive-minded performance and preference to rarely move into the final third, his delivery is one of the best between the RBs in Serie A.
Not only does he have a higher frequency of attempts, but his success rate shows his importance in that area.
However, Fiorentina can benefit if he increases his involvement upfront since they currently underperform in their actions from the right.
Michael Kayode Out of possession
The 19-year-old’s impact out of possession is crucial for Fiorentina, who struggle defensively in multiple areas.
His role as a right-back in a 4-2-3-1 formation is more traditional than modern.
Despite his high passing involvement, he provides more defensive security, which affects their ball retention rather than offensive opportunities.
Kayode’s contribution to the pressing and his man-marking skills make him very diligent defensively.
He would never wander around without a target, constantly scanning the pitch and following either the ball carrier or the potential ball receiver.
The above image illustrates his marking.
He followed his opponent tightly as he anticipated that he aims to receive the ball.
Once he received it, Kayode used his body and positioning to recover possession.
His spatial awareness makes his defensive positioning successful.
He anticipates the opposing players’ movement and quickly adjusts to it.
His movement out of possession fit Fiorentina’s pressing strategy well.
The team aim to press high and have the highest press intensity in Serie A, with a PPDA of 9.24.
That comes with many risks, though, as they are exposed to a lot of counter-attacking threats.
In the following sequence, Kayode started his defensive movement to prevent the ball career from progressing the ball.
He dropped deeper and saw that the ball received was already covered.
He immediately scanned the pitch for any empty spaces.
He anticipated the marked players’ movement to the flank and quickly moved out there to cover them and stop them from combining with their teammates.
That’s where Kayode’s athleticism comes in handy, as it gives him an advantage in 1vs1 situations.
He usually covers the areas around the central line where he tries to block opposition attacks and intercept the ball.
As his defensive territory map suggests, his defensive actions are often concentrated in the middle half, but he frequently drops around the penalty areas as well.
Despite his wide position, he offers support centrally as well.
The precision of his actions provides additional security to the team as he avoids committing fouls and rarely sees yellow.
Michael Kayode Ball progression and final third actions
Kayode’s contribution to Fiorentina’s build-up is crucial.
He usually advances to the
central line, with the centre backs moving high and into wider positions as well.
The 19-year-old’s passing allows him to support the double pivot in midfield.
His pass map underlines his high frequency of lateral and back passing, which supports ball retention and helps the team control the game and dominate possession.
Key to his success in possession is his ability to work under pressure.
While he is not a distinguished dribbler, his calmness and physicality help him progress the ball successfully.
However, there are situations where the opposition’s press affects his passing, forcing him into mistakes.
His spatial awareness and pass completion make La Viola’s offensive transitions smoother, as he can exploit free spaces and deliver quality balls to his teammates.
He often combines with the goalkeeper and makes one-two with the centrally positioned players to bypass the press.
His progressive runs can cover a lot of space, allowing his teammates to move forward and overload the opposition half while he’s carrying the ball forward.
In the above example, Kayode received the ball from the centre-backs deep in Fiorentina’s half.
He progressed past the central line and combined with the midfielder, only to continue his movement on the flank and provide a passing opportunity again.
He likes to create space for his teammates through overlapping and underlapping runs, which drag opposing players out of position.
As shown in the next example, his overlapping run freed Ikoné of his marker, and he moved into the half-spaces to progress the ball.
His positional intelligence helps Fiorentina break through low blocks and overload the box.
In the next sequence, Kayode’s run dragged a couple of players with him, giving Nanitamo Ikoné the freedom to move centrally and create a goalscoring opportunity.
Fiorentina are highly reliant on creating opportunities through crossing, and Kayode has a key role in that.
His deliveries into the box are crucial for the team to achieve high shot frequency.
His average cross-frequency and success rate are among the highest among the full-backs in the league.
His cross map below shows his most frequent despatching zones as well as underlines the quality areas to which he delivers the ball.
Below is an in-game example of his positioning and crossing.
He provided a passing option and immediately identified the attackers’ movement into the box.
His accurate cross afterwards led to a headed shot.
Conclusions
As our analysis shows, despite his young age, Kayode’s maturity and decision-making on and off the ball make him a solid option for the right-back of any club.
While he still needs more time to experience top-tier football, it is worth investing resources into his development as he is currently one of the most promising young talents.
Comments