If it hasn’t been said already, it needs to be said now: The Americans’ are on their way to becoming a footballing powerhouse. Okay, maybe that was supposed to happen 20 years ago, but now is actually the time. If you don’t believe it, take a look at the talent.
If you need more evidence than established youngsters like Christian Pulisic or Weston Mckennie then take a look at one man in particular who is sought after by some of the biggest clubs in the world, such as Spanish giants FC Barcelona It’s been a very good year and a half for 19-year-old Sergiño Dest. The Ajax standout has seen a rapid rise in first-team football and for good reason. In this tactical analysis, we will take a closer look at a full scout report for what makes the teenager so good already and what’s next for the American starlet.
The modern full-back
There’s a big difference between being a full-back and being a good full-back. Sergiño Dest has shown what it takes to be the latter. Like so many of the top full-backs in this day and age, many start their careers in the midfield or attack.
For Dest, he was once a free-flowing attacker who could operate on the left or right flank, or even in the middle. In his full debut for Ajax, Dest actually played the entire game at left-back.
He was able to cut in onto his right and show his quality in the midfield on countless times, something he has continued to do at right-back. This flexibility is important for any player, especially one who is still at such a tender age and can offer so much across the pitch.
In terms of his positioning on the right-side, Dest has been comfortable playing with his feet on the touchline or inverted to fill in the midfield. As tactics vary in the Ajax setup, Dest can adapt. Much of this was dependent on the space that Chelsea-bound winger Hakim Ziyech took up. When Ziyech would drift wide, Dest would pinch in.
As we’ll see in a moment, Dest is at home in the centre of the park because of his technical ability. He has shown that he can receive the ball under pressure and with a multitude of different body shapes. He’s also very effective when playing in the wider areas of the pitch. When Ziyech chooses to hang back or tuck into the middle, Dest is given more license to attack, something he is very good at.
On the wings, Dest can utilize his pace and dribbling ability to the fullest extent. He attempts nearly 4.6 dribbles per 90 and has a 55.13% completion rate, which is a very respectable number considering the limited space he usually finds himself in. Like in the example above, Dest teases his defender in order to eventually take a touch past and find a pass once he gets to the byline.
Dest is not afraid to be a big source of attack for his side and the 2.2 progressive runs per 90 is indicative of how much he gets forward. While he doesn’t shy away from whipping a cross into the box, he has found much of his success operating through the middle.
Dest recognises that Donny van de Beek is making a run out of his usual midfield position and decides to drive into that vacated space, thus opening options for the four on-rushing attackers. These long runs from Dest are an integral part of how Ajax have opened up stubborn defences this year. Dest knows when and where to dribble which allows him to find space that many passive players would not find themselves in.
Eye for a pass
Other than his dribbling ability and superb athleticism, Dest has proven himself to be a very proficient passer of the ball. His 47.16 passes per 90 that return an impressive 86.25% completion rate could be a hint at why some of the best possession teams in the world, such as Bayern Munich and Barcelona are all after the American. Dest’s ability on the ball opens up so many avenues for him and his teammates which is why he posts impressive numbers for the passing side of the game.
Long, mazy-runs like the one above takes Dest out of trouble but also opens up space for his right-winger, who only had one man to beat. Dest’s vision is extremely polished for a player of his age and he takes one lookup to find that killer ball into the final third. When Dest attacks with purpose, his final ball rarely fails him.
A trend that develops as Dest plays more is his favouritism to cut into the middle. Not much different to the last image, Dest makes a similar run into the space in the middle of the pitch and draws the left-side of the defence completely out of position.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar intelligently moves in behind the backline and receives the ball with just the keeper to beat. Yet again, Dest’s dribbling opens up the opportunity for him to pass with purpose, and he does just that.
While Dest has been great in the middle, his wing-play should not be ignored. As we’ve already seen, Dest has the raw pace to square a defender up and blow right past him, but he can also provide solid service from the right flank. Dest puts in 2.75 crosses per 90 with a 27.63% completion rate, which is more accurate than Liverpool ace Trent Alexander-Arnold. While his service certainly is not at the level of the Englishmen’s, Dest has the tools to be just as good.
In this case, the defender backs off of Dest because he doesn’t want to be done for pace, so that leaves the opportunity for a cross with men in the box. Dest’s developing reputation as a speedster serves him well in all facets of the game, but especially so when it comes to picking out a good cross when he’s given excess time.
1 v 1 defending
One common problem with many attacking full-backs in this modern era of football is the lack of defensive prowess in the position. Dest, being the athlete that he is, can compensate for holes in his game with his athletic ability. Dest also possess great patience for a player of his age.
Many of his defensive actions are simply just duels as we can see above, which means that Dest isn’t getting himself into positions where he needs to make a last-ditch attempt at a tackle. This isn’t solely down to his positioning, but rather the speed and agility he has.
Many times, Dest finds himself defending in slightly awkward stances. His body-shape can be a bit off when defending but he finds a way to adjust despite this.
In this example, Dest squares up with PSV’s left-winger but never forces the attacker to go one way. Leaving his body position centered like this is very dangerous, especially when going up against players with equal amounts of pace. Fortunately for Dest, the attacker goes left and the American can shift his hips and turn relatively quickly. While forcing the winger to one side would ensure that Dest is giving up no angle of attack, he can make up for the error with little to no issue.
At the end of the day, Dest is often in the right position to slow down an attack and he’s shown numerous occasions that he can go toe-to-toe with some of the quickest wingers in the world.
Playing on the left-side in this match, Dest is faced with a two versus one scenario that requires him to either track the runner or stay with the ball-carrier. But, Dest does very well to maintain a closed body position that forces the play to the right-side. This enables Ajax defenders to recover as Dest buys time by limiting the size of the pitch and he forces the opposition to make a decision on where to go with the ball.
Shortcomings
The holes in Dest’s game are hard to pick out because there simply aren’t that many. This is especially true when considering he’s still only 19 and has time to learn certain skills that just come with more experience.
It was hinted at before, but Dest’s defensive positioning is sometimes poor. He has had a tendency to ball-watch for periods of the game and this has cost him on a few occasions. A classic example of this came during his time with Jong Ajax.
With the ball on the right-side of the pitch, Dest is preoccupied with what’s happening in the middle. Thus, he completely forgets the left-winger who has now made a run in behind. The pass is played and before Dest can realize, the attacker is through on goal and draws a penalty. While this is very common for younger players, lapses in concentration like this need to be cut out of his game entirely.
Another case of Dest struggling defensively came in his U.S national team debut against Mexico.
Caught in a position where he doesn’t know whether to step up or drop off the defender, Dest awkwardly decides to do neither and is caught flat-footed. This leads to him getting nut-megged and Mexico taking their chance after a cross from the right-side. While costly, the positive is that Dest can only learn from a mistake like that and improve on it next time.
Finally, skillful players like having the ball. Sometimes however, they like the ball too much. After a botched Ajax corner-kick, Dest is the deepest outfield player on the pitch and is fed a ball to restart the pattern of play.
Rather than opening up and playing the ball out wide to either side, Dest takes an extra touch and sets himself going backwards. This extra touch is very heavy and the opposition attacker pounces on it and puts Dest in a footrace to try and track back. As the last man, Dest needs to be more aware and decisive with his decisions in critical moments like these.
Dest’s decision making has prompted questions at times, both offensively and defensively. While he often finds success with taking his man on in the final third, there are also times when a simple cutback to a teammate or an early cross is much more efficient.
Dest’s role for the U-20 United States team allowed him lots of attacking freedom, but this example shows a questionable decision to try and take his defender on with limited space to maneuver in. Dest could easily play the ball back into the midfield and reset the pattern of play, but he insists on taking his defender all the way to the byline, where he eventually runs out of space. While managers love a player who can play direct, sometimes Dest needs to realize that taking his foot off the throttle is necessary.
Takeaways
Sergiño Dest is a very good footballer and someone who will undoubtedly be around for a while. The American is already poised to be a big contributor for his country when the 2022 FIFA World Cup rolls around, but for now he can keep improving his game with a starting place cemented in the Ajax squad.
It is very rare for a teenager to have achieved as much as Dest has in such a small amount of time, but that is just a testament to the quality he has. No matter where Dest ends up in the next three months, two years, or 10 years, he will only get better from here. Sergiño Dest is here and ready to lead the American resurgence.
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