Cengiz Ünder Analysis: Resurgence Incoming?
[First published in the GFFN website at this link: https://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/2022/analysis-cengiz-unders-marseille-resurgence/]
Beginning his career at Altinordu, Cengiz Under later transferred to the Turkish Giants Başakşehir, where he scored 7 goals in 32 games in his debut season in the Super Lig. Later earning a transfer to Roma worth almost 13 million Euros, he was then loaned out to Leicester City, where things didn’t work out for him due to constant injuries. A rare mistake by the rather perfect Leicester scouting otherwise. On, 4th July, 2021, he signed on loan for French club, Marseille, for a deal worth about 9 million Euros. Needless to say, he has been doing quite well there, having 12 G+A in 32 games.
Style of Play
As I’ve always said, the key to analysing a player is to understanding his style of play. Cengiz Under is a direct, inverted left-footed right winger who can also play as an inside forward. He likes to attack the half-spaces and works best with a false 9 (Dzeko, Perotti at Roma) beside him and a overlapping midfielder (Guendozi at Marseille) or fullback (Florenzi at Roma). At Roma, he occupied the half spaces, and with Dzeko holding the ball, he was given space to run into with the ball. Other times, he was present on the sidelines, crossing to the target man, Perotti. While his defensive contributions to the team have come under the microscope many a time, he certainly has a lot to offer offensively, being exceptionally direct. His passing may not be of the highest calibre, but it is certainly is good, with him averaging about 1.42 Key Passes per 90 for Marseille this season. He is also quite a good crosser, ranking 91th (percentile) for crosses into the box.
[NOTE: All vizzes in the article are made using data from statsbomb via fbref.com. Filtered for players with more than 12 90's.]
Analysis
As we can see from the viz, Under is quite a high attacking output producing player, when compared to other players in the Ligue 1. Also, it also suggests that his output this season has been quite balanced and is definitely sustainable in the long run, with him neither overperforming nor underperforming by a lot.
He is also an exceptional carrier of the ball. Having watched him a lot during his time at Roma, one of his most common moves was to intercept the ball in his own half, and use his pace to burst past opposition defenders.
Being almost at the top for entries into the penalty box, most of his entries into the box come through carries into the box. Ranking in the 97th percentile for carries into the box, it is further proof of his exceptional ball carrying abilities.
Being an inverted winger in the modern era, movement is already a standout part of Under’s game.
The above video is a pretty good example of Under’s movement. Sensing the ball coming into the box, he changes his direction within a moment. Even though it can be labelled as sloppy defending to leave him unmarked, he used his pace to get ahead and change his direction at the last moment, making a run in the blindside of the centre back.
At Roma, he usually started wide on the wings and came in whenever the situation seemed favourable. Here, Dzeko acting as a false 9 meant space was created behind the defensive line for him to run into, and he duly took advantage of the space, making a run on the blindside of the defender yet again.
Yet another example of how Cengiz Under works best with a false 9, especially with such a technically skilled one as Dzeko in Roma. Dzeko receiving the ball deep meant the defenders had been pulled out of their position, creating space yet again for Under to run into, from where he delivered yet again. This also highlights another trait of Under — 1v1 dribbling. While his dribbling isn’t quite exceptional, mostly resulting in dispossessions, his 1v1 dribbling is always something you can rely on.
Weighing just 66kg, while this takes away a part of his physicality, it also means that he is really athletic and agile. Here, we can see how fast he reacts to seeing space to run into, and how he does that so well. And yet again, he is seen plying his trade on the blindside of the defender.
This being said, his directness means he isn’t as useful when playing against a compact low block. He surely makes runs at the slightest sight of space but he doesn’t do much to pull out defenders to create space for others. Some people may label it as being lazy, but in my opinion, it just isn’t a part of his game. Till now, that is.
As I mentioned before, he works really good with a overlapping midfielder/fullback. In Roma, it was Florenzi. Remaining wide and isolated, he inverted, becoming ready to recieve the ball in the half-spaces, while the fullback started his overlapping run. Vertical passing from the centre back meant he received the ball in the half spaces and capped it off with a beautiful finish.
At Marseille, it is Guendozi who overlaps around him, and needless to say, he has been quite good in that role, drawing away opposition defenders and allowing him to either dribble in or makes crosses into the box.
Further example of the Under-Guendozi connection. Staying wide, he inverts after receiving the ball, and with Guendozi overlapping almost immediately, it creates space for him to shoot.
It is eminent that Under likes to take quite a number of shots, most of them of quality a bit above average. But, his relatively low npxG/Sh can also be explained through his tendency to take long shots, i.e, shots of low npxG.
And guess what, he has a pretty great weak foot too!!
He is also a good crosser of the ball, having a high number of crosses into the box. While his crossing is nothing extraordinary or mesmerizing, it certainly does it’s work, mostly delivered with a lot of accuracy.
He ranks well above average in terms of chance creation, averaging about 1.42 Key Passes per 90. He also has pretty good xA numbers and being exceptionally direct certainly helps this cause.
However, if there is any glaring weakness in his game, that really needs improvement, it has to be his defensive side of the game. He rarely tracks back to his own half and has really less number of pressures applied. Even his Roma coach had raised a problem regarding his defensive contributions in a presser if my memory serves me right. That however is improving a little since he joined Marseille, as he has started making more interceptions and tracking back a bit more.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the 24 year old certainly is a promising player waiting to fully realize his potential. Starting well at Roma, he fell out of favour with his new coach and was loaned out to Leicester. Facing a tough time at the English club, mostly due to injuries, he has been doing quite good since joining Marseille on loan. If he can continue doing what he is doing for a 1 or 2 seasons more, provided that he remains injury-free, I can certainly see a bigger club going for him. But, what he has to work on is his movement to dismantle low blocks, if he wants to play in a more possession-based side. His defensive contributions also need improvement. But he certainly has showed a lot of potential until now, with lot more space to improve further.
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