Max Aarons: A visual analysis of his crossing from 19/20 to 20/21

As Norwich approach their return to the Premier League after being relegated in 19/20, it will be fascinating to see who has improved in their technical output over a year away from the top level. The likes of Kenny McLean, Teemu Pukki and Grant Hanley amongst others had inconsistent periods a season ago and they’ll be looking to prove they can deliver over longer spells.

A player I’m personally looking forward to seeing back at an elite level is Max Aarons.

I feel a misconception about Aarons is he’s better going forward than backwards but I’ve never been concerned about him as a defender. His reading and awareness of runs is his strongest asset. It’s an often overlooked area of a defender’s game but weaker full-backs are constantly exposed by intelligent or dynamic movement.

That awareness is usually coached at a younger level and converted midfielders who become full-backs later in their career can really struggle with it. A good example is Trent Alexander-Arnold who played as a ‘10’ during his time in Liverpool’s academy but transitioned into one of the best attacking full-backs in Europe. However he’s constantly targeted because he can’t handle movement well, partly down to Liverpool’s high defensive line.

Aarons is superior to Alexander-Arnold in this aspect, the only overall defensive weakness is his height and physique but he’s still difficult to dribble round from an attacking point of view.

What Aarons has struggled with over his career to date is his crossing quality. However looking at his delivery from 19/20 which was inconsistent at best, I think there have been improvements made while back in the Championship over 20/21.

This first example from Norwich’s 1–0 defeat to Chelsea on the 14th July 2020, shows his poor execution.

After an initially overhit cross, Aarons picks the ball up with plenty of space and time. There’s no blocker in 11 yards and the ball is static putting him in an ideal crossing situation. Josip Drmic makes a small movement showing his availability.

Aarons has a gap to hit a low, flat delivery towards the penalty spot which should set up an aerial duel between Drmic and Jorginho. I think Aarons might be distracted by the midfield run McLean makes into the box but his cross is looped without any pace. It’s not even precise enough to give McLean a chance to challenge for the ball, so a wasted opportunity.

The second clip from this game is a cross on Aarons’ weaker foot. Of course, it’s hard to expect him to produce an excellent cross with his left. However once he cuts back, creating a bit of momentum to put pace on the ball, he fails to gain any elevation.

The channel he needs to hit is to Mateo Kovacic’s right. Considering this is a near post delivery, he’s probably looking for shoulder-height level so Drmic is able to beat his marker to the ball for a flicked header.

However due to the big swing he takes with his technique, he hits the ball with his laces rather than the inside of his foot meaning it doesn’t get off the ground and hits Kovacic.

Aarons really struggled with his crosses against Sheffield United on the 3rd March 2020. For this first one, he’s closed down well by Enda Stevens who pushes him onto his weaker foot then rapidly closes down just before the execution.

Aarons really doesn’t have much space to aim for because of the proximity of Stevens but he again fails to find much elevation. Oliver Norwood barely has to move to take the pace off the cross, making it easy to clear. Aarons has a sound technique here, so nothing to criticise in that sense but even if the ball goes beyond Norwood, then it’ll be diverted.

This next clip is also against Sheffield United and considering it’s almost the last kick of the game, he can be forgiven for lacking composure. To be clear, I’m referring to the cross at 93.29, not his first time effort at 93.26. Again it’s on his weaker foot. Fleck gives him the space to cross from deep but David McGoldrick is blocking his sight. This is a more difficult cross with Sheffield United’s backline pushed up to the edge of the 18-yard-box.

However Aarons’ technique lets him down here. He loses balance and has to take some recovery steps to regain his footing. Again, the cross doesn’t contain any whip or pace and the disappointing technique leads to a misconnection meaning the ball barely enters the box.

Lastly for 19/20 (which is a contentious example) is Aarons’ assist for Jamal Lewis in the 1–0 win against Leicester. Despite Daniel Farke trying to claim at the time it was deliberate, I feel this is meant to be a whipped ball into the corridor of uncertainty where Lukas Rupp is making a run.

Usually once Aarons has left a defender in his wake like this and is running with the ball, his technique is normally flawless. But he collapses to the ground because he’s trying to drive through the ball with so much power. If Lewis isn’t there, I think this looks spectacularly bad.

I don’t want to make out that Aarons was always underperforming in the final third in this season. His crosses over the 90 minutes on Boxing Day 2020 against Aston Villa were very good as a reference.

This has been replicated in 20/21 where there have been signs of development.

This pass against Huddersfield in the 7–0 demolition was exquisite. There’s not a lot of room between Aarons and the defender who is denying him much of a channel. He’s able to whip it around the opponent and find the perfect line. He sees Jordan Hugill’s run at the last minute and if not for a good goalkeeper claim, then Hugill scores.

I like the technique here too. A standing position with no momentum but Aarons is still able to gain pace by keeping his body rigid with a short, sharp motion with his right foot.

This cross against Wycombe is also a standout and one of his best last season. His first touch is smart as he uses the outside of the boot to create some momentum. Aarons then whips through the ball with an extended follow-through but this does allow an excellent shape on the cross. The whole motion from control to delivery is so fluid and quick which catches the Wycombe defence out.

When studying crosses, most of the time you are looking for the area that the passer finds, rather than if they find a team mate. Movement, defensive positioning and marking are all variables that influence whether a cross is successful or not. If you look at the area Aarons finds, he’s unable to improve on that and a Norwich player should really be on the end of it.

This was from the Barnsley game on the last day of the season but this is promising when comparing to his left-footed attempts in the Premier League.

Aarons cuts back inside the pitch and his execution is measured without putting too much pace on the ball. It’s common for players to put too much on a cross with their weaker foot because they aren’t able to produce the natural power that comes from their stronger leg.

Aarons sees the run Emi Buendia makes but it would have to be a sensational ball to find him. However he does find the position in between two of the Barnsley centre-backs. Even a cross that Michal Helik (number 30) heads away could produce a corner or a defensive header to an oncoming player. But the elevation and then dip on the delivery is perfect as it finds the area behind Helik where a Norwich forward should be. If Adam Idah makes a run on the blind side of Helik, he’ll get on the end of that superb cross.

Hopefully over the course of the 21/22 season Aarons continues to improve his attacking game and keeps the consistency we’ve seen in the Championship. I’ve focused more on aerial crosses from outside the 18-yard-box, but cut-backs and ground deliveries are also prevalent in Aarons’ output.

Despite his quality of cross not always being adept, it was interesting to look at his xA per90 (a statistical measurement that rates the likelihood of a pass becoming an assist) numbers in 19/20 and compare them to his positional peers last season. He achieved more than the players stated below despite playing in the least productive team in the league.

Although xA will take into account his full range of passes in terms of chance creation and isn’t specific to crossing, this is an indication that Aarons could still be further ahead than a lot of his peers despite ongoing development in his final delivery.