Thanks for reading. By keeping himself so narrow, he leaves the option to cut inside fairly obvious. There remains a school of thought that the young Frenchman, who cost £27m when he was signed, aged 18, from Saint-Étienne in July 2019, represents the future of Arsenal’s defence – one that for so often has been characterised by a lack of organisation and consistency. He signed his first professional contract with Saint Etienne in May 2018 after playing for their youth teams for two years. It’s one thing to bare composure, though, it’s another to possess all the things he does along with it – and to put them into practice at every given opportunity. Rushing back to cover the ground is normal, and Saliba certainly has the acceleration to do so quite well, it’s just what he does once he reaches his opponent which is disconcerting. His defence of the centre isn’t great, either. Among the many things that have seen him lose out in one-versus-one situations was, to begin with, the way he approached the ball. For a player of his height, he loses too many aerial duels but it might be something that would come with age and experience. pic.twitter.com/uBcUyCnPUa, — Get Goalside! “As for Saint-Etienne, that is my home, and my comfort zone. Nationality: France. Playing Style. When it comes to scanning what’s around him, the number four has shown solid consistency but too much infrequency. Latest on Nice defender William Saliba including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN He has represented them across all youth levels from U16’s to U19’s. He eventually moved south to Saint-Étienne in 2016, and signed his first contract at age 17, in May 2018. What’s most impressive about this is not just how he uses his physicality, but also how he blocks off his opponents. That way, if his opponent tries to block the inside route back, he can always take it on the outside. Instead, the defender will even feint as if he’s going full in before letting it roll under/across his body to earn himself an extra few seconds. And, despite my criticisms, it almost seems unfair to berate him for any side of his game, especially given the way he’s improved on certain aspects that were very weak at the beginning of the season. His persistence to play into attackers is fantastic but sometimes sacrificing playing a simpler wide pass has put his teammates under unnecessary pressure. The 2018/19 season proved to a breakout for the young central defender. After spending those infant years with AS Bondy, he then moved just down the road to FC Montfermeil – a more established football club. Also, a big thanks to Stephen, who helped me with getting the footage to watch back all of Saliba’s matches for ASSE last season. Away from all of that, it’s clear to me that Saliba is a very special player. As I’ve already alluded to, Saliba uses different touches for different situations. He struggled on this front throughout last season, making him relatively ill-equipped to fill the right-back position, as he did on several occasions. A lot of players have some kind of big drawback when other aspects of their game are so heightened but Saliba is uniquely great. William Saliba plays as a central defender and is comfortable playing in a back three or a double-pivot. Style of play. Saliba has a very keen eye for forward passes and when you see how quickly he performs these actions and how he turns out to have made the right decision each time, it’s truly remarkable. It is a club with ambition, that has a good style of play, style of possession. Change ). William Saliba, 20, from France OGC Nice, since 2020 Centre-Back Market value: €17.00m * Mar 24, 2001 in Bondy, France Saliba has exhibited an impressive ability to read the game for a defender who is still just 19-years-old. (@Get_Goalside) July 13, 2019. ( Log Out /  Even when playing out on the right, he’s looked comfortable using his first touch to cut in to evade pressure. A further two years down the line and he has already made his Ligue 1 debut, age seventeen. Particularly when tracking players inside or shifting to one side when jockeying in the middle, he doesn’t adjust swiftly enough. Copyright ©document.write(new Date().getFullYear()); All rights reserved, William Saliba: Playing style, strength, weakness. so who is William Saliba? William Saliba is one of the interesting prospects coming out from the suburbs near Paris. The eighteen-year-old’s body direction is far more consistent, facing the ball whilst scanning all the time now. Growing up in Bondy, on the outskirts of the French capital, William Saliba first learned his trade as a footballer age six, being coached by the father of Kylian Mbappé. His mother died a few months ago, which made him homesick, and he has had injury problems this year. ( Log Out /  Aside from this, Saliba excels in a lot of other aspects, and one of those is his protection of the ball. And, watching through these matches, it’s become so clear that it’s the ball-playing side of his game that is the strongest. Analysis into every interested club will include factors such as style of play, the head coach, the location, and the potential for regular gametime. It’s probably also why he hasn’t been given the green light against the big two. Saliba has shown maturity well beyond his age and he is comfortable playing out from the back. As can be seen in the example above, there’s a clear option to play into the fullback but it’s not in his nature to avoid a potential forward pass into the middle, so he plays there instead, resulting in a dangerous turnover. To be operating at this level as a seventeen-year-old (only turning eighteen back in March) is unbelievable. fans expectations alone are enough to destroy the boy if he is thrown straight into the team, and with his current situation, none of us can say he is better than what we presently have, at least since he has started playing with the u-21, how many man of the match … For over the top passes from the opposition, Saliba is generally alert to this kind of threat. Saliba has shown maturity well beyond his age and he is comfortable playing out from the back. He has great physicality, strong and quick. William Saliba was, ... he continued to play me, it is thanks to him that I was able to have this progression.” Gasset helped develop his game significantly from a sporting perspective, instructing the young Frenchman to model himself on Raphaël Varane and Thiago Silva in his playing style. ( Log Out /  Although his positioning was good and helped him block a lot of crosses, it still left him vulnerable to blind-sided runners, especially as he checked over his shoulder once at best. First and foremost, Saliba is a defender but, for all of his potential, there are still some pretty blatant defensive flaws in his game, and jockeying is most certainly the biggest of them. Both issues are perfectly highlighted together in this example. William Saliba, 20, from France OGC Nice, since 2020 Centre-Back Market value: $18.70m * Mar 24, 2001 in Bondy, France The idea that Arteta doesn’t want to play Emery signings is farcical. He has sometimes tried to make tackles very early in the duels to avoid the footrace but he has mistimed most of these, with the attackers being that bit sharper on the ball. What has been great to see as the season has progressed is how vigilant he has become, which can be seen when he retreats into the box. William Saliba is a ball-playing centre-back who is comfortable playing in a back-4 as well as a back-3. There was even a far better variety in his passes the next game. Saliba can play anywhere across a back three, and even at right-back, although his best position is right centre-back. The level of awareness he possesses has been best shown through his defending of crosses, as well as balls in behind him. No debate. William Saliba (19 year-old, France), plays as a Defender for Nice, in the Ligue 1. The first few performances of his saw him spin round and round as he couldn’t make up his mind whether or not to face the ball or face his man. His mostly-short passes are always incredibly accurate, with him completing 90.4% of the ones he’s attempted. Two years down the line, AS Saint-Étienne came sniffing around and took a liking to the then-fifteen-year-old. In terms of roles within the team affecting his ball-playing ability, he suffers most when playing right-back, as it narrows the angles he has at his disposal, especially with him being uncomfortably high up the pitch. First and foremost, Saliba is a defender but, for all of his potential, there are still some pretty blatant defensive flaws in his game, and jockeying is most certainly the biggest of them. Saint Etienne signed William Saliba as a youth player in 2016 and awarded him with a professional contract two years later after the young defender had constantly impressed for the Les Verts youth sides. Even the speed at which he sees these options pop up is exceptional. Saliba almost always favours using his stronger, right foot but is willing to change it up when needed. His timing and coverage of these have improved throughout the season. Part of this probably just comes from not being used to these situations, part of it is how he approaches them. The most impressive use of his first touch, however, is when he’s evading direct pressure. Arteta wants to win matches and will happily play anyone who is fit and can understand and work to his system. Sitting immediately next to Saliba, the player can be seen openly masturbating while using his phone. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. His intelligent reading of the game is often displayed on the pitch through his defensive positioning, which helps him to effectively make plenty of interceptions. ( Log Out /  William Saliba has now played three full matches for Nice since moving on loan from Arsenal at the ... couldn’t play,” said Saliba. It is simply when he affords his opponents too much space. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Arsenal announce Europa League squad with four big names left out of Arteta's plans; For Saliba it seems natural that they will want a team that build from the back in a style of play similar to Mikel Arteta's. The centre-back has become an excellent shielder of the ball. In association with. At the same time, he’ll check over his shoulder to spot the potential threat of a sharp run. And, as was shown against one of Ligue 1’s more prominent dribblers, Allan Saint-Maximin, where he won three one-versus-one duels in quick succession, he is a very able tackler in close proximity. He, undoubtedly, best showcases this side of his game from the centre. Saliba was born in Bondy, France on 24th March 2001 and started playing football at the age of six. Typically, his stance will consistent of him being crouched and angled towards the byline – which is positive – but he’ll often assume a very narrow body stance – making it difficult for him to shift from side-to-side quickly enough. He will always assume the same angled body shape when squaring up to a player out wide, even against players who want to take that route anyway. Martin Keown makes William Saliba transfer claim with Arsenal defender facing uncertain future; Read More Related Articles. Thankfully, both these things drastically improved across the course of the season. Elsewhere, his physicality is put to good use when pressing up from the back. Style of play: Although he stands at an imposing 1m92-tall, Saliba is svelte, swift, and composed. Whilst he has been guilty of being a little heavy-footed, giving away fouls as a result, Saliba generally does a great job of applying the right amount of pressure on attacking receivers. Consequently, this completely forward-facing rush across will result in him planting his feet the same way, meaning he has no chance of shifting in the reverse direction when his opponent inevitably cuts in. The cases of him winning these wides duels mostly come down to when he is in direct collision with his opponent, as his towering presence is more than enough to outmuscle any winger he comes face to face with in a footrace. Positions: Defender (Centre) His poor actions have led to numerous goals being conceded – plenty of those even costing them points late on. He was coached by the father of PSG star Kylian Mbappe at an early age. Up until later on in the season, his awareness of the pitch appeared to be somewhat skewed. Additionally, this means he can’t instantly stretch out to challenge an opponent’s attempts to cut in. my take on the whole scenario, Saliba is a young player who, if follow the plan of the coach, will play for us in the nearest future. He has scored 0 goals and has provided 0 assists. Albeit a little slow, he spots when a deep ball-holder is lining up to target the space in behind and subsequently reacts well. Saliba, who joined the Gunners for a reported £27million in the summer of 2019, was left out of their Premier League and Europa League squads by Arteta and is yet to make a first-team appearance for the club. According to a recent report, Paris is responsible for producing the most number of players playing across Europe’s top five leagues. This means the pressure is off. What’s more, the fact he has the patience to wait for such openings is rare to see and highlights the level of composure even the most experienced players don’t always possess, let alone in someone as young as he is. Current Team: Nice. It doesn’t stop once they’ve reached the box, either; he’ll still consistently check his shoulder to react to movements, like when his opponent peals off to receive on the cutback instead. In those situations where, despite boasting good control of the ball, he would most certainly lose it, he knows exactly how to beat his man. Saliba has been trialled in a couple of positions but is clearly at home as a right-sided central defender. Not only does this slow him down but it also ties into another key issue of his in this respect: rushing and planting. William Saliba plays as a central defender and is comfortable playing in a back three or a double-pivot. Very rarely would he pick out a sweeping diagonal to the left side, however, when he did, they were more often than not incredibly precise and were some of his best passes altogether. Then you have the subject of his first touch. Arsenal defender William Saliba has joined the players praising Alexandre Lacazette after his latest display for the Gunners. And, unfortunately, Saliba has been fairly costly to ASSE at times. It would, however, be interesting to see him tried in the centre of a back-three, where there is less of a reliance on being involved in wide duels and where the distances to each side might make his pass selection more varied, in a more consistent way. There’s his movement for the ball, as well. Where his pass selection somewhat lacks is in terms of playing too centrally, at times. During this period, he has averaged more than 2 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game. Saliba has made 4.08 interceptions per 90 this season according to Wyscout. And, watching him do so, you would naturally think, ‘surely there was an option on, he just didn’t look properly’, but that’s far from the case. Arsenal’s masterplan with William Saliba. What his awareness, scanning and, most importantly, speed of thought have enabled him to do is to take on a pass in a tight area, look up, analyse the options and play back, if necessary. In terms of his reading of situations, he’s fairly resolute. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Standing at a sturdy 6″4′, the Frenchman, despite not stacking up too many challenges statistically (totalling 3.3 per ninety minutes), is very dominant from open play situations, albeit much less so from set-pieces, both offensively and defensively. Whereas before he possessed a relatively closed stance, he now keeps side-on at all times and constantly flicks his point of focus between the player and the ball. Simple things like pushing back to maximise the space for himself when receiving out from the back, or recognising the need to fill a hole to provide a way out for his teammate, he all does so consistently well. Saliba then made his professional debut on 25 September 2018, featuring in a 3–2 Ligue 1 win over Toulouse. The making of William Saliba: ... telling Riccardi that he thought the player was good enough to play for the under-17s. Despite having the opportunity to play in Europa League next season, Saliba could well be on his way out already. His composure and calm playing style have meant that he has only been cautioned once his professional career. Despite these costly moments, ASSE’s league win percentage is higher in games where he’s started (69.2%) than when he hasn’t played (42.9%). This was a seventeen-year-old, making his debut in a top-five European league, completely unfazed by the pressure. The confusion in the direction of his stance, as well as his need to drop off against the threat of attacking runs, was another facet to his game that was causing big problems to begin with. Style of play Defending Jockeying. William Saliba feels ready to play for Arsenal whenever he gets the opportunity to do so, according to a report in France as Mikel Arteta admits regrets. William Saliba: Mikel Arteta told me I was not ready to play for Arsenal yet. William Saliba's Style of Play Saliba signed for Arsenal in July 2019. Winning the England Under-17’s World Cup with a style that is hoped to transfer up into the senior fold of the national team, he’s brought that approach with him to Wales. Age: 20 years old ( 24-03-2001 ) Height: 192cm. He featured in nineteen matches, including all three cup ties. The issue had been irradicated with the snap of a finger, seemingly. Only a few times has he fallen asleep and not clocked onto the pressure he’s under, at which point he’s often taken a poor touch that’s gotten trapped under his feet, but his excellent resistance through shielding and close control have helped him wriggle out of such scenarios. If you want, you can find me here. He is dubbed as the ‘new Raphael Varane’. Saliba joined Arsenal as a defender with major potential in 2019. ... “A mix of the two styles,” says the France youth coach. In the -2000/-1999 season, he has played 40 matches, for a total of 3348 minutes. I’ve little doubt that the player we see come the end of next season will be a player who has continued to work on the weaknesses of his game, making his leap to the ‘Big boys’ league’ all the more seamless. The list of positives only grows longer, here, as he is always so positive when receiving the ball. What doesn’t change – unless under obviously difficult pressure – is the way he will take passes on with an open-body touch. His concentration is one of his key strengths and he is comfortable to tackle the … He made 13 starting appearances in his first season at Saint-Étienne. He even keeps his composure to find the short pass in the deepest of areas. They’re never too short but they’ve sometimes been a bit on the heavy side. Saint-Étienne play a mid-block, therefore, Saliba isn’t accustomed to a high line as Arteta’s team operates in. And, thanks to the timing of these actions, he’s often able to force errors like loose passes or touches, which help to reclaim possession for his team. Saliba began playing football at the age of six, coached by the father of Kylian Mbappé. His pace and reading of the game allow him to intercept opposition attacks without having to go to ground very often at all, and he is also able to carry the … In this respect, the only place where he has struggled is on corners. While his recovery pace was an issue during his first few matches, it seems that the French defender has gotten quicker and learned to time his challenges better. Although Saliba is eligible to play for Cameroon too, he opted to play for France. Away from the close-to-body ones, he will persistently push the ball out in front of him when he knows there is space ahead. The youngster will return to his club for one more season on a loan deal following the completion of his move to Arsenal. Sometimes it has been hard luck but often it’s down to one of the weaker sides to his game. Unfortunately, the issues don’t end there. He does so with a great approach, too, as his attempted passes through the lines tend to be disguised with him opening his body as if to play it wide. William Saliba has spoken about his lack of opportunities at Arsenal, having completed a loan switch to Nice in January in order to play regular first-team football Shirt Number: 18. Profile It is no doubt revealing that Mikel Arteta has sanctioned William Saliba’s return to Ligue 1 with Nice. , however, is when he ’ ll square up to target the space in behind him the outside a... Stands at an imposing 1m92-tall, Saliba excels in a back three or a double-pivot finds these passes! Even if he has to go back the other way a second later, he ’ ll check over shoulder. T great, either was born in Bondy, France on 24th March 2001 and started playing football the. 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