Issa Doumbia’s new role at Sporting gets people talking | OneFootball

Rui Borges found a new way to get more out of Issa Doumbia, by moving the midfielder slightly deeper and closer to Sergi Altimira. The solution emerged after the difficulties experienced in the opening matches of the season and has allowed defensive responsibilities to be shared more effectively, while also freeing up the number 77 to appear more often in attacking areas.

The Italy under-21 international arrived at Sporting with the mission of adding greater physicality and explosiveness to the midfield. The two midfielders began being worked on together during pre-season. The pairing remained in place for the official debut against Estrela da Amadora, but the duo showed difficulty controlling the tempo of the match after a strong start by the Lions.

The numbers from that match help explain Altimira’s workload. The Spaniard took on much of the defensive work almost single-handedly, being the only one of the two to make tackles, with an 85% success rate. He also finished with almost double the number of accurate passes as Doumbia, 64 to 34, and posted a much higher success rate in duels, with 73.3% compared to the Italian’s mere 18.1. Against Vitória de Guimarães, Doumbia improved defensively and even outperformed his teammate in duels, 61 to 53 percent, and in tackles, 61.5 to 53%.

It was precisely after that match that Rui Borges introduced the adjustment that would go on to produce better results. Against Alverca, Doumbia dropped slightly deeper on the pitch and moved closer to Altimira, allowing the two to split the defensive duties. With more freedom ahead of the Spaniard, the Italian then had space to carry the ball forward and look for goal.

The strategy was used again against Rio Ave (4-0) and the effects were once again positive. Doumbia delivered a balanced performance and also assisted Flávio Gonçalves for the opening goal. The coach seems to have found, at least for now, the formula to get more out of the 22-year-old midfielder.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.