Football Analysis • Creative @FCBarcelona player in my next life!
Singapore
Joined February 2025
- Tweets1.3K
- Following99
- Followers965
- Likes1.3K
Pinned Tweet
Introducing: The 5 Locks 🔒
My Defender Analysis Model.
My test subjects:
> Josh Acheampong. Jérémy Jacquet.
5 Locks, split into 3 parts:
> Perception: Awareness, Decision
> Execution: Approach, Duel
> Diagnosis: Recovery
It will aim to teach you where to look and how to look, and the detailed actions that come before and after it.
Let's see how they defend each lock 🧵
BECK retweeted
100% facts.
I've always had deep admiration for Ronaldo (though I've lost plenty of respect over his antics these last few years). But I know what I saw and experienced.
As far as influence goes, United Ronaldo might’ve been the most influential footballer I've ever experienced.
As far as football goes, pre-2015 Ronaldo is the most devastating player I've ever seen behind Messi. Mental. Technical. Physical—he was the complete forward. Had a will to force situations his way in ways I've only ever felt with Messi.
He'll always be the toughest opponent that I have had to root against. For those who weren’t around, go and listen to how he was booed in England/the Mourinho era, at the Camp Nou. What I unknowingly admired as a young teen watching was how he never looked fazed. The Calma is probably one of the most satisfying moments of his career—in retrospect, beating him was always the most satisfying too.
To end off, football at the highest level is all about winning and being consistent. And that was Messi and Ronaldo.
Which is why as a footballer—competitor, he will always have my utmost respect.
Always told people close to me too that if everyone had Ronaldo's work ethic and self-belief, there would be a lot more successful and happy people in this world.
I’ve always respected Cristiano Ronaldo as a player and competitor. The narratives on this app around him are mostly based off of the last few years of his career when he has been a shadow of the player he used to be and I think he gets a lot of undeserved disrespect given how great he was in his prime. Of course he hasn’t helped himself with some of his antics in recent years, but his vanity and self-belief are huge reasons for his success. Whether you like him or not he has shaped the last 2 decades of football and the game won’t be the same without him
100% facts.
I've always had deep admiration for Ronaldo (though I've lost plenty of respect over his antics these last few years). But I know what I saw and experienced.
As far as influence goes, United Ronaldo might’ve been the most influential footballer I've ever experienced.
As far as football goes, pre-2015 Ronaldo is the most devastating player I've ever seen behind Messi. Mental. Technical. Physical—he was the complete forward. Had a will to force situations his way in ways I've only ever felt with Messi.
He'll always be the toughest opponent that I have had to root against. For those who weren’t around, go and listen to how he was booed in England/the Mourinho era, at the Camp Nou. What I unknowingly admired as a young teen watching was how he never looked fazed. The Calma is probably one of the most satisfying moments of his career—in retrospect, beating him was always the most satisfying too.
To end off, football at the highest level is all about winning and being consistent. And that was Messi and Ronaldo.
Which is why as a footballer—competitor, he will always have my utmost respect.
Always told people close to me too that if everyone had Ronaldo's work ethic and self-belief, there would be a lot more successful and happy people in this world.
I’ve always respected Cristiano Ronaldo as a player and competitor. The narratives on this app around him are mostly based off of the last few years of his career when he has been a shadow of the player he used to be and I think he gets a lot of undeserved disrespect given how great he was in his prime. Of course he hasn’t helped himself with some of his antics in recent years, but his vanity and self-belief are huge reasons for his success. Whether you like him or not he has shaped the last 2 decades of football and the game won’t be the same without him
Espart won’t need to play LB much longer once we get a Bastoni.
And for what it’s worth, Espart performed at such a high level against PSG that he should start at RB, and he can step in and out of midfield from there, no problem.
My dream team is a 4-3-3 <-> 3-4-3 that can attack, press and defend at an equal level in any game state.
Which is why I’ve only ever pushed for Bastoni and Acheampong-type profiles: Mutant defenders who can reduce the complexity of the game for us.
Why and how? I’m desperate to solve our first phase. Those two can adapt to any press and escape it with ease, and stop the stupid turnovers we keep giving away because we’re slow to escape.
In possession, with the technical level of those defenders and our 4 midfielders, we’ll dominate just about any opponent, especially in their own half. And we’ll be able to position ourselves so our counter-press is suffocating: Short distances, with every teammate easy to reach the moment we lose it.
And even if our opponents get through behind us, we’ll have defenders and a sweeper in Joan García who cover ground fast and can handle the best forwards. Even then, Cubarsí is there centrally.
But trust me, we’ll need far fewer defensive actions than we do now. We can’t keep possession 100% of the time anyway, and the high line is never going away.
We just need to nurse it best.
Out of possession, the 5 Locks aim to show whether a defender can be unlocked in specific situations of the game:
Perception (Awareness + Decision): His read of his surroundings is crystal clear. He always knows how to manage his distances and when to commit, which allows him to make timely decisions.
Execution (Approach + Duel): Those timely decisions give him perfect execution, from how he approaches to how he wins his duels. In the first clip, just watch how he does not blindly commit and get beaten 1v1. Instead, he anticipates and stalls his man, keeps good distance, turns, and wins the ball that winger plays in behind for the running man.
Recovery: In the second clip, look at his awareness yet again. He anticipates Bruno’s pass, knows Dalot is still on his side, and starts his recovery run faster than Dalot can see the pass.
His Locks will always be near impossible to unlock because of how he defends both space and man, regardless of the state of the game. Whilst others get lost in the chaos and speed of the game, Josh stays in total concentration.
In possession, the 3 Keys aim to show how much a defender improves his team, not just specific situations of the game:
Escape: Watch his signature outer curve carry from deep, like a dart in flight, and how quickly it takes him into the attacking half. No press could stop him. In that one action alone, he solves the entire first phase for his team, bypassing the press and preventing any turnover. His attackers are ready to receive and attack the final third with a numerical advantage. And had Palmer scored, it would all have been Josh.
Footprint: Besides being able to travel up the pitch, notice how Josh is able to anticipate and move as a mobile passing pillar in the first, second and third phase, creating numerical superiorities everywhere and progressing play on the receiving end too. That large footprint gives his team an extra player in every phase of the game, if needed.
Balance: And what does that allow? A more balanced team in attack and defence. Because he solves the first phase himself, his teammates don’t have to drop deep to help. They stay compact higher up the pitch, with fewer players forced out of position, so they’re best set up to defend turnovers. And if the ball is lost while he’s out of position, he can singlehandedly defend the best forwards and large spaces extremely well, so his attacking rarely costs him a lock.
Technique, body and mind all serve the decision. He is the key that always decides well, and executes fast enough, to unlock the opposition’s locks.
The Outer Curve Carry. Like a dart in flight.
One of Josh Acheampong’s many specials.
6'3 moving past the press like that, by the way.
It took him just 9 seconds, too, to bring his team from the first phase to the final third.
How many teams struggle to even build out of the first phase? That is the value I want people to see.
Look at my last tweet.
This was the performance he dropped just a few hours later. Pure coincidence?
Now look at WHERE he could play and HOW he played it.
That level of adaptability+execution is why this is the profile I've been preaching for on both sides of our defence, across the team.
Upa Upa Upa, do you like sunny Catalonia?
Been asked this plenty and I don't apologise for my desire for Acheampong, I'm just an absolute optimist 😂
To answer who I think are alternatives that can be add to the right side of our defence that would instantly improve our team:
> Best ITW alternative = Upamecano.
> Same-age alternative = Jaydee Canvot.
Upamecano is a guaranteed success, and Canvot is a worthy purchase regardless because he can play 5 positions seamlessly and he's defensively elite in almost every metric.
Similar to Acheampong, Canvot would bring so much flexibility and adaptability to our team's tactical setup, which is why he's the closest alternative. PS: Team outlook matters when you judge a player (for those shitting on Canvot's performances this season)
Otherwise, we may look at Hafiz Gariba from Barça Atlètic. I've only seen bits and pieces, but he has great perception of the game and gifted attributes to execute tough defensive actions. It shouldn't be that hard for him to translate to first-team football. We should give him a shot and see how it goes. But ideally, these are the kind of profiles we should look at.
Also why I'm not really interested in a pure RB. Besides, did we not see how Espart handled Kvara and Diomande? If he adds the ability to carry, he'd be very complete.
And it does NOT look like Koundé or García will leave anytime.
Regardless, Bastoni/Kroupi profiles should be priority targets for now.
Why I've only ever pushed hard for these three defender profiles to join Barça:
– Alessandro Bastoni
– Joško Gvardiol
– Josh Acheampong
The most technically and athletically gifted defenders around, best suited to attack and defend regardless of game state.
Cubarsí will be our central Anchor for the next decade, so the best pure Anchors, Pacho and Saliba, are out of the discussion.
What he needs are Mutants: wide CBs who can slot in at FB. And our current squad needs two: a Bastoni or Gvardiol on the left AND an Acheampong on the right. One isn't enough.
Most fans think a great defender is all about size, strength and "defensive actions".
The truth is the best defenders stop many defensive actions from ever happening.
And these three do it by raising the technical level of our whole team whilst adding proper balance throughout.
My Locks & Keys model shows how:
> In possession (Escape + Footprint): In the first phase, they are able to interpret the press and progress the ball themselves, through deep carries and passes before the press can arrive. Their mobility also offers an extra pass anywhere on the pitch. Teams will now think twice about pressing us high. Our midfielders and attackers won't always have to drop deep to help. Instead, they can focus on creating numerical advantages around the opposition and receiving higher up, ready to attack fast. The team then gets to "rest in possession", and once in the attacking half, they help form a compact rest defence.
> Defensive transition (Balance): With two of them, we can hold the ball for longer periods, pin the opposition deep and stay compact. So when we lose it, players are close enough, with more energy, to attack the space quickly and with conviction to win it back. If they do escape, expect us to force them wide instead of leaving space for an easy ball over the top. So how we build up essentially decides how we defend.
> Direct transitions (the Locks): Now, it won't always work. The best teams will find chances. But I'd back them, elite athletes with top IQ, to recover large spaces. They're singularly capable of defending out wide against the best forwards, despite being CBs by trade.
To conclude, these three simply suit any approach: direct, positional, or relational. That makes us very hard to defend against, and always ready to defend.
That's the flexibility and balance they'd give Barça.
The fewer defensive situations a team faces, the better. These defenders can help elevate our team to face as few as possible.
What makes a defender most valuable in possession?
Introducing: The 3 Keys. 🔑
> Escape: Does the press get anywhere?
> Footprint: How much of the pitch can he reach?
> Balance: Is the team structurally safe?
Our test subjects:
Pau Cubarsí and Alessandro Bastoni.
Two of the best progressive defenders on earth.
One is an Anchor, a central CB. The other is a Mutant, a wide CB who can also play at FB.
I picked them because they show the keys through two different routes, and because they show how well-rounded defenders adapt to whatever the game demands.
My 5 Locks model judges how a defender defends without the ball.
This 3 Keys model judges the other way to defend: By influencing and dominating the game with the ball.
Let's see how they use each key to unlock the game.
🧵
What makes a defender most valuable in possession?
Introducing: The 3 Keys. 🔑
> Escape: Does the press get anywhere?
> Footprint: How much of the pitch can he reach?
> Balance: Is the team structurally safe?
Our test subjects:
Pau Cubarsí and Alessandro Bastoni.
Two of the best progressive defenders on earth.
One is an Anchor, a central CB. The other is a Mutant, a wide CB who can also play at FB.
I picked them because they show the keys through two different routes, and because they show how well-rounded defenders adapt to whatever the game demands.
My 5 Locks model judges how a defender defends without the ball.
This 3 Keys model judges the other way to defend: By influencing and dominating the game with the ball.
Let's see how they use each key to unlock the game.
🧵
Key 2: Footprint.
How much of the pitch can he reach? There are two routes: By Ball and By Body.
> By Ball: Look at how many angles Cubarsí's passes can find within two touches. If your defenders can't or don't look to progress play, your build-up will always be prone to high turnovers.
> By Body: To me, Bastoni leaves one of the biggest footprints (ZOI in other words) of any defender, alongside Trent and Gvardiol. Why?
1) He is able to carry from deep and beat the press on his own
2) He can act as an extra midfielder or passing option in any phase
3) He under- and overlaps to provide assists or goals in the final third
Oh, and don't think Bastoni has to roam to hurt you. Like Cubarsí, he has elite vertical, line-breaking passing from deep, and one pass can bypass their midfield and put the ball in the final third.
And why does escaping well and having a massive footprint matter?
Escape keeps the ball when the press arrives. Footprint decides how much of the pitch opens back up once he has it.
Together they take away the press's one job, cutting off your free man, and your team ends up with more players in an area than the opponent has. That's where the 3v2s and 2v1s come from. It's also how a team goes from its own half to the final third in under 10 seconds.
Without them, you build backwards into the press, and every loss happens on your own doorstep. That's build-up suffocation: you're mathematically surrendering high-value shots right on your own goal.
How you build up decides how you defend when it breaks down, which leads to my last key.
Key 3: Balance.
How is the team safer because they attacked? When he leaves his post, who covers it?
> Domination: Being technically elite from deep lets a defender like Bastoni pin opponents back. Teams can't press you aggressively, because they know he can easily punish them by finding his forwards with one pass. Consequently, your team will have an easy time progressing in possession while keeping a suffocating, compact structure as it moves into the opponent's half and settles there.
> The Counter-press: That compact structure is how his post gets covered. Say he jumps into midfield and the ball is lost. If his teammates are close, they are already perfectly positioned to get to the first man to receive quickly: they win it back, or buy time for the rest to recover. If they are spread out, he is out of position and the counter is on. Most counter-pressing failures stem from poor structural distances during the attack.
Put a defender like Bastoni in a team of technical elites, Barça for example, and you can sustain attacks indefinitely, pin teams deep and hold the ball for long periods of the game. Even when you lose it, your team will be well structured to be right there to win it back. That's my projection.
And obviously, it doesn't always work. The best teams and players will still find a couple of chances through. But I'd back a team with defenders that help their team achieve balance to defend most of these attacks well. Why?
1) The fewer defensive situations a team has to face, the better. These defenders ensure you face as few as possible.
2) Their energy to press stays high, because the distances to the attackers stay short. And the whole team isn't needed to facilitate the first phase.
Locks deny space. Keys create it. So can a key ever break a lock? That's exactly what using both models tells you.
1 of the many Josh Acheampong specials.
The darting curve carry into the open space, beating the press before it can even come.
Like a run-route from a NFL receiver almost.
Difference is Josh has a ball at his feet.
From that carry alone, notice:
> How he helped Palmer lose his marker
> Consequently opening the space for Palmer to make that pass.
> How quickly it went from the first phase to the final third as well.
Most defenders would have stopped there and passed it to Palmer with his marker still on him and press arriving.
That is what I want people to see.
Acheampong's ball-carrying ability is so impressive.
Look at how he sets up this carry. A tiny first touch, followed by a much bigger one that catches Tel in the middle of his press.
Tel is already moving towards him, but Josh's touch suddenly forces him to change direction. With his momentum carrying him the other way, he can't adjust quickly enough.
Josh gets to the ball first, uses his long stride to push it past Tel and drives into the centre of the pitch.
Football, and life in general, is a journey beyond natural talent and skill.
80% of it has to do with the power of the mind.
I’ve said it before but what people are often controlled by is their perception of themselves.
Love the fact that this was his victory tweet. So simple yet very profound. Congratulations Harry!
