Written by Umberto Pelà (05.01.2023)
The New Messi
Gerard Deulofeu is still only 28 years old, yet it feels like we’ve heard of his name for the past 20 years. Born on the 13th of March 1994 in Riudarenes, Spain, Deulofeu rose through the ranks of FC Barcelona before debuting with the first team at 17 under manager Pep Guardiola in 2011. His name sounds so familiar because – like many other talents produced by La Masia – he was targeted by the ‘New Messi’ label. This label (or better, curse) has haunted a variety of FC Barcelona youngsters – Bojan Krkić, Ibrahim Afellay, and Alen Halilović are all examples. Sticking such a heavy label on these youngsters not only increased expectations, but also created pressure and anxiety which eventually led to the downfall of their careers.
However with Deulofeu, things weren’t exactly all that bad.
His choice to leave FC Barcelona to get game time in the early stages of his career was deemed as questionable by great parts of Spanish fans, but ultimately, his performances throughout his career for Everton, Sevilla, AC Milan, and Watford proved that Deulofeu was a talented footballer.
Talented, yes. But how much of his potential had he fulfilled? For many, he was supposed to be the ‘New Messi’, not your average Spanish winger.
Luckily, Deulofeu is starting to answer some of these questions. He now plays an essential role in an exciting Udinese team and (to me) he unquestionably belongs in the category of players which are criminally underrated. Further, whilst the Messi comparisons are obviously unreasonable and uncalled for, he is now a player who ranks amongst the most dangerous attackers in Serie A and Europe. And the stats support just this.
Finding stability at Udinese was essential for Deulofeu to allow all his qualities to emerge. Prior to last season, Deulofeu had played more than 30 games only during the 2012-2013 season where he played for Barcelona B’s side in the Segunda Division – Spain’s second tier of football. Last season, Deulofeu stepped on the field in 34 games and so far, has taken part in 15 out of 16 games this season. This continuity has allowed him to express his full potential and sparkle on the field.
Over the past 365 days, Deulofeu has put up rather incredible numbers. Firstly and most importantly, Deulofeu is direct.
Compared to other attacking players in Europe and testimony to his directness, Deulofeu sits in the top 1% for the following categories: Progressive Passes, xAG, Key Passes, Passes into the Opponent’s penalty box, and Shot Creating Actions. Whilst there are also other stats which see him in the top 1% of attacking players in Europe, the aforementioned categories show just how dangerous he can be. Deulofeu produces an unthinkable amount of chances and gets his team in great situations with consistency. For example, per 90, Deulofeu produces 3.14 Key Passes. Key passes, the measure of passes before a shot which leads to a probable goalscoring opportunity, is a good tool to measure the offensive production of a player. If we compare Deulofeu with Kevin De Bruyne – arguably the best offensive midfielder in the world – he firmly stands his ground. In fact, De Bruyne only has 0.41 more key passes per 90 compared to Deulofeu (with 3.55 key passes per 90). This is an undisputable testimony to his offensive production. Similarly, his SCA (Shot-Creating Actions) are also worthy of a mention. Deulofeu produces 5.61 SCA per 90 – unrivaled numbers. He sits in the top 1% of players for this category, and it is easy to see why. If we translate this statistic, we can see that Deulofeu gets himself (or his teammates) in situations where they can have a go at goal almost 6 times per game. In fact, this season Deulofeu has combined with his teammates on numerous occasions, and 6 of these have ended up his goals as he has tallied 6 assists in 15 games played.
Something else which shows his consistency in getting on the ball and producing offensive situations is shown by the sheer amount of passes – and their success rate – that he has. Deulofeu completes almost 29 passes per game, which puts him in the 96th percentile for completed passes. Whilst it is true that his success rate is slightly on the lower side at 72.3%, the distances on his passes are noteworthy. His total pass distance stands at 436.95m per 90 (top 6% in Europe), whilst progressive passes travel a total of 156.51m per 90 (top 1% in Europe). Thus, it is easy to see how Udinese manager Andrea Sottil allows for a margin of error on these passes considering how dangerous they end up being for the opposition.
Having said all of this, Gerard Deulofeu’s performances are not all sunshine and rainbows. In fact, something which perhaps has held him back from unlocking his true full potential throughout his career has been his lackluster finishing. Whilst last season was rather impressive as he tallied 13 goals, this season Deulofeu has slacked as he is still only on 2 goals. Further, the latter was only the second season in a top flight division where he got into double digits. As an offensive player, his 0.27 goals per 90 aren’t exactly exciting. This is especially the case if we consider that his shot production is relatively high (top 69% of Attacking Players in Europe) as he has 2.87 shots per 90. Nevertheless, I still strongly believe that his ability to create chances far overweighs his not-so-brilliant finishing seeing as he involves many of his teammates in offensive actions. Furthermore, I’d even add that a player that creates chances serves a greater function to a team compared to a sole finisher. If we take Mauro Icardi (in his prime) with Inter Milan for example, there is no question he was a great finisher. At the same time, was that reflected in a smooth, offensive play? Did Inter win many championships by relying on their talented finisher to finish the small amount of chances they created? To many, the answer to those questions is no.
Gerard Deulofeu’s career hasn’t exactly turned out as planned, but it is safe to say he is now consistently showing his brilliance. 29-years-old in March, Deulofeu will hope to make a big time move to a club that plays European competitions in order to showcase his skills on a global level and earn the respect that in my opinion he deserves from the whole football community. Speculations suggested that a move to Napoli was on the cards – a transfer which would grant him liberty in an offensive team like the Partenopei under manager Luciano Spalletti. It is all to see, but I am excited to see what the next few months, and years will hold for the (old) ‘New Messi’.
References
https://fbref.com/it/calciatori/39583cfd/Gerard-Deulofeu
https://fbref.com/it/calciatori/39583cfd/scout/365_m1/Scheda-di-analisi-di-Gerard-Deulofeu
https://fbref.com/en/players/e46012d4/scout/365_m1/Kevin-De-Bruyne-Scouting-Report
The “next Messi” is a curse title.
For real! Who do you think has had it the worst by the curse?