“Offensive Coordinator”
Written by Umberto Pelà (2/04/2023)
In this week’s episode of Underrated, I present to you someone who’s come under my radar just recently: Lazar Samardžić. Only 21, the Serbian international has already put together 41 appearances for Udinese over the course of two seasons. Having said that, it is this year that has seen him shine through and emerge one of the most exciting young prospects in Serie A — yet it seems like he hasn’t been recognized for this by everyone.
Born on the 24th of February 2002, Samardžić came through Berlin’s Hertha BSC youth system, where his play easily caught the eye of scouts all around Europe. As a result of his 55 goals in 57 games at the U17 and U19 levels, as well as regular features with the German youth national teams, Samardzic attracted heavy interest from AC Milan in 2020. RB Leipzig were the quickest team to jump on the opportunity, picking the talent up for €1.5M that same year. 9 appearances and a season later, he was then sold to Udinese for “only” €3M.”
Admittedly, it has taken him time to adjust to Serie A, but this season, the rose that is Samardžić is finally starting to blossom. 4 goals and 2 assists so far this season, as Udinese’s Sporting Director Pierpaolo Marino puts it: “Samardžić can truly become a top player” — and I couldn’t agree more. But don’t take solely my word for it. Look at the numbers.
Left-footed, Samardžić does one thing extremely well: create dangerous situations for the opposition’s defenses. Looking at his FBREF (Renowned Football Statistical Database) stats will astonish you for the amount of green that surrounds his player profile. Filtering all of this great “green”, we can see a few statistics that highlight his greatness. Specifically, to me, 3 distinct areas stand out.
Firstly and most importantly, his Shot-Creating Actions: 5.89 per 90. Yes, you read that right. Samardžić, on average, puts his teammates in conditions to shoot 5.89 times per 90 minutes. Not only does that put him in the top 1% of midfielders in top 5 leagues over the past 365 days at 21 years old, but also tells us how much of a pivotal role he plays in his team’s offense. Udinese, a side with a +6 goal difference and 37 goals for (only 5 less compared to currently 2nd S.S. Lazio), desperately requires Samardžić’s input to score. This has been especially the case after Gerard Deulofeu’s injury which has kept him sidelined for the majority of 2023. Samardžić’s shot-creating actions are even more impressive if we consider that out of the 5.89 per 90, 3.18 are from live play and not set pieces (which he is also great at).
Secondly, his successful take ons: 1.52 successful take ons per 90. Not only does that put him in the top 9% of midfielders across top 5 men’s leagues in the past year, but it also gives us a glimpse to the type of player he is. Creative, bold, and direct. In a way, he reminds me of Piotr Zieliński — first member of the “Underrated” club here at Serie All.
Thirdly, the Serbian international stands out for his Key Passes: 2.71 per 90, setting him in the top 2% of midfielders in Europe. Let that sink in – Samardžić puts players in a situation to score almost 3 times per game. This is an important metric to consider because it eliminates the bias of teammates being high-caliber players or not, showing just how valuable Samardzic is to the attack.
A variety of other stats depict just how good Samardžić is now — and how good he can be. These include – but are not limited to – goals, assists, expected goals and assists, shots total and shots on target, and non-penalty goals (all per 90). All categories that see him in the top 5% of midfielders in Europe. In fairness, I chose to avoid concentrating on these because Samardžić has played “only” 1049 minutes across 26 games – which may alter his effective production (tangible production such as goals and assists) and make it appear as slightly greater than it actually is.
What Samardžić does need to sharpen, however, is his passing (not around the opponent’s box) and his defensive intensity. Both see him in the lower percentiles for statistics such as passes attempted, passes completed, tackles won, challenges lost, interceptions, and many more. Whilst I do recognize that such an offensive midfielder may not have to find himself involved with “horizontal” passing and defending, I think there is no harm in pointing out areas that would make a talent like Samardžić even more complete.
It is safe to say that I’m excited to see if Pierpaolo Marino’s words will turn into reality, and if Samardžić eventually does become a top player. One thing is certain to me: if he continues on this road, he’ll be on Europe’s most renowned sporting director’s shortlist.
References:
https://fbref.com/en/comps/11/Serie-A-Stats
https://www.transfermarkt.us/lazar-samardzic/transfers/spieler/528833
https://www.numero-diez.com/pierpaolo-marino-intervista-samardzic-atalanta/
https://sport.sky.it/calciomercato/2021/08/03/udinese-samardzic-calciomercato-news
https://fbref.com/en/players/217c93a1/scout/365_m1/Lazar-Samardzic-Scouting-Report