Scouting: Joshua Zirkzee
A detailed analysis into the game of Zirkzee. What makes him so special?
Number 9s are the most valued players on the market, with clubs paying insane amounts of money each transfer window in the hopes to uncover the next big goalscorer. Following the false nine era, we’re now rediscovering our lost love for a proper striker and a new version of 9s began to leave their mark on the pitch: the super tall, super fast, transitions-monsters (Erling Haaland being the perfect role model for them).
Joshua Zirkzee is nothing like those types of strikers, but he was still a man in demand last summer, thanks to his unique profile. Following a great season, where he helped Bologna qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 60 (!!) years, big clubs around Europe circled around him and the Netherlands striker ended up signing for Manchester United.
In this piece, let’s check out his main attributes, the little details that make him so special and how he can contribute to a team.
Position
At Thiago Motta’s Bologna, Zirkzee played primarily as an lone striker in a 4-2-3-1 base formation. Across the full 23/24 season, there were some instances when Motta deployed a slightly different structure, but Zirkzee kept playing up top.
Progressive and creative roles
— Build-up facilitator
At 1.93 meters tall, Zirkzee isn’t what you would expect for someone with his physical build. The 23 yo striker doesn’t restrict himself to the attacking box, as Motta employs him as an auxiliary player in the way Bologna build-up from the back and create chances in the final third. He’s constantly dropping deep to offer more passing lines, positioning himself with his back to goal, almost always asking to receive the ball at his feet. That was a staple of his game in Italy and we can see him doing the “drop-back movement” regularly across the full 90 minutes, be it at the first phase of build-up or closer to the opposite goal.
But how exactly does he manage to create space for himself in those kinds of scenarios? Well, it turns out he is really good at driving his marker one way with little steps…
before quickly accelerating in the opposite direction to receive the ball under less pressure. That little maneuver awards him precious milliseconds, all the time he needs to make a difference — sometimes, when the defender finally catches up with him, either he turned or the ball is already gone.
This idea works in both directions and the full movement is a thing of beauty. At the elite level, the small details can make all the difference. Zirkzee knows it.
— Technical skills to combine
Upon receiving the ball with his back to goal, Zirkzee is capable of connecting teammates using quick 1–2 combinations, sending a pass back or using third-man dynamics to find a free man facing the opponent’s goal. He’s a catalyst for Bologna’s progressive plays and truly one of the best in the world at that, showing great range of passes and technical skills to execute them at ease, even finding some unusual solutions (back-heel touches, roulettes and little chipped passes) under pressure. Also, he’s able to withstand physical contact to protect the ball if needed.
— Agility and strength
That alone would be a great asset to any player, no matter his position. Zirkzee’s skills, however, doesn’t stop there: what makes him such a unique player is his combination between strength and agility, something really uncommon for someone as tall as he is. The striker can turn like an elite midfielder, avoiding pressure and creating space for shots around the attacking box.
In the example below, he receives the ball under pressure, uses his arm to help absorb the physical contact while maintaining balance, keeps the ball under control…
and then quickly turns, leaving two opponents behind, one on the floor.
Few players in the world have the strength and mobility to do something like that regularly.
— Body adjustments and ball control
If he senses he’s got more space, Zirkzee usually positions himself laterally, using his most distant feet to control the ball. It might seem a small thing, but this simple action allows him to protect the ball from pressure, accelerate his turn and/or prepare his subsequent action before receiving the ball. Again, small margins and big advantages.
— Chance creation via passes
These last two characteristics combine to help put Zirkzee in situations when he’s facing the opponent’s goal. When doing that, we can see how he easily creates chances for his teammates, using vertical passes to kick-start an offensive sequence or activate runners in behind.
Offensive runs
1. Runs in behind when one of the center-backs receives with low pressure
We can see three different types of runs that the striker usually makes across a game. The first one is pretty simple: Zirkzee adjusts his body when one of the center-backs gets the ball under low pressure, anticipating a long ball and reacting before the opposite defender.
2. Diagonal runs from inside to outside
Here, he exploits the space created when one of the opposition full-backs jumps to press. In these types of scenarios, he can help progress plays receiving back to goal or simply drag another defender to create more space centrally.
3. Late runs into the box
Lastly, the most common ones are his late runs into the box. Instead of being used to pin the defensive line, he’s usually the one player of Bologna who’s always exploiting the space created by some other players’ runs (mostly attacking midfielders and wingers). When attacking the box, he gradually decelerates to end up in a pocket of space around the penalty mark.
How does he fit at Manchester United?
Everything above in mind, it is clear that Zirkzee would be best used alongside some powerful runners on the wings (he could work in a two-strikers system too, but that seems unlikely to happen under Erik ten Hag). Bruno Fernandes obviously won’t be benched, so that means Rashford and Garnacho are the best bets to complement Zirkzee’s game in England.
We already saw glimpses of what he can do at the first game of the Premier League. Zirkzee dropped back to receive a pass, turned with the ball at his feet before playing a sidepass to a fullback and then ended up scoring the winning goal for Man United inside the box.
Snatching Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna for approximately 42.5 millions euros (a unthinkable sum for lots of clubs in other top leagues, but really just another day in the Premier League) were maybe one of the best bit of business we’ve seen Manchester United do in years (maybe decades?). They have the squad and the personnel to enable him to cause a positive impact on the team, but will ten Hag do it? We will be watching.
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