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Manchester City are on the verge of signing Tijjani Reijnders for a cool £44m. After Kevin De Bruyne's departure, Adam Clery looks at why his unique set of skills could make the perfect player for Pep Guardiola, provided they can fix one flaw in his game...
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00:00Right, hello everybody, and Tajani Rinders is a Manchester City player, probably by the time this video goes out.
00:08So then, what is a Tajani Rinders? What does he do? Why has Pep Guardiola gone out and immediately bought
00:15him after Kevin De Bruyne left?
00:17And how much doubt is there in my mind that I'm saying that name correctly? Because it's not none.
00:26All right, so obviously forgot to do any introductions there. Hello, Adam Cleary, the Adam Cleary Football Channel.
00:33How was my holiday, you ask?
00:38Yeah, fine, moving on. So Tajani Rinders. He is a Dutch central midfielder. He is 26 years of age.
00:44He is literally named Tajani after the Nigerian winger Tajani Babaniga. No, really.
00:50And he has been a mainstay in the AEC Milan engine room since he arrived two years ago.
00:56Now, that's obviously the Wikipedia stuff. The football side of things is far more interesting,
01:01because you can see here from his seasonal heat map, which is literally like the tracking of every single place
01:06he popped up and did things all of last season,
01:09that he favours this left-hand channel, but crucially, is capable of recognising the game sufficiently to pop up both
01:17on the other side,
01:18and indeed much deeper. Now, this area here in particular is very interesting because it makes it look like he's
01:25more of an attacking midfielder,
01:27but he started the bulk of his games for Milan last season as part of a double pivot in a
01:344-2-3-1.
01:35He was basically playing as a left-sided number six, but also playing as a left-sided number eight.
01:41Now, just any Milan fans watching, yeah, I know it's not always a 4-2-3-1, sometimes a three
01:46at the back and it moves around,
01:47but the point is there are normally at least four far more attacking players ahead of him,
01:53and yet he's still doing the bulk of his work in the final third.
01:57But what is yet interesting further, which is admittedly not great English,
02:01is that despite starting as one of the sitting number sixes, he does no defending.
02:08These are his numbers for last season, and he could not be less interested in disrupting the opposition,
02:15winning the ball back, blocking passes, blocking shots, recovering the ball.
02:18This is a level of sporting disinterest I reserve for f***ing cricket.
02:25So then, you will note I have expertly posed the question,
02:28if he is a defensive midfielder that offers you nothing in the way of ball recovery,
02:34what does he offer you?
02:35Well, Tajani Reinders is a machine, a ball progression machine, a line-breaking, ball-progressing machine,
02:47and as profiles go in football, those are pretty much the hardest thing to go and buy after like 30
02:55goal a season strikers.
02:57Last season, in Serie A, Reinders successfully broke the opposition's defensive line,
03:02i.e. he played the ball in between defenders and actually found a teammate more than any other player.
03:10He was also in the top 10 out of like hundreds upon hundreds of players that successfully broke the midfield
03:16line as well.
03:17His weight of pass, his precision, it's about as good as you will find anywhere in Europe currently.
03:23And that's pretty much why Milan play him in this sort of deeper role when you'd think he'd be slightly
03:28further up,
03:28because this proximity to his defenders, to his goalkeeper, to his own area,
03:32means he's the first pass they can find out when they build out.
03:35He's got just crazy good natural balance and awareness of what's going on around him,
03:40and he uses that to get turned and then finds the little gaps to progress the play into the next
03:47line of the pitch.
03:48Or even, quite often, like just much further up the pitch, like the guy has several clubs in his bag,
03:55and every single one of them says,
03:57Eat this, bitch!
03:58Now, Opta, and my god, thank you for this, Opta,
04:01made this little graph of all the line-breaking passes he made last season in a very recent write-up
04:07they did about him,
04:09and holy moly!
04:11Again, just like the heat map, and I'll just do them both for a second so you can see what
04:15I'm talking about,
04:16there is this favouring of this sort of left-hand channel in the final third.
04:21But again, just like the heat map, there is the awareness and the ability and the game management
04:25to pop up more or less everywhere, the other side, deeper,
04:29and do it from those positions if that's what the game requires.
04:33Now, just to be balanced about all of this,
04:35if there's one slight area of concern I would have looking at this,
04:38and I don't know if you can see, I don't know how it's going to come out on screen,
04:42but if you look, right, despite virtually all of these passes starting in these sort of central areas here,
04:49you can see the bulk of them end up in slightly wider areas here.
04:54They're not really incisive in the middle.
04:56Now, don't get me wrong, that's not bad inherently.
04:58Like, for a team like Man City, any pass that breaks a line,
05:02when you so often come up against really deep, really settled defences,
05:07ambrosia from heaven,
05:08but it does mean that going out wide instead of central does sort of limit his numbers creatively.
05:14Now, quite possibly, that's because at Milan, he's got Christian Pulisic,
05:18Joao Filic, Rafa Liao, Teo Hernandez,
05:20all players who either occupy these wider areas or, when they do start central,
05:25like to drift out to them to get on the ball,
05:28and that's just where the openings tend to be.
05:31But if we refine this down further,
05:33and, my God, Opta, how do I not owe you money for this stuff,
05:37to just the line-breaking passes that broke the defensive line,
05:41so got right in between and into these areas.
05:45Killer balls, as your dad might call them, right?
05:47You'll see there's virtually none the finish in this, like, area of maximum goal-scoring opportunity,
05:55which I'm, like, 50% sure is a real term, but you know what I mean?
05:58Like, between the width of the post, where most goals are scored from,
06:02they tend to be either side of that.
06:04And, again, that's not a direct criticism of him, necessarily.
06:08It's more a by-product, I think, of how Milan play,
06:11but it just means it's best to think of him as a player who opens up defences,
06:17who unpicks the lock, but isn't necessarily the one creating the chances.
06:22There tends to have to be another pass in that move before something happens.
06:26Thus, if we look at his numbers compared to deeper midfielders,
06:30so, like, the central or defensive lads, where he plays,
06:33the creation numbers look absolutely incredible.
06:37Like, there aren't really any sixes capable of doing what he does in the final third,
06:43and there's barely any that even get into those areas in the first place.
06:46But then we take those exact same numbers,
06:48and we hold them up next to the attacking midfielders,
06:50like the number 10s, the inside forwards,
06:53the players occupying the same zones he is,
06:55and they don't look anywhere near as impressive.
07:00So, like, you look at that, and you would say he's not in any real danger
07:03of immediately replacing what it is they're going to lose
07:06with the departure of Kevin De Bruyne.
07:08But I would like to point out that when De Bruyne first went to Man City,
07:13he got, like, nine assists in that first season,
07:16but then that summer, Guardiola arrived at the club, began working with him,
07:20and he doubled that to 18.
07:23So I would say, gun to my head, Man City are not buying him because of these numbers now,
07:29but probably what they think they can turn those into.
07:32But, my dear, dear friends, if that implies, I'm losing my balance,
07:37that he is a project player, he is not.
07:41He is here for the today and the tomorrow.
07:45He already possesses a very particular skill that Manchester City are absolutely crying out for,
07:51and that I think will see him viewed as an immediate starter come next season.
07:57Ball carries, or just, like, yep, running with it.
08:01His technique in this regard is absolutely superlative,
08:05his close control, the way he protects the ball,
08:08the timing he has, and his ability to slow down his runs
08:11and speed them up at exactly the right moments.
08:13It is not an exaggeration to say he is one of the most effective
08:19and incisive ball carriers in all of Europe, and I'll prove that.
08:26So for the nerds like me, if we look at the data,
08:29you take the top five leagues across Europe, so yes, even the Prem,
08:33and we look at ball carries into the final third.
08:37Out of 2,708 players who kicked a ball in anger in the top five leagues,
08:44he ranks fourth, putting him in the top 0.1%.
08:52He is better at doing this thing, this genuinely vital thing
08:57that football teams scour the friggin' earth,
09:00looking for players who have the skill set of which to do it,
09:05whatever the correct way of saying that is.
09:07He is better than 99.9% of Europe's elite players.
09:18And just in case you're wondering,
09:19oh, but do Man City really care about that?
09:22Because different teams have different priorities and stuff.
09:24Let's just go back to the little chart there, right?
09:27Oh, look, there's Josko Vardial, signed two seasons ago.
09:30There's Jeremy Docu, signed two years ago.
09:33Savio, Grealish, all in the top 100 for this thing.
09:38We think of Manchester City as a very slow, very patient team,
09:42because they are most of the time.
09:45But Pep Guardiola, absolutely in recent years,
09:48recognises the need to force the issue like this,
09:51to go out and buy players who have this carrying ability.
09:54That's why they've got now five of the top 100 players in the world doing it.
09:59Ha-ha!
10:00But now, dear chums, we get to the really interesting bit, right?
10:03Because it's not this running with the ball that makes Rinders such a good pickup for City
10:08and indeed such a good player.
10:10It's what he does without the ball.
10:13And if I only had 10 seconds to show someone what classic Rinders looked like,
10:19it would be this.
10:20So first off, he does not win the ball here.
10:23We've been through it.
10:24He isn't a tacklesman,
10:25but he does get there ahead of the other player and successfully protect it.
10:30He turns his body, keeps his balance,
10:33he executes a technically perfect little two-touch,
10:36which if, like me, you did those, like,
10:39remember when you were young and you went to the, like,
10:40football development courses in the UK?
10:43The two-touch was the only skill they ever really let you learn,
10:46hence why at this big age it's the only one I can still do.
10:50He does that right here very well.
10:52And he gets away with the ball purely through his supreme control of it.
10:57That's the crucial thing about this first part of the clip.
10:59It's not strength and it's not pace.
11:01He just gets there first and his body shape, his position,
11:04like the stuff you do up here, that's what lets him keep the ball.
11:07And I think most players,
11:09knowing that the next challenge is coming in from this direction
11:12and with the ball on this foot,
11:14they turn away from that and roll it to the defender here.
11:19And don't get me wrong,
11:19that feels like a negative instinct to have when you've got the attacker here,
11:23but given the ball's on this foot,
11:25it's very easy for the defender to get a leg out and block that.
11:28So you take the smart option,
11:30you turn, you get it back to a teammate,
11:32and he can still, if he wants to,
11:33then find that direct pass down the line.
11:36I think that's the intelligent thing to do.
11:38But instead, Reinders, because he's a special boy,
11:41takes this extra touch with his weak foot
11:43to protect the ball again.
11:45And now, with it on the other side and safe from an interception,
11:49he then drops it off to Rafa Liao himself.
11:52And this is where it gets super, super interesting,
11:55because go and look at this man's head
11:58the second he plays that ball.
12:01Bang!
12:01He's looking upfield.
12:03There is a gap here,
12:04and both of the defenders involved in said gap
12:06are now occupied,
12:08and that, to him,
12:10smells of opportunity.
12:12And you'll admit, already,
12:14for a number six sitting in a pivot in a deep midfield position,
12:17this is quite unusual.
12:19Like, you wouldn't see Rodri do this, for example.
12:22But Reinders does his best to not just keep up with Liao,
12:26but to be an option ahead of the ball for him.
12:29They get into the box,
12:29and he looks, again,
12:31Abraham is up with play,
12:32but he's not currently an option here,
12:35which is the most likely place a goal is going to come from.
12:38So what does he do?
12:39He changes direction,
12:40he goes and fills that space himself,
12:42and look what the reward is.
12:44Like, this ball,
12:45the pass that's coming in from Liao
12:47is on this line here.
12:48So it absolutely was going to go to Abraham,
12:52but this defender would have cut that out.
12:55But instead,
12:56because of the sort of player that Reinders is,
12:58he wants to do his running without the ball,
13:00as well as with the ball.
13:01So he looks to get beyond the centre forward,
13:04looks to get beyond the midfielders in front of him,
13:06and really take advantage of coming from deep.
13:09And he gets his reward,
13:11the ball gets to him here,
13:12he takes a great touch,
13:13and he just lashes it in.
13:15And if you're watching that going,
13:16and that's funny,
13:17that really reminds me of, like,
13:19Ilkay Gundogan when he was at his absolute best,
13:21then, yeah.
13:23Yeah, it should.
13:24They profile incredibly,
13:26incredibly,
13:28incredibly similarly,
13:29similarly,
13:30similarly,
13:31similarly.
13:32Why can't I say that?
13:33But if he should be taking anything away from this move,
13:36it's at no point in it,
13:37do the opposition seem to know
13:39who should be picking him up.
13:41Like,
13:41it's really difficult to defend
13:43a run that comes from that deep,
13:45and is that aggressive and ambitious
13:47with where it's going to go.
13:49And Reinders absolutely loves doing this.
13:53He got 15 goals
13:55from a deep midfield position
13:56for a misfiring Milan side.
14:00Like,
14:00that is,
14:00that is his main weapon he has,
14:03and City will absolutely want to use that.
14:05Like,
14:05I've got absolutely no idea at this stage,
14:07like,
14:07how Man City are going to line up next season.
14:10Like,
14:10oh,
14:10Norrie makes me think
14:11it'll still be a back four,
14:13but Shirky makes me think
14:14it'll be way more fun.
14:15But you stick someone like Reinders
14:17in a pivot with someone like Rodri,
14:20and you just allow him to carry both the ball
14:22and himself up the other end of the pitch,
14:24and you will,
14:26what do the kids say?
14:28You'll be cooking.
14:30You'll do some cooking.
14:32Who let my man cook?
14:34I think that's it.
14:35But the obvious downside to this decision,
14:37just to be as balanced as I can here,
14:39is to go back to those defensive stats.
14:42Now,
14:42just like the other things,
14:43I think that's a product of how Milan play.
14:46They don't want him doing any of that,
14:47but he will need to up that defensive contribution
14:51in the Premier League.
14:52You can't afford to carry somebody like that
14:56in that position.
14:57So that's the challenge for them.
14:59Can they let him still do the things he wants to do
15:01and slightly refine it at the top end of the pitch,
15:04but also get that boy in the gym.
15:08Get that dog in him somehow,
15:09because if he adds a bit more steel into that mix,
15:13that's a scary, scary midfield base.
15:16Anyway, yes, there you go.
15:17Turns out I can still do these videos after a week off.
15:20I hope you did enjoy it, though.
15:21Please let me know if you're a Man City fan.
15:23What do you make of the Reinders signing in the comments below?
15:26And if you're Dutch,
15:27and only if you're Dutch,
15:28please let me know how close I've gotten the pronunciation.
15:33I've only ever seen it written down.
15:34You can also get me across all the social medias,
15:36at datumtiri,
15:37C-L-E-R-Y.
15:38I forget what side I put the thing on.
15:40Oh, God, we're so...
15:41Just 100,000 subs right there.
15:43It's next door.
15:44So please, if you haven't subscribed to us already,
15:46do that.
15:48And join us next time,
15:50because it's going to be...
15:50It's going to be a hell of a summer for transfers, this.
15:53And we will be covering your team.
15:59Bye!
16:02Love you, etc.
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