Young Player Spotlight #1
This is the first instalment of a weekly series which will highlight three U23 players and their performances in the previous week. It obviously depends on which games I get to watch and does not intend to rank the best performances of the week, but simply to feature and discuss interesting young players.
Last week, we had some very nice European nights, which gave us two names for this article. And on the weekend a South American sensation worked some magic in the Monumental.
Alan Varela, 22, Porto — x Arsenal, UCL, 12/03/24
A defensive midfielder who impressed me when he came through at Boca Juniors a few years ago, it had been a while since I last watched a game of his. Alan Varela moved to Porto last year and instantly became a regular starter. It’s not hard to see why.
Averaging 68.41 passes attempted per 90 (91th percentile among midfielders) in the Portuguese league, besides ranking in the 85th percentile for progressive passes, it was another facet of his game that shone the most against an Arsenal side that not only tends to dominate possession but was also behind in the aggregated score.
Porto defended in a compact 4–5–1 mid-block, with Varela in the centre of the midfield line, and the Gunners had a difficult time trying to break through. Alan displayed great tactical discipline and defensive positioning, being an essential part of Porto’s defensive prowess. Showing an impressive engine, he covered the pitch with good positioning and constant aggressiveness to recover the ball.
Still, he did not fail to leave some nice on-the-ball impressions as well, with good passing accuracy and pass selection. Besides, it caught my attention how he is constantly scanning his surroundings, always turning his head around, in and out of possession, helping his passing and positioning. Finally, Varela was also quite vocal in the match, both leading his teammates and facing the referee and his opponents.
João Neves, 19, Benfica — x Rangers, UEL, 14/03/24
The second European competition featured another talented young midfielder from a Portuguese top club. João Neves is an academy graduate who soon cemented his place among Benfica’s starting eleven. This season, he has won multiple Midfielder of the Month awards and got his first national team call-up, impressing Roberto Martinez with his personality. And boy, he’s so fun to watch.
Despite Benfica coming out of Glasgow with a win and a spot in the quarter-finals, they didn’t have a great game and often struggled. Still, João Neves showed what he’s capable of and had a nice exhibition. With tremendous technique, he swiftly evades pressure with ease, confidently using both feet to retain the ball and dribble past opponents. A very good passer of the ball, he showed not only great link-up play, as an essential gear for Benfica’s possession circulation, but also nice vision to spot line-breaking and progressive passes. These qualities are backed up by his Primeira Liga stats, which show him in the 87th percentile for progressive passes and 90th for successful take-ons per 90 among midfielders, not to mention his average of 82.37 passes attempted per 90.
The numbers also show a very active defender, ranking high for tackles, interceptions and blocks. It wasn’t any different in Scotland, where Neves displayed an aggressive intent to recover the ball. And he did so with success, winning 12 of his 14 ground duels (per SofaScore). Besides, despite his 174cm height, he’s quite good in the air too, winning aerial duels with an impressive jumping reach.
Claudio Echeverri, 18, River Plate — x Gimnasia la Plata, Copa de La Liga, 17/03/24
And on Sunday, River were trailing since the 11th minute, until an 18-year-old boy did this:
https://twitter.com/goal/status/1769724436884717964?t=DZMinPKVIPyrlcwmqqzRXA&s=19
Claudio “El Diablito” Echeverri burst into the scene by the end of 2023, due to his amazing performances in the U17s World Championship, when he captained Argentina and took them to a 4th-place finish. He ended the tournament with 5 goals and 1 assist in 7 matches. He then started 2024 with a call-up to the U23 national side, to play in the CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic, amidst which he signed his transfer to Manchester City, a move to be completed in 2025.
With this background in mind, I watched River Plate facing Gimnasia la Plata at home, while Echeverri made his 4th start for the Millionarios this league season. Gimnasia opened the scoresheet in the 11th minute and River found themselves trailing while their main creative players Ezequiel Barco and Nacho Fernandez (5 and 3 assists in 10 matches by that time, respectively) watched from the bench. El Diablito had to take some protagonism for himself, and he did, displaying calm and confidence to lead his team’s attacking efforts.
Playing as a number 10, his natural position, Claudio was River’s creative and progressive hub, also very offensive-minded and active in possession, as backed by his statistical profile. Close control, swift dribbles and forward passes were the rule. A very technically gifted player, with impressive press resistance and passing accuracy, his smart movement also caught my attention, knowing when and where to move, he seemed to always be in a good passing lane to receive the ball, mostly between the opposition lines, helping River progress in a receiving role as well.
However, his best display came in the first half. He went a bit quiet in the second half, being subbed in the 68th minute by veteran Nacho Fernandez. Still, instability in performances is to be expected from such youngsters and his first-half show left some great impressions. Echeverri is surely one to keep an eye on.
Lucas Barth
