17-year-old Leny Yoro is establishing himself as an important player for Lille this season. The young defender is an extremely confident ball player with an extensive passing range.
The images above, taken from the recent game against Le Havre are a good example of how Yoro likes to play mid-long range passes out to the wide areas. This is typical when Lille are looking to build an attack from the back. Should Lille not be able to break through the opposition’s defensive structure, they will recycle possession by playing it back to the defensive line where Yoro will look to play a pass to the wide areas once again.
The above graphic demonstrates how accurate Yoro is with his passing. According to Wyscout, the Lille defender averages 66.63 passes per 90 with an accuracy rating of 93.98%. This includes 21.1 forward passes per 90 with an accuracy rating of 90.08%, and 4.71 long passes with an accuracy rating of 59.26% Yoro is capable of playing some very useful progressive passes as the graphic above also demonstrates. He averages 6.8 progressive passes per 90 with an accuracy rating of 74.36%. Whilst this is certainly not the highest number of progressive passes per 90 of centre-backs in Ligue 1, I expect Yoro’s progressive output to increase as the season progresses.
Lille averages 61.72% possession and Yoro’s passing abilities often help the team retain possession by circulating the ball well and making intelligent decisions under pressure. His composure on the ball and ability to switch the play when necessary can often frustrate opponents and help to ensure Lille retain possession.
Additionally, when faced with high-pressing opponents, Yoro’s abilities on the ball can be a valuable asset. By delivering precise mid-long passes or switches of play, he can bypass the opposition press. This gives Lille the potential to move the ball up the field quickly and effectively.
The 17-year-old is a supremely confident player. This is a great example of his willingness to trust his own abilities to step in and intercept the pass which immediately prevents the opposition counterattack. We can see that he is able to use close control to evade his opponent. After assessing his passing options, Yoro decides the best course of action is to carry the ball forward which drives forward the Lille attack. He then lays the ball off to a teammate and continues his run into the penalty areas. This is not something we see all the time from Leny Yoro but it is certainly something he has in his locker and could prove to be useful in future games.
Yoro possesses a decent aerial ability, this is an element of his game which appears to be steadily improving with the more experience he gains. He is able to generate a good jumping reach via a burst of explosive power that was previously lacking. As we can see in the clip below, he watches the trajectory of the ball and is able to leap higher than his opponent in order to execute a powerful header which clears the ball. So far this season he averages 3.12 aerial duels per 90 with a success rate of 60%.
Furthermore, the Lille defender possesses an excellent burst of acceleration which proves to be incredibly beneficial when the team are transitioning from attack to defence. This also allows him to prevent the opposition forwards from being able to make runs in behind the Lille defence. The example above demonstrates how he is able to utilise his speed to recover the ball which instantly brings the opposition attack to an end. Additionally, upon recovering possession, Yoro is typically calm and despite being under pressure, plays a short pass to a teammate.
This represents another example of Yoro’s acceleration when defending. Similar to the scenario above, the opposition is looking to play a pass behind the Lille defence. Yoro is able to use his acceleration to prevent his opponent from reaching the ball. He then uses his physical strength to shield the ball whilst waiting for a teammate to become available for a short pass. Yoro currently averages 4.88 defensive duels per 90 with a success rate of 89.29%.
Moreover, in this scenario, we can see how Leny Yoro is able to use his body orientation to ensure his opponent is not allowed to cut inside. The young defender forces his opponent down the line and then executes a perfectly timed tackle to ensure the Le Havre attack cannot continue. In terms of his defensive stats so far this season, Yoro averages 5.73 PAdj interceptions per 90 and 0.27 PAdj sliding tackles per 90. The young defender rarely goes to ground but when he does it is most often, well thought out and timed incredibly well.
He is able to read the game very well and ensure he is in the right position to deal with any crosses coming into the penalty area. Sometimes the clearances can be a little wild, as we can see here. Yoro sometimes fails to realise that he has time to bring the ball under control and play out, his initial instinct is to simply clear it away as soon as possible.
One other thing that is noticeable is that occasionally he is very drawn towards his designated opponent which often means him leaving his position in the defensive line to stick close to his man. Whilst mostly this is an astute decision as he is able to make a clearance or an interception, it does mean that sometimes spaces appear which can be easily exploited should Yoro’s opponent be able to turn away from him.
It’s easy to forget that Leny Yoro is just 17 years old, he is a highly talented ball-playing defender. He is already getting plenty of first-team football at Lille this season, which will only be of benefit to the young defender. If he continues on this upward trajectory, Yoro will only get better and better.
Originally published at https://beth-limb.notion.site:443.
