Read on Twitter
Giovanni Reyna - A Thread
Giovanni Reyna is Borussia Dortmund’s latest hot prospect. He differs from other talents in many ways and due to his special qualities, the Dortmund talent has a really promising career ahead.
Let’s see what those qualities are:
Giovanni Reyna is Borussia Dortmund’s latest hot prospect. He differs from other talents in many ways and due to his special qualities, the Dortmund talent has a really promising career ahead.
Let’s see what those qualities are:
His main position is at AM, but currently for Dortmund he’s playing on the left-hand side in a 3-4-3, which naturally positions him in the halfspaces. Many experts would describe his style of play as an “advanced playmaker“.
Although he lines up on the wing, he has the qualities of an AM and provides all of those qualities on the pitch.
The halfspaces are the area of the pitch where Reyna performs at his best. His main qualities are playmaking, vision and decision making.
The halfspaces are the area of the pitch where Reyna performs at his best. His main qualities are playmaking, vision and decision making.
Even at the tender age of 17, Reyna is already given freedom to express himself on the pitch and provides danger in the form of creativity.
The American likes to receive the ball on the wing, or between the lines and cuts inside with his right foot.
The American likes to receive the ball on the wing, or between the lines and cuts inside with his right foot.
He uses his body really well and efficiently to drag the defender away. To aid in this, he uses his physicality. Reyna is 6 feet tall (184cm) and has a good physique which gives him a lot of strength on the ball.
By cutting inside with the ball, Reyna draws attention to himself, which is exactly what he wants.
The 17-year-old knows perfectly how to be press-resistant, and it’s actually a bit scary how often he releases the ball at the right time and evades challenges.
The 17-year-old knows perfectly how to be press-resistant, and it’s actually a bit scary how often he releases the ball at the right time and evades challenges.
One of his major traits, his vision, stands out in this area. Even if Reyna is pressed, the American knows where his teammates are and what kind of run they might be offering in the situation. https://twitter.com/i/status/1260209942738460672
A lobbed through ball over the heads of the defenders? A defence-splitting pass to the opposite wing? A through-ball to the overlapping fullback? Or, and this is the part which differentiates Reyna from other talents, just the easy pass to recycle and maintain possession.
An example which underlines his qualities at this point is his assist against PSG in the CL, which shows how intelligent and efficient he is. https://twitter.com/i/status/1260147824500580353
The assist doesn’t seem to be outstandingly good, but it is. The assist revealed how brilliantly aware Reyna is of what he does. Before receiving the ball, he’s aware of how he will be pressed and where his defenders are positioned.
Following this, he knows how to use this to his advantage and how to use the space created, by the aggressive pressing of the opposition. In connection to this he carries the ball into a dangerous area with as little touches as possible.
Mostly, it’s just 1-2s and a really smart use of his body, to shield the ball and leave the defender alone at his back. He directly uses the open space to his advantage and releases the ball at the perfect time with a well-executed pass.
He’s rewarded with his first assist in senior football ever with the pass as well. You can also see his team mentality, caring less about his 1st assist and more about Haaland scoring the goal and taking his team one step closer to the victory. Reyna is quite selfless and humble.
The young star of Borussia Dortmund knows what he does and his decision making is simply brilliant. He is aware of when it’s time to take a risk and when it might be too threatening.
Speaking of his playmaking-qualities, if he has the ball in the centre of the pitch and is dribbling towards the defense, the timing of the final action is immaculate. Using this, Reyna often tries to get his teammates into goal-threatening areas. https://twitter.com/i/status/1260149115243110400
He is also comfortable with both feet. Even though his left is worse than his right, he's keen on developing this weak foot. He does in fact utilise his weak foot well. However, the teenager still tends to use his right foot too often which can close down space for him.
Another great skill of his are his set pieces, which provides an added threat to his overall game. His crosses and shots from freekicks are always kicked with medium pressure, a lot of curve, while still dropping with a slight bit of top spin. https://twitter.com/i/status/1260149016077250562
The number 32 plays pretty selflessly as well, even when his longshots are outstandingly good.
His first senior goal against Werder Bremen is a really good example for that. https://twitter.com/i/status/1260148696706101253
His first senior goal against Werder Bremen is a really good example for that. https://twitter.com/i/status/1260148696706101253
He receives the ball in the half-space, is really efficient, but not spectacular, with the dribbling, and clinically finishes the opportunity.
What’s really interesting about the Werder Bremen game is the fact that he added so much creativity following his substitution.
What’s really interesting about the Werder Bremen game is the fact that he added so much creativity following his substitution.
Reyna was a part of every attack, demanded the ball directly, carrying the ball forwards and passing the ball at the right moments. Having the courage to be the main playmaker at the age of 17, in a KO-game, shows his
strong mentality and his ability to withstand pressure.
strong mentality and his ability to withstand pressure.
But even the best players have their weaknesses. Due to the fact he’s 17 years old, this pressure resistence is something he'll still need to improve on.
An area which Reyna definitely has to improve is his balance.
An area which Reyna definitely has to improve is his balance.
When having to dribble under high pressure or at a high pace, the midfielder can often lose balance in turn, lose his touch. His technique is good enough to compensate for it, but he could add even more impact with his dribbling as he works on this. https://twitter.com/i/status/1260149563861741568
Beforehand I've mentioned and praised the fact he just keeps it easy and efficient, and while that's not untrue, he can still improve in this area. Reyna knows how to dribble, but in just a simple 1vs1, his skillset isn’t really well developed.
Usually, he would just cut inside, or go down the wing and avoid the 1v1 opportunities. Adding some stepovers and maybe some extra body-feints would really help his game and make him an even more dangerous whether out on the wing, or in the center.
cont...
cont...
The next downside is his finishing in front of the goal. It’s an oxymoron, but the more unlikely it is to finish the ball, the higher the chances Reyna actually finishes it, and vice-versa.
As seen in this goal against Barcelona in the youth league: https://twitter.com/i/status/1260148483090235393
As seen in this goal against Barcelona in the youth league: https://twitter.com/i/status/1260148483090235393
Here's also another clip showing his dribbling abilities: https://twitter.com/i/status/1260148933000605697
Finally, here's some charts.
It's worth taking into account that his data set is very limited, with limited gametime.
Over the course of this season, these numbers should stablize and become more true.
Nonetheless, with limited time, he's been outstanding.
It's worth taking into account that his data set is very limited, with limited gametime.
Over the course of this season, these numbers should stablize and become more true.
Nonetheless, with limited time, he's been outstanding.
That’s totally okay for a 17 year old and this should always be taken into consideration, as he’s about 8 years away from his prime and that’s a really long period of time. Let’s talk about the future.
Reyna’s future is really bright. His composure on the pitch, his decision making, and his intelligence are special for his age. The American will undoubtedly get more game time at Dortmund and will improve himself with it.
It isn’t that unlikely that he might be a starter for Dortmund quite soon. The qualities are there, the outstanding potential is there. He’s definitely a star of the future.
Written by @janp09
Edited by @JohnWondxr and @tactic_fanatic
Charts from @MartonBalla1
If you enjoyed, drop a retweet and a follow for more!
Edited by @JohnWondxr and @tactic_fanatic
Charts from @MartonBalla1
If you enjoyed, drop a retweet and a follow for more!
