Okay… Some how today’s player went from the next big French Defender to somewhat of a meme over the past year or so, and although it makes us giggle every now and then it still doesn’t take away from the fact that Dayot Upamecano is a very interesting D(C), and we will be assessing his player profile in today’s episode.
SM24 ATTRIBUTES
The now Bayern Munich ‘Ball Playing Defender’ made himself known on the big stage as an aggressive, possessionally brilliant player who likes to be on the front foot making things happen wether on or off the ball. He’s not the greatest 1v1 defender out there but his mere presence can make any opposition Forward fearful of coming up against such an explosively built tank of a D(C) who enjoys making himself felt in regions of his opposition’s body parts that will leave a mark even a few days after an encounter against Dayot. He’s a good player that still has a long career ahead of him and should only get better with more experience.
TECHNICAL ATTRIBUTES
Let’s get to the nitty gritty… Dayot’s defensive attributes shouldn’t come as no surprise to anyone who watches him play regularly as there is still much more room for improvement which is mainly why he has been targeted by many Scouts from opposition teams as the weakling within backlines that he plays in. He does make up for it with his ability with the ball at his feet, and with attributes like his Dribbling, Crossing, and Short Passing needing to be improved, you can rest assured that he is a trustworthy player whlist in possession. As we mentioned in last season’s look at the 3-4-3 formation, he is quite skilled at zipping balls to the feet of his teammates in tight spaces via the use of his short and medium range passes, but he’s not the best long range passer, so we had to slightly decrease this attribute, respectfully.
Season 9: PLAYER ROLES MEETS FORMATION MATTERS; EPISODE 4: 3-4-3 meets Player Roles
WHAT WE THINK
PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES
Some might have seen Upamecano’s 87 and 92 rating within SM24 and SMW respectively and are now checking out his attributes with a puzzled look on their faces as to say “how is he so highly rated when he doesn’t defend properly?”. Well, this aspect of his game can answer that question for you…
Alongside his ball playing capabilities, Dayot Upamecano is one hell of an athlete! He’s quick, strong and powerful which makes him uncomfortable to play against since he uses these strengths to impose himself against opposition players. The scariest part about it is that he’s only 24, so his physical peak has yet to be obtained and Dayot will forever pose this threat to anyone that comes in his way and you can only help but expect him to improve his defensive capabilities with more gametime. As for his SM24 Physical Atrributes, there are pretty spot on! 👌
WHAT WE THINK
MENTAL ATTRIBUTES
Another aspect of Dayot’s make up that has seen him rise to the top of the game is his mentality. When you’ve got a reputation for being rash you’ll have to deal with a lot of criticism that comes with this approach and it’s safe to say that Upa continues to do so with his Aggression adding to the beast like stature he possesses, his Composure illustrates that he rarely seems rushed when in possession particularly in tight spaces, and his Leadership showcases a leader who has the ability to bounce back from setbacks. Unfortunately, none of these attributes can save Dayot from what we consider his true kryptonite: his Concentration. Remember when we mentioned he’s now more recognized for being a meme? Well it’s those laspes of Concentration that cause him to make such high profile mistakes, and what he does after the mistake is to try to use his physical excellence to make up for it. But at the level where Upa is playing, once you’ve made one mistake it tends to be costly 9 times out of 10…
WHAT WE THINK
To conclude our look at Dayot Upamecano, we personally believe that to get the absolute best out of him will require you to play him in a back 3 formation where he’s given more license on the ball and has 2 other teammates next to him to assist his unfortunate blunders. There’s a World Class player in the French man somewhere and although he has currently lost his spot in the Bayern starting XI mainly due to Tuchel choosing to utilize a back 4, with the German Manager leaving at the end of the season one can only hope that whomever is at the helm next has Dayot within their long term plans…
In a bit. ✌️
The Soccermanager Experience 