Álvaro Djaló is demonstrating the technical quality and tactical intelligence that he showed in Portugal and Europe. A left winger who surprised in Braga and who did not enjoy all the prominence he would have liked and who ends up aboard the 'Bilbao gavarra' for a cost of 15 million euros. The good movement in the transfer market of Athletic Club is already paying off, as Álvaro Djaló leads in La Liga EA Sports many of the variables that are key to the performance of a winger.
Álvaro Djaló is one of the deepest and most vertical left wingers in the competition being at the level of well established wingers such as Raphinha or Lamine Yamal. He is clearly standing out in offensive variables such as moving behind the defensive line, taking advantage of defensive line imbalances or take on attempts. The data shows the profile of Álvaro Djaló as a winger and the superlative level he is at. Athletic Club, with Ernesto Valverde’s 1-4-2-3-1 formation, is a very vertical team with a lot of offensive intensity in the opponent's half, which helps players like Álvaro Djaló or Nico Williams, leading wingers who are placing the Basque team at the top of the league.
Álvaro Djaló is a winger who is constantly looking for the 1vs1 and whose main goal is to beat his opponent on the outside. He reaches up to 4.79 take ons being very close to the maximum score of Lamine Yamal's 8.59, for example -in the same percentile ranking-. Regardless of this, it is important to note that he has the ability to understand the game, to associate inside with his teammates in the opponent's half and to generate interesting spaces near the box. He is a player who constantly offers himself to receive and generate play. For this reason, he belongs to the group of offensive players with more receiving between the lines whose main objective is to break pressure lines through deep passes and to give rhythm to ball possessions. He is far from attackers like Stoichkov with 12.22 or Peque with 9.57 receiving between the lines, who are players who tend to occupy more centered positions in Alavés and Sevilla, which helps to reach higher numbers, but close to profiles like Vinicius Junior with 4. As can be seen in the attached situation against Atlético de Madrid, Álvaro Djaló has the ability to attract defenders, draw them out of the area and create space behind him for other teammates coming from behind.
Álvaro Djaló is a winger who, thanks to his good physical ability, is continuously threatening his opponents, either by running into the opponent's area or by executing moves behind the opponent's defensive line. In fact, he makes almost as many runs into the box as Bryan Gil or Antoine Griezmann and takes as much advantage of defensive line imbalances as Yaser Asprilla, Nico Williams or Lukebakio. Movement at the back of the opposition defence and continuous mobility in the final third are two of their main strengths. The versatility that Álvaro Djaló brings to Athletic Club's game is enormous and he can combine perfectly with Nico Williams due to his ability to occupy different positions close to the box. In the specific situation attached against Atlético de Madrid, you can see how Álvaro Djaló breaks between the centre-back and the full-back on the run to receive on advantage and close to goal. It is an action that is very common in Álvaro Djaló's style of play, as he often finds himself breaking between defenders to stretch the team, receive in advantage, get into the box and finish, as can be seen, again, in the second scenario attached.
Álvaro Djaló is a winger with great potential who is already proving his level in his debut in La Liga EA Sports. We have yet to see his exciting potential in front of goal, as he is a player with a great ability to finish, generate chances and a keen eye for goal. His shot is powerful, as is his running and his talent in the final third. Where is Álvaro's real level? Ernesto Valverde has the interesting problem of deciding between players who look set to catapult Athletic Club to the top this season, both in Spain and in European competition.