Afrigather
January 6, 2024
From Victor Osimhen to Taiwo Awoniyi, from Akor Adams to Victor Boniface, increasingly more Nigerian strikers are showcasing their goal-scoring prowess in Europe’s prime 5 leagues. The most recent participant to make the step up from a fringe competitors to the Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A or Bundesliga may very effectively be Rafiu Adekunle Durosinmi.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria on January 1, 2003, Rafiu went on to spend most of his childhood days within the nation whereas selecting up a stable curiosity in soccer. His first involvement on the semi-professional scene was when he performed youth soccer for a Nigerian membership named Box2Box Fc in 2021 earlier than getting scouted by a membership within the Czech Republic.
He joined MFK Karvina’s youth crew in 2021 for an undisclosed payment, acquired promoted to the primary crew in 2022, and went on to play a complete of 39 targets for the crew, scoring 10 targets together with one in opposition to Slavia Prague. In January 2023, Durosinmi was loaned to Viktoria Plzen the place his performances have been promising and later joined on a everlasting deal, incomes his first switch payment (€850k). He has impressed in assault for the Czech facet, racking up 13 targets and 6 assists in 34 appearances.
Participant Profile
With the crew’s lack of technical strikers regardless of having bodily gamers upfront like Tomas Chory and John Mosquera, the coach most popular giving the 20-year-old fixed minutes and a preferred identify on the crew sheet, primarily enjoying as a Central Ahead, typically enjoying in a two-striker system. Standing 6’4, and weighing 187 lbs, that’s indicative sufficient of being the tallest & strongest participant you’ll most likely meet on the pitch, which imposes a type of worry to opposition defenders.
Nearly all of his actions this season have been within the field and secondly within the center third, as seen beneath. This implies he’s a field striker in addition to working in a deeper place whether or not by monitoring again or main the build-up from both corners or turnovers to supply his teammates passing choices. The crew causally rotates from a 3-4-1-2, 4-2-3-1 formation, the place he’s both enjoying as a lone striker or a supportive one, attacking the field with intent or competing for second balls and discovering gaps for passes.
Picture: Sofascore
Off-the-ball Motion
Rafiu Durosinmi will not be restricted to field actions solely, in truth, he’s fairly cellular and likes to float out broad, as he has a straight understanding of when to obtain whether or not it’s in behind or shut up coupled with when to make matching runs to hold the ball ahead or convert. An instance of his swift actions even in congested areas may be seen beneath.
The timings, the energy to carry play, and the pace to make actions in counterattacks typically by occupying the center third earlier than making strides to get behind the tip ball. As a middle ahead who’s cellular on the wings, he kinds a very good partnership together with his crew’s wingbacks in a 3 on the again formation, permitting the fullback to overlap and make ahead runs to mix or cross to a different teammate within the field.
Giving up on monitoring again and attempting to win the ball again will not be an choice for him, as he all the time desires to do all the things he can to get the ball. He bends & blends his runs to keep away from offsides (in line with Sofascore, he averages 0.5 offsides per recreation). The crew appears to be like to make use of him as a instrument for central playmaking, by resting on opposition defenders to carry out lay-offs.
Technical Expertise
Rafiu Durosinmi is a right-footed striker who generates a goal-scoring risk from his actions contained in the opposition field, continually stretching defences. Offering technical safety to his crew’s assault, typically looking out to gather and connect with assault if he’s not enjoying as a lone striker.
He scores targets in expansive kinds, his one-footedness brings just a few limitations, expert in utilizing his head, infact one may make a case that he scores extra targets from headers than his different foot. The mix of all these talents makes him a handful for defenders and provides to his field and general risk.
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His aerial play is powerful, which is straightforward to inform from his top. His jumps stand out amongst his age group, beats his marker within the air together with his leaps, and in the identical breath powers sufficient to go the ball into the online or play his teammate by. This can be a comparable trait to the likes of Osimhen and Serhou Guirassy.
When enjoying with both Vydra or Chory, he interchanges roles, with the previous, he’s tasked with competing for lengthy balls within the air, with the latter, he’s tasked with preventing for second balls and positioning extra in behind to assault the field with intent. The image beneath reveals his positioning between defenders, making stealthy runs into the field together with his timed runs and understanding of occupying needed house out of possession.
Dribbling Prowess
At 6’4, one would naturally anticipate his dribbling to be static or conventional, however it isn’t. He’s reliant on beating defenders from physique feints and drop-offs, shut management and short-distance bursts into broad areas. His 1v1s can enhance, although. He depends totally on long-distance/vary carries and dribbles that means he can apply his physicality.
Hyperlink-up Play
Including worth to his recreation is his unselfish strategy, with 5 assists this season in line with Sofascore. Strikers like Harry Kane come to thoughts (his passes aren’t at that stage but) however Rafiu nonetheless comes pivotal throughout attacking phases together with his weighted passes, opening and shutting one-two, one-touch passes – he doesn’t simply finish build-up performs; he begins them too. In different phrases, you possibly can belief him as your lone striker or a supporting/field striker in your 2-striker system.
Elements to Enhance on
As technical and bodily Rafiu Durosinmi is, there are some areas the 20-year-old can work on to achieve his full potential.
–Half turns when receiving: When he’s been performed by by his teammates, particularly when there are giant areas behind the final defender, receiving on the half turns are pivotal as they both open up passing lanes or enable the participant to run into empty and unoccupied zones. He can add this to his arsenal
-Bettering his proper to left run throughout defenses.
-Tuning his viewfinder on the flip to open up passing lanes
-Enhance his by balls and get higher in deeper + broad areas
-Firming down his aggression to keep away from getting carded unnecessarily
– Perspective below stress, in large or necessary video games
– Keep away from overworking his muscle mass to enhance his basic health
Conclusion
One 12 months after making the transfer to Viktoria Plzen on mortgage, Rafiu Adekunle Durosinmi may very well be set for a transfer away from the Doosan Area with numerous golf equipment together with Wolves, Eintracht Frankfurt and Brighton being reportedly . A tall, bodily imposing striker with a watch for objective, the Lagos native has impressed in worldwide competitors, grabbing three targets within the qualifiers to steer them previous FC Drita, Gzira Utd and Tobol Kostanay to safe a spot within the UEFA Europa Convention League group stage.
He began every of their six matches as Viktoria Plzen grew to become the one crew to take pleasure in an ideal file on this season’s competitors, scoring 9 targets and conceding one and ending forward of Dinamo Zagreb, Astana, and Ballkani. Regardless of being sidelined for the previous two months with a torn knee ligament, he has excelled in assault with 6 targets and 6 assists in 11 league matches for Miroslav Koubek’s facet, who sit third within the Czech top-flight. At 21 years of age, the longer term appears to be like shiny for the Nigerian ahead, and with a contract till 2026, it appears to be a matter of when, not if, he makes the transfer to one among Europe’s largest leagues.
By: @stzysultan
Featured Picture: @GabFoligno / Czech Information Company – PA Photographs
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