A new season is just one month away and Arsenal has started a very very critical summer window with their first signing- Nuno Albertino Varela Tavares or Nuno Tavares. Nuno joins Arsenal to provide cover for the left-back position which was left unfilled post-Kolasinac’s loan departure last season. Arsenal beat off competition from Real Sociedad as per rumours thanks to agents and intermediaries and of course, the pull of Premier League and a big club.
What Are The Best Attributes That Nuno Tavares Has; How Can Be Benefit Arsenal?
With injury-prone but highly talented Tierney leading the left-back position, Arsenal needed someone to come in who can play games so as to rest their lead player. They were not necessarily looking for someone to push Tierney, knowing the quality he brings across, Tierney already seems set for a long term with Arsenal having just committed another five years with a renewed deal.
So, Nuno joins us knowing exactly what he will get. Importantly, Arsenal got what they were looking for young pacy left-back who has loads of potential and can be groomed over the next two to three years.
Physical Profile
Age- 21
Height-6 ft
Strengths- Pace, Crossing
Weakness- Defensive ability, Positioning
Nuno as a player provides plenty of pace and especially his raw acceleration helps beats, opposition players. Since he played only around 700 mins, the data around his play has to be taken with a pinch of caution but he is a player who likes attacking and his heat map shows he spends most of his time in the opposition half.
A comparison between Tierney and Tavares shows similarity in the zones they like to receive passes. Nuno advances really well and is usually fed with progressive passes which can lead to dangerous situations.
However, the outcome for Tavares is nowhere close to that of Tierney. Tierney has made a profession out of his overlapping ability and regularly sprays passes into similar attacking zones. These are optimal for a potential goal-scoring opportunity.
Tavares is obviously behind in his maturity and play. He does not have an exact area which he targets. Neither does he crosses it from specific positions. This is something you would definitely expect him to work on. Also, he would want to understand and focus on his strengths to utilize them better.
(via Arsenalog)
When analysing defensive actions, Nuno likes to win the ball back in the opposition half. You can see 14% of his actions are there in the opponent’s half. On the other hand, around 33% are around the half-line. ( 47% total compared to 35% for Tierney).
While Nuno is considered strong in his 1v1s, he often follows the ball. He loses his markers at times too, which can be a problem. His concentration has been marked as an area to improve definitely, which could be a concern for Arsenal in the days to come.
I think this is where he will definitely improve leaps and bounds. That is especially considering Arteta’s priority on defensive structures and responsibilities. Let’s wait and watch whether he can be moulded into the right player fit for the Spanish manager’s system or not!!
