Hwang Eui-jo, who regained his scoring power, how much has he grown after entering Europe? [한만성의 축구멘터리]

▲ No goals scored in 12 consecutive games at the beginning of this season
▲ Five goals exploded in the next eight games
▲ Return to the front? Seat still left

[골닷컴] Reporter Man-Sung Han = The scoring gun of Bordeaux Hwang Eui-jo (28), who had been silent for four months at the beginning of this season, has survived.

In fact, Hwang Eui-jo’s sluggishness at the beginning of this season was severe enough to be considered serious. He only scored no score in 12 consecutive matches played until mid-December after the opening of the season in August, and the play involved in scoring during that period was only a single help from Angers in August. However, Hwang Eui-jo scored five goals in the last eight games, starting with the first goal of the season reported in the match against Saint-Etienne in mid-December.

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First of all, the biggest difference that was caught from Hwang Eui-jo, who was on the rise recently, and his sluggish appearance for the first four months of the season, is the’change of position’. He started as a left or right flanking striker in 12 of the 14 games in the first half of the season suffering from a goal drought.

At the beginning of the season, it was pointed out through the local media in Bordeaux as well as in Korea that Hwang Eui-jo lost his sharpness by digesting an unfamiliar position. In fact, Hwang Eui-jo scored five goals in only two of the last eight games that he started as a flanking striker. He started as a front-line striker in all six remaining games.

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Four of the five goals Hwang Eui-jo scored this season are the goals he scored when he started as the front-line striker. On the surface, it is convincing to point out that the reason he was sluggish at the beginning of the season was because he was placed on the side.

# Relocate to the forefront? Only the superficial position has changed, but the actual position is still left

However, if you look closely at Hwang Eui-jo’s recent performances and records, you can see that rather than regaining a position that suits him, he successfully adapted to a new role through a transitional period and escaped from the sluggishness at the beginning of the season. In the last six games, in which Hwang Eui-jo played as the front-line striker, he actually moved a considerable amount of time to the left flank. The heat map below is data showing the activity areas Hwang Eui-jo showed in the eight games that have recently risen.

Bordeaux does not play active football that pushes opponents while increasing their share. Instead, Bordeaux focuses on creating a scoring opportunity with a quick attack after blocking the opponent’s attack from the deep side. Bordeaux’s average share per 90 minutes this season is only 49%, with 0.8 shots per counterattack, the second highest in League 1 after Olympic Lyon.

For this reason, Hwang Eui-jo actively participates in the defense while leaning to the left side of the midfield area for a considerable amount of time, and when he seizes the opportunity to counterattack, he makes use of his unique quickness and infiltration timing as much as possible to avoid the eyes of the opposing defender and dig into the back space. have. This is the reason why he took on the role of the front line offensive, but his actual position was shifted to the left. Looking at the data on the above heat map, the only game he played near the box like’Orthodox 9’was the only match against Lyon on the 30th.

# Off-the-ball movement peaking after transfer to Bordeaux

In this way, Hwang Eui-jo left Gamba Osaka and moved to Bordeaux, and from the 2019/20 season, when he entered the European stage, he has been taking a new role from the position he was used to. Hwang Eui-jo’s greatest strength is his clever movements in the penalty box and his shooting ability with exquisite trajectory and high accuracy. In addition, Hwang Eui-jo is reborn as an all-weather striker by exerting the same advantages on the left side as well after transferring to Bordeaux.

Hwang Eui-jo is helping Hwang Eui-jo increase his overall competitiveness through his experience in various positions on the European stage. Regardless of where he is, he is digging into the opponent’s door with a threatening’off the ball’ movement in French League 1. Hwang’s average ball touches per 90 minutes this season is 31.6. This is the lowest among Bordeaux players this season, and the eighth lowest among players who have played more than 1000 minutes in League 1.

The lowest eight players in the league 1 ball touches this season
(Average per 90 minutes, based on players who have played more than 1000 minutes)

Episode 27.4-Paul Bernardoni-Marseille-Goalkeeper
Episode 27.5-Kayler Navas-PSG-Goalkeeper
Episode 29.7-Dario Benedetto-Marseille-Striker
Episode 30.0-Bulleye Dia-Reims-Striker
Episode 30.4-Paul Nardi-Lorient-Goalkeeper
Episode 30.4-Mike Minan-Lil-Goalkeeper
Episode 31.5-Kawashima Eiji-Strasbourg-Goalkeeper
Episode 31.6-Hwang Ui-jo-Bordeaux-winger/striker

The play style itself is different from Hwang Ui-jo, but Pierre-Emeric Obameyang, who plays the role of Arsenal goalkeeper based on the movement that is placed on the left side and penetrates forward, also has an average touch count of 36.4 per 90 minutes this season. Even in League 1, six out of eight players with fewer touches than Hwang Ui-jo are goalkeepers who have fewer chances to touch the ball, and field players Dario Benedetto and Bulaye Dia are also strikers who are fixed in the forefront rather than the side.

However, Hwang Eui-jo’s number of ball touches in the opponent’s penalty area was 4.2, ranking 1st among Bordeaux players and 28th overall in League 1. The player with the most touches in the opponent’s penalty area in League 1 is PSG striker Killian Mbafe, who recorded 11.7 times. However, Lyon midfielder Hossem Aoar, who recorded 6.8 innings, is second in the category, but his figure is not overwhelmingly higher than Hwang Eui-jo. As a result, Hwang Eui-jo’s number of shots this season also decreased slightly compared to the J-League days, but it has risen noticeably compared to last season after a transitional period. In other words, he learned how to play threatening the opponent’s goal even with a basic position on the flank.

Hwang Eui-jo Shooting Count by Season
(Average per 90 minutes, based on league performance)

Episode 3.0-2017 (Gamba Osaka)
Episode 3.5-2018
Episode 3.0-2019
Episode 1.9-2019/20 (Bordeaux)
Episode 2.9-2020/21

Hwang Eui-jo’s number of shots this season is by far the first among Bordeaux players. He’s even shot more shots than his teammate and personal playful Hatem Ben Arfa (two innings). This has nearly doubled the number of times he seized a decisive scoring opportunity compared to last season.

Hwang Eui-jo expected goals scored after transfer to Bordeaux (xG)
(Average per 90 minutes, based on understat records)

0.19 Goals-2019/20
0.33 goals-2020/21

# Gase’s traffic control, Hwang Eui-jo’s strengths were maximized.

Coach Jean-Louis Gase Bordeaux expressed regret through the local media in early December, when Hwang Eui-jo’s scoring gun remained silent for four months, saying, “I have good skills, play hard but lack scoring power.” However, afterwards, coach Gase went to’traffic control’ to maximize Hwang Eui-jo’s scoring power. Thanks to this, Hwang Eui-jo has recently been able to enjoy space.

At the beginning of the season, Bordeaux’s leading front-line striker was Ben Arfa or Nigerian striker Josh Maza (22). However, as soon as he scored only two goals this season, his scoring power did not meet expectations, and Bordeaux continued to lead the team’s attack in a game where Ben Arfa, who relies on his personal breakthrough ability, was placed in the forefront. To address this, Director Gase re-established Hwang’s role and came up with a solution.

In fact, Maza has been steadily stepped out of Bordeaux’s main game in recent years, increasing the frequency of playing as a substitute in the second half, and Ben Arfa moved down to the position of an offensive midfielder that requires a little more altruistic play. Therefore, Hwang Eui-jo was given space to move freely between the left side and the front, and he was able to focus on penetration rather than passing.

Hwang Eui-jo, pass indicators after transfer to Bordeaux
(Based on League 1, average per 90 minutes)

Expected Help (xA):
0.05 last season
This Season Episode 0.09

Key pass (opportunity creation):
Last season Episode 0.4
0.4 this season

Attacking third entry pass:
Last season Episode 1.2
0.5 this season

Cross count:
Last season Episode 0.2
0.2 this season

Progressive pass:
Last season Episode 1.2
0.9 this season

Progressive pass distance:
Last season 47.5 m
This season 31.1 m

# In addition to maximizing off-the-ball movement, the ball transport and provision rights were also installed.

However, as mentioned earlier, Hwang Eui-jo’s greatest strength is the agility that he shows at the door rather than the off-the-ball movement that penetrates the back space. He has an excellent ability to create space in front of an opposing defender to create space for a shot, or to create a scoring opportunity by turning a momentary turn from the back of the goal.

In addition, as Hwang Eui-jo is a midfield camp with a deep position to catch the ball due to the nature of Bordeaux, the frequency of recording shots by driving the ball to the opponent’s penalty area in counterattack situation has increased. This season, Hwang Eui-jo’s record number of shots after breaking through the dribble was 0.6, followed by Ben Arfa (0.8) among Bordeaux players, and tied 6th with Aoar after several players, including Mbafe (0.7 innings) among Bordeaux players. Running. He directly carried the ball and entered the opponent’s penalty area with 0.8 times, ranking second after Ben Arfa among Bordeaux players. However, Hwang Eui-jo’s shooting accuracy, one of his greatest strengths, was lower than before due to the increased activity.

Hwang’s shooting accuracy by season
(Based on league records)

41.4%-2017 (Gamba Osaka)
50.0%-2018
37.0%-2019
41.7%-2019/20 (Bordeaux)
37.5%-2020/21

However, although Hwang Eui-jo breaks through dribbles or drives the ball directly forward when the space is open, his ability to’own the ball’ has improved from last season. He lost an average of 1.6 per 90 minutes last season to 0.8 this season.

Another of the most striking abilities that Hwang Eui-jo has greatly improved after entering Europe is the’airball competition’. He was at the bottom of all front-line strikers in the J-League with a win rate of only 25% in the air ball competition in 2018, when his scoring power reached its peak in Gamba Osaka. However, in League 1, where the opponent’s defender’s physical condition and fighting ability are far superior to those of the J-League, he has dramatically increased the win rate to 50% in airball competition this season.

Hwang Eui-jo’s aerial ball win rate this season is the No. 1 among Bordeaux players. He had an aerial ball win rate of 43.3% in League 1 last season, a significant improvement compared to the J-League days. However, his number of aerial ball competitions, which was only 1.6 in the last season, has risen to 3.2 this season. Bordeaux’s cross attempts were 15.2 times last season, 14.6 times this season, and the number of long ball attempts was 53.8 times last season and 56.5 times this season. However, Hwang Eui-jo is engaged in more active air ball competition, not only infiltrating the space, but also not neglecting the fight against the opponent’s defender in a limited space.

# Hwang Eui-jo, the completeness of his stats has increased

Until the beginning of this season, Hwang Ui-jo, which was placed on the side, was adrift, showing a loss of its characteristic sharpness. However, as time goes by, he has grown accustomed to setting the left side as the starting point of the movement and is showing a step up. Rather, Hwang’s ability to set the timing of breaking the opponent’s offside trap by starting a movement that breaks from the front line and penetrates from the side has greatly improved. Hwang Eui-jo played 20 games in League 1 this season, and only seven times offside.

Hwang Eui-jo was an attacker whose shooting ability was top-notch when he was active in the K and J leagues, but his mobility and speed were undervalued. However, in fact, he has shown excellent agility in an instant from the past and has shown excellent ability to penetrate the space several times away from the opponent’s mark. A prime example is the goal he scored in a counterattack against Iran and Australia, where he played in the national team led by coach Paulo Bento before transferring to Bordeaux. Even during the J-League, he scored a number of goals in Gamba Osaka, where the objective power fell at the time, mainly in a fast attack situation.

In the end, Hwang Eui-jo transfers to Bordeaux, and after advancing to the European stage, he is being recognized for his value by exerting this ability to the full. In conclusion, his recent uptrend is more of a result of his successful adaptation, which he needed to fulfill his role, rather than his position change.

Source = FBREF, SofaScore, Understat
Article = Reporter Man-Sung Han