Player Profile - André-Frank Zambo Anguissa
Background
At the end of every football season, it’s always interesting to go back and evaluate the short-term successes and shortcomings from the previous transfer windows. Did the marquee signing justify his transfer fee? Who was the hidden gem that exceeded expectations? One deal that has gone under the radar to fans outside of Serie A is Napoli’s loan move for André-Frank Zambo Anguissa. With the club having an option to trigger a permanent move for a reported fee of ~ $16.5 million, it should be a near certainty that he finds himself in azure next campaign.
Born in Yaoundé, Anguissa is of Cameroonian descent and represents his country on the international stage. There isn’t a lot of information published online about his past, but the midfielder was playing football in his native country as late as 2014 with Cotonsport before being brought to France with Stade Reims. His stint with les rouges et blanc was short live, but his time in France was not. The following campaign saw a move to Marseille, where he made his Ligue 1 debut at the age of 19.
Finding a minimal amount of game time during his introductory season with the club, he established himself as a first team regular the following year and played a key role in getting Marseille back to the Europa League. His time with the side reached its climax in their final season together, where his efforts aided in Les Olympiens reaching the Europa League Final. The following three campaigns saw the Cameroonian endure two relegation runs with Fulham in the Premier League, which were split by a loan spell at Villareal in Spain. His current loan move to Napoli marks his first season playing on the peninsula.
Player Profile
Despite a listing of 6’0’’, Anguissa plays like a man carrying an extra two inches. He often utilizes his wide frame to shield off opposing players while on the ball, or to assert his will over an opponent when trying to win it back.
His positioning while at Napoli can be divided into two separate roles: operating on the right side of a double pivot or the right side of a midfield three. The prior is often deployed when Piotr Zieliński is part of the starting lineup in a more advanced midfield role, while the latter can be seen in a midfield three of Ruiz-Lobotka-Anguissa (Lobotka operating in a slightly deeper role). When the opposition has the ball in their own defensive third, Anguissa often occupies a more advanced position where can be found applying relentless pressure to ball carriers as they progress up the pitch.
Below you will see an overview that shows Anguissa’s percentile ranks when compared to other central midfielders in Serie A for the 2021/22 season:
If there’s one word to describe the overview provided through the data, it’s modernity. Dribbling metrics at an elite level? Check. High pass output with great accuracy across all distances? Another plus. Pair this with his versatility to progress the ball via passing or carrying and you have a nightmare for the opposition.
Defensively, Anguissa is operating at an elite level in various KPIs that are significant in modern football. A high press output with a fantastic success rate, he often finds himself looking to win the ball back in the attacking and middle thirds of the pitch. Furthermore, we see that his tackle related metrics sit around the third quartile and his interceptions are ranked in the 65th percentile. Both are extremely positive signs, yet they are not they possession adjusted. Considering Napoli have the highest possession metrics in the league, this goes to show just how significant Anguissa’s defensive contributions are.
Dribbling
As the data shows, the most obvious strength possessed by Anguissa is his dribbling ability. Although we may find other players who excel at dribbling from the midfield, his skillset is much more unique when you pair it with his physical prowess. Rather than a reliance on finesse and space, Anguissa will exert his physical superiority on a player while dribbling. He typically receives the ball under a fair amount of pressure, shields a defender with his back/wide frame, attempts a dribble, and will out muscle a defender shoulder to shoulder in the following carry. Although our percentile graphic shows Anguissa ranking in the 59th percentile in regards to fouls drawn (1.67 per 90), this metric could easily be higher if the officials called an unfathomable amount of obvious fouls on him. Napoli fans have grown numb to the site of him on the ground with his boot in hand, staring bemused at the referee who opted against blowing his whistle.
Outside of his unique physical ability paired with his propensity to dribble, Anguissa also has a knack for identifying tight spaces and wiggling his way through them. As he often causes problems for the first opponent marking him, the attraction of a second defender has become the norm. To break through this conundrum, he identifies the space between defenders and dribbles through the tight gap provided. Watching a player of his stature possess the nimbleness and agility of one who’s typically devoid of strength is incredibly rare. As the modern game incorporates pressing systems more and more, players with this skill set will be in high demand.
It's important to note that his high volume dribbling metrics are far from perfect. As we see from the percentile graph, his successful dribble % ranks in the 58th percentile. Furthermore, although it is not displayed in the graph, his likelihood to dribble in dangerous areas has led to 1.96 dispossessions per 90, ranking in the 4th percentile. With that said, the benefit of having a player who can eliminate defenders from the play and progress the ball further up the pitch far outweighs the risks taken by playing Anguissa.
The video below will provide a glimpse into his dribbling ability:
Distribution
A less obvious strength of Aguissa’s game is his ability to distribute the ball. The graphic below highlights his position across all passing distances relative to central midfielders in the top five European leagues.
EDIT: The graph below should be titled Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa Beeswarm Graph: Passing.
The top two rows displayed should be taken with a grain of salt, as Napoli’s possession metric ranks top of Serie A with 58.1%. As a result, it’s normal to expect volume related statistics such as passing to be favorable for the Cameroonian. However, it does provide a bit of insight into the types of passes he prefers to play. There’s a heavy reliance on short passes, a respectable number of medium passes, and incredibly low reliance on the long ball.
The last row displayed provides insight into the completion percentage by passing category. As we can see, Anguissa excels across all ranges. This level of precision across the board demands attention, as defenders must respect runners throughout the pitch while he is on the ball. Although he has not generated an assist for Napoli at the time of writing this, his ability to find an open man in a dangerous area should not go unnoticed. This is perfectly highlighted by his generation of 2.65 shot creating actions by live passes per 90, ranking in the 94th percentile.
In the short game, Anguissa often plays simple balls to Ruiz or Lobotka, the latter operating as a metronome for the Partenopei. His medium passes find the most success after a dribble or progressive carry, where the Cameroonian beats his man or attracts a second defender before releasing a dangerous ball to a teammate. The last of the passing categories, the long ball, is often played with width in mind. This may be the rare switch of play, or the more prevalent ball to a winger in an advanced area. What’s important to note is the focus on ball progression, which ranks around the third quartile.
As I mentioned in the dribbling section, Anguissa often receives the ball when under pressure. One aspect of his game that needs to be improved is his decision making when looking to distribute via quick flicks upon receiving the ball. When in the middle third or an advanced area, the benefit of continuing Napoli’s progression far outweighs the costs of a potential turnover. However, in the defensive third, these quick flicks have resulted in turnovers that put the defensive line in a position of vulnerability. A match that perfectly encompasses this poor decision making was the second fixture against Atalanta, where Anguissa attempts to play a lethargic ball out wide to Zanoli after it is received under pressure, as well as a backheel flick to Koulibaly which gets intercepted. Both of which leave defenders out of position and highlight Anguissa’s willingness to take unnecessary risks from time to time.
Defense / Pressing
When the Cameroonian first arrived in Naples, many fans I spoke with labeled him as a defensive midfielder. While this may have been the case in years prior while at Marseille or his first season with Fulham, his play style and skill set are more suited to defending in advanced areas. As Napoli are often the superior team and have the highest possession metrics in the league, Anguissa’s more advanced defensive role is a perfect fit.
As I mentioned before, the Cameroonian is often physically superior and remarkably athletic for his frame when compared to other midfielders. This gives him an inherent advantage when pressing opposing players, whether that be a defender who just regained possession or an opponent trying to carry the ball up the pitch. The data paints the picture very accurately: high pressure output, incredibly successful when doing so, and a focus on pressures in the attacking and middle third of the pitch. When operating in a low block once the ball reaches the defensive third, Anguissa is more likely to occupy the space rather than apply pressure. This changes when the ball gets played out wide on Napoli’s right, where Anguissa may slide out to support a teammate and double an opponent in the corner to regain possession.
Although they are not possession adjusted (which would further benefit Anguissa), his willingness to tackle ball carriers and occupy crucial areas of space can be seen through his tackle and interception metrics. These go hand in hand with the physical prowess and athleticism previously discussed. Whether it be a shoulder to shoulder duel or a stretched leg to break up the play, he is highly active when his side are out of possession.
Importance to Napoli
Before concluding, I thought it was worth noting one interesting metric to highlight the importance of Anguissa to this Napoli side. In total, the club have played 33 league matches at the time of writing this article. Anguissa has started 17 of these matches, making substitute appearances in an additional three. Napoli have accumulated 39 points out of a possible 51 matches where he started, meaning they’ve amassed 76.47% of the total points that were available. In the 16 matches where Anguissa was a substitute or did not make an appearance, Napoli have garnered 28 points out of a possible 48. This amounts to 58.33% of the total points available. This is a staggering drop off and one that will most likely prove fatal when looking at Napoli’s title run.
Weaknesses
The clear weakness to Anguissa’s game is his shooting ability. He is yet to record a goal for Napoli, nor does it look like one is coming any time soon. The underlying metrics aren’t promising either, with poor xG per 90 and non penalty xG per 90. Furthermore, the majority of his shots are coming outside the box and often feel forced. This results in a low shot on target %, despite a shot output that’s closer to the league median.
For the role Napoli deploys him in, this is far from an issue. The team utilizes both Zieliński and Ruiz, with the former operating as an attacking midfielder and the latter having a left foot that qualifies as a lethal weapon (6 league goals, all outside the box).
The more worrying issue I see with Anguissa stems from his stamina and the frequency in which he picks up injuries. To start, I’ve now mentioned how he incorporates physicality into his game as well as the relentless pressure he applies in advanced areas. This leads to an ample amount of distance covered and an abundance of crunching tackles taken/given. By the end of matches, it’s quite noticeable how exhausted he looks. The impacts of this vary, ranging from late tackles resulting in fouls to reoccurring knocks. The injuries are clearly the most worrying aspect, as it opens the club up to major risk.
While the schedule congestion of the current campaign may be a major cause of this (Serie A, Europa League, AFCON), the physical demands will still be present in years to come. Napoli will most certainly be playing in the Champions League next season, are expected to make a deeper run in the Coppa Italia, and will be looking for establish top 4 regularity at a minimum. It would be wise for the club to identify a like for like backup who can rotate in and ease the workload for the Cameroonian.
Conclusion
Overall, Anguissa is a remarkable talent who possesses a unique profile due to a blend of his technical abilities, athleticism, and physical superiority. On the ball, his ability to take defenders out of the game with a freakish dribbling ability defies all preconceived logic of what we should expect out of a player with his build. Furthermore, his physical profile and athleticism makes him a perfect fit for Napoli’s press, helping his team regain possession in key areas.
It would be criminal mismanagement for the Napoli hierarchy not to trigger his clause and make the loan deal permanent. At a price rumored to be around $16.5 million, there simply aren’t many players who bring his skillset to the table. Furthermore, the stark dichotomy in points gained by his presence as a starter vs as a substitute/out of the lineup is a key indicator for his importance to Spaletti’s side. He is clearly operating at a high level, one that highlights his ability to play for a Champions League club. With it looking like a near guarantee that Napoli plays in the competition next season, all that he should have to do is sign the contract.