A quick look at Douglas Luiz
No long preamble this time. The links are real! They are properly tiered! Let's get into it!
🔥 Edu's BBQ: Douglas Luiz 🔥
Overview:
Age: 24
Size: 5-10, 146lb
Team: Aston Villa
Hair Game: Very strong. A lot of versatility, technical prowess, and creativity.
Power Dynamics: He curled in a corner for a goal against us, said "what about now?," and is looking to sign the next day. One must simply bow and accept his demands.
Transfermarkt: £34.2
Footedness: Right (88%)
Positioning: Hybrid 6/8. May I humbly suggest to take some of his previous usage with caveats, because I'm not sure how much faith I have that Gerrard was always using him correctly. That said, during this series, when people asked me who I'd sign if it could be one player before the window closes, I'd say a "flexible, athletic, defensively strong midfielder." I was kind of thinking Caicedo :). But alas!
Statistical Highlights
Defense: Good at pressing, counter-pressing recoveries (4.3/90). Won 56% of his defensive duels, and he won a lot of them. Gets 1.97 interceptions per 90, which is 71st percentile. Stats don't really pick it up, either: his positioning looks really good.
Passing: All really accurate, even when progressing. Has fewer long balls than a Partey but saw more accuracy/volume in previous years, and they look good. To the charts we go ⬇
Attacking: Can be more available/comfortable in attacking than any of other options as a defensive midfielder. 2.72 shot creating actions per 90, which is 78th percentile for all midfielders. Doesn't get into the box much at all, which is to be expected ... but good, accurate passes into the final third. Had a really good workman's goal against Liverpool in May.
Dribbling: Seems like good talent by eye, but low production of late (better in previous years). Only .5 successful dribbles per 90 in the last year, at 42.9% success. Not great.
Impressions on Tape
Boring answer, but he’s just kinda good at most things. He doesn't feel prototypical at any narrow role, just a good player, period. Doesn't totally have the holding dominance or super-tight dribbling of a prototypical 6, but he has a lot of defensive intensity. He has experience as a lone-pivot, but he has played more at Villa as a strong defensive midfielder (as the deepest in a double-pivot, I believe) with a little more flexibility (and desire) to move up.
He doesn’t always show some of the explosive offensive dynamism of other 8’s on the list but I’m really impressed with his passing, and particularly looking at some Brazil U23 stuff, it feels like some of his tricks are being underutilized -- again, the Gerrard factor looms, and there is reason big clubs are after him. Among other things, he's got some beautiful long ball ability.
Overall, as we saw yesterday, I believe the ask of our 6 this year is much less daunting than previous years. They are surrounded by good defenders, dependable back-line, and safe possessors. It's not a "world-class 6 or bust" thing anymore.
I just watched all his corner highlights and they are indeed pretty sick. He's got some amazing long rips in him: there was one in Brazil U23's, and saw one against Norwich in 2019. I think he's got more to offer there.
DM Comparison
Just pasted together this WhoScored comparison chart with Partey:
🔥🍗🥩 Final BBQ Verdict 🥩🍗🔥
You can read my full BBQ series on 25 possible targets for DM here. In addition to performance, age, value, nonsense, etc, I included two made-up stats:
Rodrimiro™: in which a player's skills/stats across four areas (technical, tackling, defense, creativity) are correlated to the two platonic ideals of lone-6'ing
P.C.E. (Passion, Clarity, Energy), which measures and aggregates what Papa Arteta may value in an ideal 6, namely defense, dribbling in tight spaces, and long balls.
In addition, I added nonsense calculations for three categories to weight in the model: goatees, Man City connections, and speaking Portuguese as a primary language. How the hell was Luiz not in my original set again? I can make myself feel better by saying that there haven't really been any rumblings. But ultimately it goes back to the point I've been stressing with you all time and again: I don't know what I'm doing.
Anyway, back to the order of business: the final BBQ score of Douglas Luiz came out to 83.49, which is fourth amongst 25 DM targets, behind only Sangaré, Agoumé, and Caicedo -- and right on par with Domínguez.
This is pretty big time. He's ahead of guys like Zubimendi, Bennacer, and Edson Alvarez. His Rodrimiro (the degree to which he can replicate some of the skills of Rodri and Casemiro) is an 8.23, around the same level of guys like Lahmer, Palhinha, Souček. He fits the model like a glove when it comes to age, tackling/interceptions, PL experience (the scores are doubly league-adjusted), and all the nonsense modifiers. Would like better holding, tight-space dribbling, and more long-balls (although he's shown plenty of ability for that).
As an 8, his score is an 88.82: basically tied with Kökçü for second place behind Tielemans. Dang.
Maybe he was hiding in plain view this whole time.
Happy grilling everybody.