Analysis: Vanderson continues to underline his worth for Hutter's AS Monaco

Despite the overwhelming feeling being one of disappointment after AS Monaco’s unsatisfactory 1-1 draw with Le Havre, Vanderson’s impressive showing was a real highlight from this encounter.

Once more showcasing why he’s such a valuable member of Adi Hutter’s squad, the Brazilian international was a shining light against the spirited Le Havre.

With Monaco dominating huge portions of the match, this allowed him to flex his muscles on the attacking end especially, where his energy, speed, wizardry in possession and smarts ensured he was a massive threat throughout.

To start with his movement, and this afforded him a strong base to be such a force. Not only did he time his marauding runs down the flank and into the box effectively to stretch the opposition backline horizontally and vertically, but he also mixed things up nicely to amplify his menace.

Intelligent and on the same wavelength as his colleagues, how he interchanged with the likes of Maghnes Akliouche, Mika Biereth, Denis Zakaria and Lamine Camara added some vital variety and never let Le Havre settle into a pattern of how best to stop them.

As a result, Vanderson regularly popped up in infield areas to receive between the lines and embark on damaging underlapping runs into the area to compound issues for his foes.

Helping create space for one another to get dangerous in advanced locations, there was much to admire about how they dovetailed so astutely. The example below illustrates their classy coalescing, as ASM were so good at pinning adversaries and manipulating their opponents’ marking structure.

Biereth and Akliouche pinning markers to give Vanderson oceans of space to receive

Seeing as Le Havre were particularly focused on protecting central areas, this inherently left oceans of space out wide for Vanderson to exploit. And the 23-year-old relished every opportunity to charge upfield and enjoy plenty of time to weigh up his options before executing his actions.

Forming a 3v2 prior to surging into the box

Another way he excelled was from goal kicks, where Philipp Kohn would go long to him. From here, he could use his aerial prowess to find Biereth and Akliouche, who’d strategically be situated nearby to be crucial outlets to help ASM win the second ball.

Vanderson being the target of the goal kick, as Biereth and Akliouche get close to win the second ball

His role in Les Monegasques’ goal warrants mention too, for his shrewdly timed blindside run enabled him to use his dynamic advantage over his more stationary, ball-watching marker to find room to fire off his shot that Mathieu Gorgelin parried into Biereth’s path to score.

His movement notably meant he was in terrific positions to put his wicked passing ability to great use. A major chance-creation weapon, his masterful crosses and cutbacks were a tremendous source of offensive impetus for Les Rouge et Blanc.

Monaco’s pass connection and average positioning graphic vs Le Havre

Such a brilliant ball striker, the way he wraps his foot around the ball to get the desired whip, curl, loft and elevation rose to the fore superbly.

Accurate, precise and boasting fantastic vision to oblige runners, Vanderson’s silver service was a joy to watch. Moreover, his measured through balls in behind, neat combination play and sharp line-breaking passes to feet enhanced his impact.

A powerful dribbler with the skills to outfox opponents or gain separation, this aspect of his armoury also caught the eye, with his ball-carrying helping him get into ideal zones to hurt Le Havre with his outstanding distribution.

By the numbers, his 18 duels won, six accurate crosses, six ball recoveries, five successful dribbles, five touches inside the box, five interceptions, four clearances, three shot assists, three won aerial duels, two progressive runs and two shots aptly demonstrated what an excellent shift he produced.

Wanting to keep up his level in what’s been an upside-littered campaign by Vanderson as ASM chase Champions League qualification, confidence will be high he can do just that given his consistency and quality.

Displaying again why he’s one of the first names on Hutter’s team sheet and why he’s one of the most highly rated young defenders in European football, Vanderson’s set to be instrumental in Monaco’s final three matches.

Having already featured 38 times for the Principality club this crusade and proving his worth in all phases of the game, expect the talented Vanderson to stamp his mark in the all-important race to the finish in Ligue 1. Just like he did vs Le Havre and how he’s done on countless occasions during the season.