![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Image-1-Bakayoko-reading-the-play-smartly-to-chime-in-with-an-interception-1024x547.png\")
\nBakayoko reading the play smartly to chime in with an interception<\/strong><\/p>\n
His awareness also means he’s quick to pounce on loose and second balls to recover possession for his team, so they can attack again.<\/p>\n
Applying his challenges with force and usually good timing, he’s done a fine job of breaking up attacks with his aptitude here. This aspect of his play accompanies his aggressive pressing and counterpressing too, which sees him react sharply to triggers like a pass into wide areas, a backwards pass or when anticipating a pass back infield when his target is in an open body posture or with their back to goal. By angling his harrying, this sees him importantly block pass lanes behind him with his cover shadow.<\/p>\n
An admirable competitor in aerial confrontations too, he wins his fair share of duels by using his leap, judgement and strength to rise above his adversaries. Energetic, tenacious and extremely fit, there’s no doubting how vital his stopping efforts are to Monaco’s setup.<\/p>\n
Bakayoko’s worth’s been just as keenly felt on the attacking side, where he’s played his part in connecting, constructing and breathing life into offensive patterns. Using his solid head scanning and movement, these have given him a firm platform from which to go about his work. Indeed, by knowing where his teammates, opponents and the vacant spaces are located in relation to the ball, he subsequently takes up promising positions to receive possession.<\/p>\n
Aiding his team’s build up by generating numerical and positional superiorities, he’s helped form ideal triangular and diamond like shapes to offer good angles to be an outlet to beat the press.<\/p>\n
Often serving as the free man and knowing how best to inherit possession due to his scanning, he identifies when to turn and control in one motion, protect the ball, play a first time pass or move away to gain separation.<\/p>\n Also on hand to support wide attacks, provide a good option for a backpass to reset attacks and embark on dangerous forward runs in behind when the opportunity presents itself, this has only amplified his threat.<\/p>\n A powerful ball carrier, who remains composed and calm on the ball, watching him use his skills to beat his man and to buy time while executing his decisions has been a highlight. Using his acceleration, sharp changes of direction, smart shimmies, shoulder drops and wicked feints, he’s demonstrated his value in these instances.<\/p>\n Passing the ball with conviction and knowing when to play it safe or go for a more expansive pass, Bakayoko’s distribution has also caught the eye. Great at getting the ball into the feet of his more dangerous midfielders and attackers, on most occasions he’ll look to move the ball quickly to get at the opposition.<\/p>\n Aside from recirculating possession purposefully while waiting for a weak spot in their foes’ setups, the way he’s spotted free colleagues and runners in behind efficiently has also warranted praise. Measuring and weighting his passes nicely, there’s much to admire about how he can hit penetrative line breaking passes into the feet of his attackers, unleash tidy through balls over the top, switch the play coherently, slide balls into the channel and combine accurately in tight areas.<\/p>\n Upon looking into his statistics, and the imposing defensive midfielder’s further underlined his quality. He’s completed 4.72 interceptions per game, 2.5 tackles pg, 5.6 loose ball recoveries pg, 2.40 dribbles pg, 41.18 passes pg at 86.7%, 5.58 passes into the final third pg at 73.6%, 0.86 progressive runs pg, one touch inside the box pg and been fouled 4.41 times pg (the most of any player in Ligue 1).<\/p>\n Back in familiar surroundings and working under a manager who he enjoys playing for, Bakayoko’s return to the French Riviera is certainly looking like the perfect catalyst for him to return to his best after a couple of challenging years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Now back at AS Monaco again and happy in his surroundings, Tiemoue Bakayoko’s improved form’s been a real positive this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":15638,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[257],"tags":[761,1536,764,769],"post_sectags":[],"post_format":[],"class_list":["post-15637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-en","tag-as-monaco-en","tag-bakayoko","tag-football-en","tag-ligue-1-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Image-2-Serving-as-the-free-man-as-Monaco-generate-a-5v4-1024x540.png\")
\nServing as the free man as Monaco generate a 5v4<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Image-3-Helping-create-a-5v4-to-progress-the-attack-1024x538.png\")
\nHelping create a 5v4 to progress the attack <\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Image-4-Bakayokos-heat-map.png\")
\nBakayoko’s heat map<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Image-5-Wonderful-line-breaking-pass-into-feet-1024x537.png\")
\nWonderful line breaking pass into feet<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Image-6-Lovely-defence-splitting-through-ball-1024x539.png\")
\nLovely defence splitting through ball<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Image-7-Brilliant-line-breaking-pass-1024x544.png\")
\nBrilliant line breaking pass<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Image-8-Fantastic-through-ball-in-behind-1024x545.png\")
\nFantastic through ball in behind<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Image-9-Beating-the-first-line-of-pressure-incisively-1024x543.png\")
\nBeating the first line of pressure incisively <\/strong><\/p>\n