50FTF No2: Tyler Adams
Adams, one of the success stories of the often much criticised monopoly Red Bull has concocted upon global football in recent times. The high octane American midfielder has continued to flourish in Europe in a similar fashion to his compatriot and former Coach, Jesse Marsch. A trailblazer of the MLS, who in a similar fashion to Jadon Sancho, has engineered opportunity for fellow youngsters from his home nation further afield than was previously observed.
Technical:
Technically he is adept enough to keep and rotate possession. His first touch gets him and his side into trouble at times, and his weight of pass in the ever crucial “zone 14” can often lack the care and attention in execution, in comparison to more technically adept, creative midfielders.
His goals often come from cut backs, he has a real desire to make the box from deep, and whether featuring at right back or in central midfield, he picks up intelligent spaces at the edge of the box allowing him to finish chances with the time and space not afforded in a more congested 6 yard box.
Tactical:
Being as technically astute as he is, with extremely well rounded physical attributes, this has leant to an ability to serve multiple positions, as is required in the tactically flexible Leipzig teams which have we have been accustomed to under the supervision of Ralph Rangnick.
Wherever he plays, he attacks with and without the ball, he moves so well he can often give the illusion of covering the ground of two players.
For me, he looks most adept as a true number 8. The combination of accomplished technicals, and an innate ability to cover ground quick and often, both horizontally and laterally (and often with more desire than his opposite number) lends himself to a true box-to-box midfielder.
Physical:
His super strength is his natural athleticism, he has real pace, covers ground quickly, and looks as if he can do this consistently for 90 minutes. The energy he injects into the teams he plays in is contagious, and for teams which look to press, this is vital.
He obviously lacks height, and I feel this is why he is more often deployed on the right flank, with the ability to roam inside. There were times where physicality was imposed on him early in midfield, and this lead to mistakes, with him not being able to use his body effectively to shield the ball.
Mental:
The tenacity in which he attacks all parts of RB Leipzig’s play really sets him up for success. There is a positive aggression to everything he does, but a complimentary composure which allows him to operate in midfield, which is a combination which is rarely seen in most, but is becoming ever frequently more desirable in the modern game.
Interestingly when given excessive amounts of time, he can often let his decision making slip, this may be out of a necessity to play the game at 100mph which suits him, he needs to play off of instinct and when opponents stood off, his decision making seemed to slip.
Tyler Adams is an exciting player to watch. With exciting talents such as his, there are often moments of frustration where things don’t quite come off, and it leaves you asking “what if he could just tidy that part of his game up?”. That being said the energy he brings is infectious, and in the modern game there is certainly a place for players like him who can contribute across all 4 phases of the game.
It will be interesting to see how he progresses at Leipzig, will he continue to go from strength to strength, or will his inconsistent execution in possession limit his ability to progress?
