Edmond Tapsoba: The Next Big Thing

Film breakdown

After being sacked from Borussia Dortmund due to his drab and boring style, Peter Bosz got a second chance at Bayer Leverkusen. Most thought he would bring his robotic style with him but that was not the case. Bayer Leverkusen plays a fantastic brand of football which includes a lot of bright young talents. It is very easy to look at the attack-minded players such as Moussa Diaby, Leon Bailey, and Kai Havertz but Edmond Tapsoba has been the surprise of the season in the Leverkusen back line-line. Arriving from Vitória de Guimarães in the 19/20 January transfer window, Tapsoba has taken to the Bundesliga like a duck to water and performed excellently next to Sven Bender. Edmond Tapsoba is one of the Bundesliga’s top prospects and if he can progress further, I would suspect him to not be in Germany for very long.

Team Setup

Edmond Tapsoba is a tactically flexible player, and this can be seen through how he lines up in the Bayer Leverkusen side. Bayer Leverkusen usually lines up in a back four where Tapsoba is placed as the left center-back, but Bayer Leverkusen has implemented a three at the back system where Tapsoba will play on the right side of the back three. During his time in the Bayer Leverkusen team, Edmond Tapsoba has amassed 1,395 minutes in the Bundesliga and the Europa League since arriving.

Defensive Actions

With the graphic above we can see that Edmond Tapsoba is a very pro-active defender due to him accumulating 2.76 tackles, 2.03 interceptions, and 8.41 clearances per 90 which is quite impressive for a player of his age. Tapsoba is an aggressive defender. Tends to step out of the defensive line and press the opposition attacker. Because of his aggressive nature, Tapsoba is inclined to give away fouls and get the occasional yellow card. Another weakness in his game is his aerial ability coming out at around 2.65 aerial duels won and an aerial percentage of 56.9 which is below average. This is something the young defender can improve upon but, Tapsoba’s overall game is quite impressive, especially for his age.

Passing and Ball Progression

Edmond Tapsoba obtains a lot of qualities that make him one of the best young players in the world in his positions. He has a lot of strings to his bow. Undoubtedly one of his biggest assets is his passing ability and ball progression. Tapsoba has a fine eye for threading passes through the lines and progressing the ball forward. For Bayer Leverkusen, Edmond Tapsoba is first for carries and total distance (Total distance, in yards, a player moved the ball while controlling it with their feet, in any direction) and third for progressive distance (Total distance, in yards, a player moved the ball while controlling it with their feet towards the opponent’s goal) which is quite the feat.

Calmness on the Ball

Tapsoba is only 21 years old but has the composure and calmness of a top centre backs. He has the ability to move the ball well under pressure through holding off the attacker at hand then swiftly turns into open space, allowing him to then progress the ball forward or making a simple pass to his centre back partner.

Physicality

Tapsoba stands at 6'3 and has a lean build which allows him to be physically strong and relatively quick when running. When facing quick and strong attacks, Tapsoba can compete. Saying this, in his last game for Leverkusen, the young defender suffered a rude awakening when facing Inter Milan’s striker Romelu Lukaku in the Europa League. Throughout the game, Tapsoba had a hard time defending Lukaku, due to the physical mismatch. This was truly evident when looking at Inter’s second goal. Lukaku trapped the ball and then was able to hold off Tapsoba with ease which resulted in a goal. Tapsoba had some trouble in this game but in his defence, Romelu Lukaku is one of the most dominant strikers, regarding strength and size, in the world. Most centre backs would struggle with the big Belgian striker. Nevertheless, Edmond Tapsoba can fend for himself when facing the opposition.

Conclusion

Over the last six months, Edmond Tapsoba has made quite a name for himself in the Bundesliga for Bayer Leverkusen. Tapsoba has demonstrated he has the skillset to become a top defender soon. Tapsoba combines silky smooth progressive passing with physical attributes, which is a pretty good concoction if you ask me. Tapsoba is only 21 years old, and at times it shows. When observing him, it is clear to see that he has an aggressive defender that likes to step out, which then can lead to his downfall. Also, Tapsoba can get dominated in the air which is something he must improve on. But overall, Tapsoba’s first six months in the Bundesliga has been a major success. He has adapted quickly to his new surroundings and performed. Tapsoba is a few tweaks in his game away from being a truly top defender and once that happens, the sky’s the limit.