This is a tactical analysis of Bruno Wilson: he is on loan from S.C. Braga to CD Tenerife. In this article, we will demonstrate how Wilson is helping his team with and without the ball. Wilson can read the game, which makes him a player that could be crucial for the team’s tactics. CD Tenerife is a historical club with excellent performances in the 90’s in the UEFA Cup: their best season was the 1996-97, where they played against teams from Serie A and the Bundesliga, like Lazio and Schalke 04, respectively, and they reached the semi-finals of the competition.
His role in the team
Bruno Wilson is a right-footed centre-back. He is 1.92 metres tall, which makes him dominant in the air in both boxes. Wilson is a solid centre-back, and is a player who understands his role. He knows when to pass forward and break lines with his passing ability, and when not to take the risk and pass the ball sideways to his partner in the defensive line. Defensively, he is solid and strong, and can read the game and provide cover, as well as creating supporting angles.
Bruno Wilson when his team has the ball
Wilson is not afraid to elaborate with the ball. He will try to receive the ball and play it from the back, which is important for a centre-back, especially if his team has that style of game. Through this analysis, we can see that Wilson, when he receives the ball deep in the field, will drive it into the midfield area. He is not taking the risk to break lines by driving the ball through the opponent’s channels. This could be good and bad at the same time: it’s good because Wilson is making sure that the ball will remain with his team, but, at the same time, could be a negative, because the opponents would know that they can control him with more ease when he has the ball. In this picture, we can see that Wilson had space and could create a 3v2 situation if he drove the ball in a quicker manner upfront. Despite that, he chose not to do this, and instead to play safe to his partner on his left.
Despite this, Wilson is a player that has a good vision with the ball at his feet. He will read the game, and always wants to be sure of success when attempting a forward pass. That makes him a safe option for his teammates when they try to build up the game from the back, because he is making sure that possession of the ball will remain with his team. The picture below is showing Wilson passing through the opponent’s lines and breaking their middle defensive block.
Wilson has a mixed range of short and long passing. For a centre-back, it is important to have a good and long diagonal pass. It is crucial because, when the opponent is blocking the possible passing options, there is an another option; a long diagonal pass is a good alternative, as, in that way, the opponent’s players have to transfer to the opposite side of the field, and that creates new circumstances for the team to break their lines. Wilson not only has a long diagonal pass, but also a good accuracy with it.
Moreover, Wilson creates supporting angles for his teammates: it is important for a centre-back to provide the right support for his teammates, especially the goalkeeper, when he is trying to play the ball out from the back. In this way, Wilson is making himself available and not hiding behind the opponents. In the picture below, we can see Wilson moving wide to support his keeper. The opponent is putting pressure on the keeper, but, with Wilson’s support, this is not enough.
Bruno Wilson when he does not have the ball
Wilson is a player that can read the game with and without the ball. He knows when he has to take up a deeper position to provide cover for his teammate, and this kind of co-operation in centre-backs is very important. This is because they are the last players before the keeper, and, if they do not communicate and co-operate well, the opponents will manage to overcome them. Here, we can see Wilson taking a deeper position when the other centre-back steps forward to compete for the ball. This is important, because, in this way, Wilson makes sure that, even if his teammate loses the challenge, someone will stand between the opponent and the keeper to cover him.
Furthermore, Wilson is very good in aerial challenges, and this is helped by his height. Despite this, Wilson is not only trying to clear balls with his headers, but also targeting one of his teammates. In that way, Wilson is attempting to restart an attack directly. If we analyse this further, we will see that what Wilson is doing is so important, as he is “eliminating” the second balls, which most of the time is questionable as to which side is going to win it. In the picture below, we can see Wilson trying to put the ball into an area where two of his teammates are moving into.
Additionally, Wilson is reading the game, and knows when he has to step up front to put pressure on the opponent. This is also another important thing that defenders should work on: knowing when to step forward to pressure and when to hold a deeper position. It is crucial to know when to do both, because defenders are the last players before the keeper. A defender must know when is the right time to put pressure and regain possession alongside other teammates, or when to delay the game. In the picture below, we can Wilson stepping forward. The highlighted area is showing the free space that the carrier of the ball would have if Wilson was not stepping forward to pressure him.
Conclusion
From this scout report, we analysed some of the main attributes in Wilson’s game. From this analysis, we can see that Wilson is a solid defender who can read the game with and without the ball. His height helps him to be a strong competitor in the air, and his good feet allow him to pass short and long, without taking extra risks, which is another really important characteristic to have.
