Yasin Ayari has become quite the topic of debate among Brighton fans on social media since being integrated firmly into the squad last season.
Having clearly established himself in Hürzeler’s midfield, the 21-year-old midfielder has received a lot of plaudits, but also a lot of criticism during his time at the club.
So, let’s look at his in-depth profile, how he was used against Fulham and what impact he is having in the side.
What does he do well?
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It didn’t take long for the Swedish midfielder to get a mountain of game time last season, securing more minutes in all competitions than Lewis Dunk, Joao Pedro, Georginio Rutter and Joel Veltman.
Immediately, what comes to mind on a positive front is a quote from Fabian Hürzeler from last season, where he said: “I don’t know why, but every time I speak about Yasin I get goosebumps.
“If you work hard, if you have the right intrinsic motivation, if you come to the training ground and try to be the best version of yourself every day, then you have the chance to achieve everything in your life.”
Ayari’s work ethic and willingness to learn and improve are a key part of his game and why he has firmly established himself in Hürzeler’s plans.
Against Fulham on Saturday, he covered 12km, which was more than any other Premier League player over the weekend until Manchester City played. Despite his below-average strength, he possesses great stamina and good pace, which helps him to win duels as he puts a lot of force in the tackle.
In possession, he’s improved leaps and bounds in terms of getting up to speed with the pace of English football. Whereas before he would take a second too long on the ball and a touch too many, he’s much more capable of receiving in dangerous areas, turning quickly and playing a crisp pass efficiently.
In that sense, his ball retention has improved a lot. Tactically, Ayari is very intelligent, as he understands when to hold his position and when to push on. He’s proven to be a great anchor to the midfield, screening the defence and anticipating danger.
Against Fulham, when De Cuyper was pushing up the pitch to be involved with the attack, Ayari was dropping in to LB/LCB areas to facilitate build-up, and then providing passing options when pushing further up.
Ayari’s set-piece delivery has improved a lot, and his corner taking could be a real asset this season, with the expectation being that he picks up a fair few assists. Whilst not a primary creator, Ayari’s line-breaking passes and crosses are a real tool when trying to break a team down.
The young Swede may not be the star of the show, but he platforms players around him to perform to a higher level. There’s a difference between how Baleba plays with Ayari and without him, and it comes down to his teammates being more confident in him being a reliable all-arounder.
Areas to Improve
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It’s not a complex assessment to say that Ayari isn’t the strongest player around. He can get knocked off the ball quite easily, and most of his shoulder-to-shoulder duels end one way. It is impressive, therefore, how much determination he has in engaging in lots of duels and having a 49% duel success rate by extension; however, it does lead to him being dispossessed fairly easily from time to time.
A lot of Ayari discourse comes from how much impact he is having, and whether the alternatives would have more of an impact. Impact is a funny word, but if he were contributing more in the final third, this wouldn’t be a conversation.
Ayari’s main issues are confidence and composure in the final third. Whilst he strikes the ball cleanly and largely straight, just eight of his 28 shots last season were on target, and a chunk of those were straight at the keeper.
On those occasions, there were a few times last season where he missed some sitters, which live longer in the memory than the good work he does further back.
He plays a lot of safe passes in the final third, which hold him back from being a primary creator within the side, and his decision-making leaves a lot to be desired.
Coupled with individual errors that are accentuated when you play in midfield and are forgotten about when other players with more credit in the bank make them, due to his size, the tendency for that to stick is heightened.
Aeriall,y he’s significantly held back by his height and small leap, so the centre-backs pushing up higher to contest aerial duels in the midfield is where we can be caught out.
What does Yasin Ayari provide now and in the future?
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Ayari is a very talented player with a high technical base, infectious energy and a great mentality.
It’s pretty clear that a lot of the scapegoating comes from his size and end product; however, this is offset by how impressive he is all-round in the midfield.
Whilst he’s not the most aesthetically pleasing player, he has his fundamentals on lock and is a very intelligent footballer, and fits the system well. Against Fulham, he was one of Brighton’s best players and gave the side a reliable base to work from. He will only improve, and he will only improve with experience.
So, is Ayari a marmite man? Or is he a magic man?
