Introduction to Ronnie Edwards
Edwards stands at 6’1 and has a Mesopmorph build. He is slight and lean but compact. He is capable at receiving contact but doesn’t have the best coordination at using his frame and body effectively to deal with it. He is athletic with a good engine to complete high intensity actions continuously without fading later in games which could be testament to his focus levels. He had great flexibility at getting his legs up higher to deal with the ball at different heights. He can be fairly quick in straight line speed but doesn’t possess great agility moving sideways and struggles majorly to decelerate efficiently.
Edwards in-Possession
Edwards doesn’t shy away from receiving the ball with large space in and around him. He can be better with his angle adjustment to receive, not adjusting his body means he needs to take an adjustment touch with the ball in order to be facing the right direction of play. This can slow down ball progression. Looking to receive the ball with both feet, he’s consistent with understanding whether to receive with his outside foot to open his body to the other side of the pitch or to receive with his closest foot to play towards the area that the ball came from.
He is confident playing simple passes on his weaker foot when there is no pressure, showing good technique passing (weight and accuracy) across his body and with his body open over medium and short distances.
He’s brilliant at judging the height of the ball and is comfortable at making contact with the ball at all heights. Really strong trait for when the ball goes over his head and he is forced to execute passes with pressure behind him but he is very comfortable at doing this. The ability to deal with the ball at several heights makes him great at clearing the ball away following low /medium height crosses. He is ambipedal when clearing the ball, he is able to make clean and powerful contact off both feet meaning he is able to clear crosses from both sides of the pitch making contact with the first foot it reaches rather than waiting for the ball to arrive to his strong foot.
Edwards makes central contact with the ball well aerially and doesn’t head underneath the ball causing more height but heads it so there is power and direction when he isn’t contested in the air. He heads the ball with intention and direction towards areas that are beneficial, doesn’t just head to the ball to clear it back to where it came from unless he is within a low-block situation when the risk factor is much higher.
He is comfortable passing horizontally with both feet, using his weaker foot in situations when he is under pressure but also when he has time on the ball. On occasion the passes can be under hit, not majorly enough to where the receiver has to move towards the ball substantially but enough to where the receiver cannot use the momentum of the ball to take a touch out their feet.
The QPR man rarely breaks lines vertically, this could be instructional but Edwards only seems to have the intention to be progressive if the receiver is a significant amount of space or Edwards is looking to play over opposition blocks. This is apparent in his progressive passing numbers with 1.71 progressive passes per 90 placing him in the bottom 17% for centre backs in the championship.
If Edwards does look to be progressive with the ball this is often done through dribbling. He is strong at carrying the ball, He has large steps which allow him to travel faster and is great at identifying when there is space in front of him to drive into. He is great at recognising when the opposition that is pressing him have left vulnerable angles for him to push the ball around them and drive with the ball. These traits make Edwards a viable option to operate in wider zones in possession for systems that create situations for progression through carrying the ball (often back 3 systems).
Edwards out of Possession
Mature in decision making of when to engage out of his defensive line and when to drop. Understands when an opposition player has time with the ball to add more depth to his positioning. Does seem to always have the aim to stay in good distance with teammates to make sure space stays congested. This is quite a rare trait for his age and makes him viable for low-block and mid-block systems where jumps backwards and forwards of positioning need to be timely and correct.
He has a pessimistic mindset as a defender, he prefers to drop in defensive situations rather than engage. Doesn’t seem to ‘switch off’, He seems very attentive to the execution of his actions especially if an opposition player is within his vicinity, he will always look to be cautious of the players movements. He maintains this level throughout the full 90 minutes.
Edwards scans consistently and doesn’t spend time ball watching, especially when his team's defensive line is much higher. Scans brilliantly in transition scenarios, doesn’t focus on the ball if he is positioned centrally and the ball is wide, he will scan to make sure he is aware of runners centrally who are joining the attack. He is efficient at getting the goal side of his man and makes this a priority on all occasions, especially in low-block situations, Edwards will look to put himself in between himself and the opposition.
Edwards steps up quickly when the ball goes back towards the opposition's goal.Edwards often prioritises marking his man in most situations which can be the wrong decision, in low-block situations he can occasionally leave space he is responsible within the box to stay with his marker which may be the wrong decision.
Duelling isn’t one of Edwards' strong points, Especially when he needs to close the distance to the player in possession if they’re more than 2 metres away. Dribblers who can change their line of dribble quickly trouble him as he struggles majorly to decelerate if he is travelling at high speed with forward momentum. Edwards recognises this therefore he commits to the challenge a lot of times which results in him being dribbled past or committing a foul regularly. This is shown within the data as Edwards’s tackles 50.00% of dribbles he faces which places him in the bottom 9% of championship centre backs for this metric.
When Edwards is able to time his tackles with his forward momentum they result in strong effective tackles. Especially tackles when he is sliding or extending for the ball, he can use his great flexibility in his lower body combined with his long legs to reach the ball faster than the opposition's next adjustment touch or before they reach the ball entirely. If he is able to be closer to opposition when they’re wide with the ball he still can be bypassed regularly as he doesn’t lower his centre of gravity while jockeying which makes his body shape much easier to manipulate. He also struggles to lower his step count in these situations which results in him taking much longer to adjust his body to optimal angles defending attackers.
These traits make Edwards more suited to systems where he can stay central out of possession, limiting situations where Edwards is forced to defend larger spaces in wide areas regularly.
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This article was written by Danny Atkins
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