As a sports journalist, I find Mathias Ross of NEC Nijmegen featured prominently on my radar within this season's scout report. Playing Center Back in Eredivisie at only 23 years of age, he is a young talent to watch. The core strength of his style of play lies in his defensive impenetrability - his aerial duel win percentage and overall duel win percentage are nearly peerless, at the top end of the percentile rankings. This hints at an intimidating physical presence and an uncanny ability to time air-borne battles.
However, Ross's possession-based stats reveal some intriguing points. He predominantly finds himself in the defensive third, yet his touch percentage is significantly low. Together with his subpar ball recovery rates, it paints the picture of a player with potential room for improvement in terms of overall ball control and distribution. Yet, this does not overshadow his exceptional chance creation and ball retention abilities, stats unusual for a centre-back, and indicative of an attack-minded defender.
Ross is a disciplined player with a flair for intercepting the ball. His foul rates and yellow cards are a bit troubling but given his performance and the tough nature of his position, these are not surprising. Lastly, his pass accuracy is at the lower end, suggesting room for development, but his chance creation ability shows he can make impactful contributions when the time is right. Ross is an impressive prospect, especially in aerial and physical duels - but must work on his distribution and possession to make his mainstay in the sport.
Mathias Ross Key stats
Mathias Ross Career Trend
Mathias Ross Shot Maps
Mathias Ross Shot Summary
In the 2023-2024 season, Mathias Ross took 5 shots, scoring 2 goals. This output came from an Expected Goals (xG) of 0.86, averaging 0.17 xG per shot.
Right Foot: 0 goals from 2 shots. A 0.0% conversion rate. 0.24 xG per shot.
Left Foot: 0 goals from 0 shots. A 0% conversion rate. 0 xG per shot.
Headers: 2 goals from 3 headed attempts. A 66.67% conversion rate. 0.12 xG per shot.
