Mattia Bani Scout Report
In our in-depth scout report of Mattia Bani, the Genoa centre-back boasts a commendable stature in his team's defense despite some glaring weaknesses. The seasoned 30-year-old Italian has played a good volume of matches in the 2023-24 Serie A season, reinforcing the defensive lines for a whopping 2306 minutes.
Bani's playing style particularly stands out in his goal efficiency. As a defender, his goal threat and goal efficiency metrics are impressively high, eclipsing over 80% of his Serie A contemporaries. This attribute sets him apart as a rare breed of defenders with a remarkable knack for finding the back of the net.
Nonetheless, there are prominent areas of concern for Bani. His ball retention ability and progressive carrying, covertly critical elements in the modern game, significantly trail the league average, placing him at the lower end of the spectrum. Notably, Bani's chance creation and progressive passing fall worryingly low, potentially hampering Genoa's transitions from defence to attack.
Also concerning is his duel win percentage, sitting at a meagre 31.82% for aerial duels - a vital skill for a centre-back. His interceptions and recoveries also leave room for improvement, suggesting he struggles to regain possession. Combined with his relatively high yellow card rate, this could imply a propensity to resort to fouls due to ineffective tackling.
Finally, Bani appears to be somewhat limited in his activity and possession areas, notably lacking in forward ventures. A negligible percentage of his touches occur in the attacking third, implying a conservative style of play, heavily inclined towards providing defensive cover.
In summary, while Bani has a commendable knack for goals rarely seen in players of his position, his deficiencies in key defensive skills, combined with limited progressive play attributes, put a significant damper on his overall effectiveness as a centre-back.