Jens Toornstra Scout Report
In our latest scout report, we shine the spotlight on Jens Toornstra, the dynamic attacking midfielder of FC Utrecht playing in the Eredivisie. Even at the age of 35, Toornstra remains a spirited force on the pitch, racking up 31 appearances for the season.
Fundamentally, Toornstra has been a game-changer this season, standing out in 'chance creation' and 'progressive passing', where his percentile rankings surpassed scores of 86% of his peers operating in the same capacity. Gainfully, he also displayed a striking aptitude for assists-per-game, falling within the top 12% of attacking midfielders. Moreover, his xA per 90 percentile further reinforces his credibility as an assist maestro.
However, football, as they say, is a game of two halves, and sadly Toornstra's performance has evidently been weighed down by a few noticeable flaws. Alarmingly, in regards to ball retention, he falls woefully short, falling behind a staggering 94% of his contemporaries. This has undoubtedly hampered his ability to exercise control over the game. Another notable vulnerability of his is in aerial duels, coming behind nearly 98% of his peers, revealing perhaps why he is more proficient in the midfield than the defensive area.
A close observation of Toornstra and his style of play reflects an inclination towards an attacking style, where he is involved more than 43% of the time, closely followed by his involvement in the midfield zone. However, his influence in the defensive third is considerably minimal. This data harbours the essence of Toornstra's style of play, highlighting his strengths and weaknesses and ultimately painting the picture of a player who is a commanding force creatively, but still leaves room for improvement in bolstering his ball retention skills.