It is a known fact that Real Madrid summer signing Yan Diomande is emerging as a serious attacking option for Jose Mourinho, with his impressive dribbling statistics highlighting the growing competition for Vinicius Jr.’s place in the starting XI.
According to Diario AS, the Ivorian’s latest performance against Valencia at Mestalla strengthened his position among La Liga’s most effective dribblers.
As such, he has completed 43 successful dribbles in the competition, placing him second behind Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, who leads with 57.
More importantly for Real Madrid, Diomande has nearly doubled Vinicius’ tally while establishing himself as one of the team’s most dangerous players in one-on-one situations.
Diomande challenges Yamal for La Liga’s dribbling crown
Although Yamal leads the overall rankings, Diomande boasts a better frequency of successful dribbles.
The Real Madrid forward completes one every 20 minutes, compared with the Barcelona youngster’s average of one every 23 minutes.
Diomande has a better dribbling rate than any Real Madrid player. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
His six successful dribbles against Valencia were his third-best return of the season and his highest tally in an away La Liga fixture.
Meanwhile, Diomande has also become Real Madrid’s leading dribbler. Including the Champions League, only Kylian Mbappe has completed more successful dribbles than the Ivorian, recording 53 compared with Diomande’s 52.
The difference becomes even more impressive when playing time is considered, as Mbappe required 541 additional minutes to reach his total.
Vinicius faces increasing competition for his place
Diomande’s rise is becoming particularly significant because of the contrasting playing time between the two Real Madrid attackers.
The Ivorian has already accumulated 892 minutes this season, slightly more than Vinicius’ 882, despite the Brazilian previously being one of the club’s undisputed attacking starters.
Furthermore, his versatility has also strengthened his case, as Diomande has played eight matches on the left wing and eight on the right.
Vinicius faces a big competition from Diomande. (Photo by Diego Souto/Getty Images)
Offensively, he has registered three goals and one assist when operating on Vinicius’ preferred left side, while producing one goal and one assist from the opposite flank.
Mourinho has a selection decision to make
Diomande’s development gives Mourinho a different kind of selection problem.
Vinicius is an established attacking figure, but the Ivorian’s performances are making it increasingly difficult to overlook his contribution.
Notably, Diomande’s rise has coincided with Vinicius’ lack of rhythm and his poor return this season.
Despite giving several chances to get back to his best, Brazilian has struggled considerably, giving Mourinho a big headache once club football resumes after the international break.
Discover more from NAIRAVOICE.COM.NG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
