Branco van den Boomen is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club Toulouse. He is a veteran of the Dutch football leagues, having played in the Eredivisie, and has played a major role in helping his current side earn promotion to the French top flight. He brings a wealth of experience to the Toulouse midfield and is known for his physicality and defensive awareness. The Dutch veteran is also a good passer of the ball, with a good range of passing, meaning he can pick out teammates in dangerous positions. Toulouse are currently 11th on the table and have had a decent season so far. The team has 32 points on the board and sits 12 points clear of relegation. The 27-year-old will look to provide for his team and help them reach as high as possible on the table. Below are some stats for the player while playing for Toulouse.
Overall performance over the last two seasons
The above pizza charts present his percentile rank versus other left-central midfielders in Ligue 1 for 2022–23 and 2021–22, respectively. He appeared in 37 matches in the 2021/22 season for Toulouse in their domestic campaign to reach the top flight and was menacing in terms of going forward, having scored twelve goals and provided a monumental 21 assists in the second division. He has played 23 matches for Toulouse in the current season and has already provided seven assists next to five goals, but has a lower rank in attacking departments than in his 2021/22 season given he is now in the top flight. Even then, Boomen has been impressive in going forward and ranks at the top for goal contributions and shots per 90. He has also bettered himself in terms of making dangerous passes. He ranks in the top 95.85 percentile among midfielders in Ligue 1 for expected goal contributions in the 2022–23 season.
The Dutchman in attack
Another area where the midfielder can contribute is in his ability to take shots and create danger. This season, he has scored one goal from open play and hasn’t missed any of his four penalties. The player averages 1.81 shots per 90 minutes in the 2022–23 Ligue 1 season and has an accuracy rate of 44.2%. The xG map above shows that Branco has taken most of the shots from outside the penalty box. He scored his goal on a long-range effort and likes to shoot from central areas. He has taken 39 shots, of which 15 have been on target.
The above viz shows the player’s ball progression and shot assists from the current season. It can be observed that most of his intensity is in the middle and final third, from where he attempts to dribble or provide dangerous passes into the box. Currently, he attempts 1.76 dribbles per match with a 61.9% success rate. Furthermore, he makes 1.01 progressive runs per 90 minutes. Branco makes 4.12 passes into the penalty area on average.
He has provided six assists for Toulouse this term and has a total xA of 6.0. From the shot assist viz. above, it can be observed that most of the chances he created were through cutbacks or through passes into the box. Overall, the player averages 0.25 shot assists per match and has played a major role in creating big chances.
Defensive duties
The visual above shows the defensive territory of the player. It indicates that the Dutch veteran is involved in a lot of defensive actions in the middle third and makes interceptions in the midfield. It can be observed that the player has not given up many fouls and has averaged 0.88 fouls in the current season. Overall, he has an average of 5.97 defensive duels per match and a 61.3% win rate. Additionally, he averages 2.73 interceptions per 90 minutes and makes a lot of movement in the opposition’s half to put high pressure on the opposition’s midfield and final third. He makes 5.71 recoveries per match, and over 55.9% of them are in the opposition’s half.
Overall, Branco van den Boomen is a hard worker, making sure that he is helping to win the ball back quickly when Toulouse are under pressure. He is a strong tackler and a good reader of the game, meaning he can help to break up opposition attacks and keep possession in the midfield. He has been an important player in Toulouse’s quest to retain Ligue 1 status and will be keen to see his side through to the next season.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
