Issiaga Sylla is a Guinean professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Ligue 1 club Montpellier and the Guinea national team. He recently made the move from Toulouse to Montpellier in Ligue 1. He appeared in 17 matches for his former club in Ligue 1 2022/23. He is a left-footed full-back who usually plays on the left flank. He also has the ability to play from the right and provides an extra option for the team. He is a strong defender who is comfortable with the ball at his feet, which makes him well–suited to the attacking style of play that Montpellier are known for. Additionally, Sylla is 29 years old and has plenty of experience playing in France. Below, we look at some of his stats from the current season and understand what he will add to the Montpellier flanks.
Overall performance
The above viz shows Sylla’s percentile rank compared to the other left-backs in Ligue 1 in 2022/23. He has played 17 matches in the 2022–23 Ligue 1 season. He is ranked highly for contesting and winning defensive duels. The player’s ability to attack has been decent, with a fair number of expected goal contributions, and he ranks fairly in terms of dribbles and touches in the penalty box per 90 minutes. He ranks well in terms of passing as well. He has great positional awareness and makes movements into dangerous areas in order to build efficient attacking threats.
Attacking abilities
Sylla likes to play penetrative football through the flanks. He attempts 2.78 dribbles per match, with 56.3% of them being successful. Most of his action is in the flanks in the middle and final third of the pitch. His confidence and ability to make progress up the pitch are what make him worth more and are one of the reasons behind his success. He averages 2.95 progressive runs per match and makes penetrating carries into the penalty area, averaging 0.93 touches in the opponent’s penalty area. Additionally, he moves the ball around often, making 44.31 passes per 90 with 78.7% accuracy.
Defensive contributions
The above viz shows the defensive territory and various high regains of the player for Toulouse in Ligue 1 2022/23. It indicates that the player is involved in a lot of defensive actions in the defensive third and makes interceptions near the defensive and middle thirds. It can be observed that he has given up a few fouls and has averaged 1.21 fouls in the current season. Overall, he has an average of 18.34 duels per 90 and a 47.6% win rate. The player averages 5.44 interceptions per 90 minutes and makes a lot of movement in the opposition’s half in order to put high pressure on the opposition’s midfield and final third. He makes 8.33 successful recoveries in the opposition’s half per 90.
Overall, Montpellier have made the move for Issiaga Sylla from Toulouse in order to strengthen their defensive options. Sylla is considered to be an experienced and reliable full-back who can provide defensive stability, as well as the ability to get forward and contribute in attack. He also has the ability to play on either side of the pitch, which makes him a valuable asset for Montpellier as they look to solidify their backline. Overall, this represents a good move for Montpellier as they look to improve their defensive capabilities and compete for a place in the top half of the table.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
