Lorient have added Jean-Victor Makengo to their midfield in order to strengthen their squad and add quality to their midfield line. Makengo is a talented young midfielder who has been playing for Serie A side Udinese since 2020. He has made over 60 appearances for the club and has proven to be a consistent player in the middle of the park. He is a versatile player who can play both defensive and attacking roles in midfield and has a good ability to move the ball around. With his addition, Lorient will be hoping to build on their current success and challenge for a place in the top half of the Ligue 1 table. Below, we look at some of the stats for the player from the current season.
Overall performance
Makengo usually plays as a left-central midfielder. The viz above shows the percentile rank of the player’s stats compared to other midfielders in Serie A for the 2022–23 season. He has played 16 matches for his club and has performed extremely well in terms of his defensive performance. He also fares well when it comes to maintaining possession and making accurate passes. He has also managed to find success in dribbling and has a good sense of positioning.
Passing and progressive gameplay
Makengo is a midfielder who adds strength to the left flank. His ability to maintain possession and provide a good supply of passes makes him valuable. The above viz shows the passes made by Makengo in the current season. The player makes 32.35 passes on average per 90, with a completion rate of 86.5%. It can be seen that he makes many forward passes, averaging 9.08 per match, and makes 3.21 passes to the final third per 90 minutes, next to 1.34 passes into the penalty area.
Makengo likes to play football through the middle of the pitch, and he uses the middle third to create most of the danger. He attempts 3.01 dribbles per match, with 72.4% of them being successful. Most of his action is in the middle and final third of the pitch. His confidence and ability to advance the ball are what make him worth more and are one of the reasons behind his success. The player has an average of 0.93 touches in the penalty area per 90. Additionally, he makes 1.35 progressive runs on average along with 0.73 crosses per 90 minutes.
Defensive contributions
The above viz shows the defensive territory and various high regains of the player in Serie A 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 0.83 fouls in the current season. Overall, he has an average of 14.27 duels per 90 and a 45.6% win rate. Makengo averages 3.69 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 8.54 successful recoveries in the opposition’s half per 90.
Makengo vs Innocent
Makengo would most likely replace Innocent at Lorient. The above viz is a comparison between both players. It can be seen that Makengo is performing better in departments such as aerial duels won, defensive duels, xG contribution, shots, and dribbles. Innocent has the upper hand in terms of positioning. Makengo is making more progressive passes per 90 compared to Innocent. Overall, Makengo will provide much-needed defensive strength for Lorient on the pitch.
Overall, Lorient have added Jean Victor Makengo to their midfield in order to add more depth and experience to the squad. Makengo is a talented midfielder who has a lot of experience playing in Italy. He will provide a physical presence in the midfield and be able to link play with the attack. He is also a player who can stop opposition attacks due to his defensive strengths and ability to win duels. It remains to be seen how he performs in France, but the player comes with high expectations.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
