Ludovic Blas is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club Nantes. He has made 26 appearances in Ligue 1 already this season for Les Canaris, scoring six goals and registering two assists. He has also been involved in Nantes’ Europa League campaign, making eight European appearances and scoring three goals and registering three assists. The player recently decided to stay at Nantes so that he can be involved in their Europa League play-off fixture against Juventus. Blas is a technically gifted winger known for his close control in the smallest of spaces and ability to take on 1v1s and break free from defenders. With Nantes currently out of the Europa League, their only hopes for redemption are in Ligue 1, where they currently sit in 14th place, only six points clear of relegation. Surely, it is not going right for the club this season, and they will hope to survive the season. Below are some stats from the current season to assess Ludovic Blas’ contributions to Nantes.
Ludovic Blas has made 26 Ligue 1 appearances this season and was subbed on in four of them. The winger is a threat on the flank with his ability to beat 1v1 situations with his dribbles and his affinity to deliver crosses. A left-footed player, he prefers playing on the right flank, from where he likes to cut inside and shoot. The above viz shows the percentile rank of the player’s stats compared to other right-wingers in Ligue 1 in 2022–2033. Ludovic Blas has done excellently in the attacking department, and his ability to retain and pass the ball has also been decent. His defensive indicators show that he contests a good amount of defensive duels, but his overall defensive contribution is low.
Attacking contributions
Ludovic Blas has netted six times for Nantes in Ligue 1 2022-23, with two coming from the penalty spot. He has also scored three goals for Nantes in the Europa League, one of which was against Juventus in a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the playoffs.
He averages 3.05 shots in Ligue 1, has 34% accuracy, and has an average xG of 0.22. Whereas he takes 2.97 shots in the Europa League with 45.8% accuracy.
Overall, he has taken a total of 93 shots for Nantes in the two competitions managing to find the target 33 times. He has an overall xG of 6.19 for Nantes and averages 0.07 xG per shot. The shot map shows that most of the attempts came from the right side of the pitch. He can penetrate the penalty box and has scored most of his goals from close range, with a few coming from the edge of the box. The player has also shown the ability to shoot from a distance.
In addition to netting goals, the 24-year-old has the mindset to create scoring opportunities for others. The above viz shows the shot assists delivered by Blas in the current Ligue 1 and Europa League campaign. He has recorded five assists thus far with an xA value of 4.62. It can be observed that some of the key passes are directed into the penalty box, while the others have been a few layoffs and crosses from the final third. Currently, Blas averages 0.37 shot assists per 90 minutes in Europe and 0.08 shot assists in Ligue 1.
As a wide forward, one of the Frenchman’s main responsibilities is to stretch the opposition to create spaces for his team to attack. He advances with the ball into dangerous areas on the left side by performing successful dribbles and making progressive runs from the final and middle thirds. On average, he attempts 6.89 dribbles per match (a 47% success rate) along with 2.59 progressive runs. He also does well at delivering crosses into the penalty box (1.96 per match), but his accuracy of 27% can improve.
He can carry the ball effectively and penetrate opposition lines. He performs ball-carrying actions mostly from the final third, helping his team by stretching the play and creating spaces to attack. The winger has made 77 penetrating carries into the penalty box thus far, particularly from the right side. He also averages 2.17 touches in the penalty area per 90 minutes. By performing these actions, the 25-year-old creates chances for others as well as getting into scoring positions himself.
Contributions in the last two seasons
Looking at his numbers in Ligue 1, Ludovic Blas has scored a total of 15 goals from open play and has been successful in all five penalties taken in the last two seasons in Ligue 1. He scored most of his goals by getting into dangerous areas in front of the goal and took a total of 152 shots in order to find the back of the net 20 times (14.45 non-penalty xG). Additionally, his ability to assist has also come in handy for Nantes, as the player has provided a total of eight assists in the last two seasons in Ligue 1. He has provided a variety of passes in the form of assists and shot assists, having contributed to dangerous cutbacks, through passes, diagonal passes, and crosses into the box (4.98 xA).
Overall, Ludovic Blas has been a key figure in Nantes’ lineup over the past few seasons, and his contributions have surely helped the team make it to the European stages this season. Nantes have rolled out of the Europa League and are currently in a rough spot in Ligue 1. Maybe the contributions of Ludovic Blas helped the team survive, and it remains to be seen if the player stays with the French side in the upcoming future.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
