Joško Gvardiol: World Cup One to Watch
Excitement is starting to build all over the world of football as the 2022 FIFA World Cup is mere days away.
For the players, such huge tournaments are the biggest stages they can get to showcase their talents. Nowhere does this ring truer than for under-23 talents.
Therefore, we will be taking a look at a number of young talents who are primed to impress in Qatar this winter.
Today Ollie Spencer joins us to discuss Joško Gvardiol.
German outfit RasenBallsport Leipzig - more commonly known as RB Leipzig - have caught the attention of football fans following their surge into the Bundesliga and the bright lights of elite European competition.
This meteoric and artificial rise has been the subject of detailed analysis and widespread criticism, but purely on the pitch, it’s hard not to acknowledge their exciting brand of football and impressive recruitment.
The side from East Germany have propelled the glittering and promising careers of stars such as Joshua Kimmich, Dayot Upamecano, Christopher Nkunku, Timo Werner, and a certain Croatian international who is the focus of today’s analysis.
20-year-old Joško Gvardiol is by no means a name who has flown under the radar - with summer interest from FC Chelsea thrusting him into the spotlight - but he is indeed a player who, when discussing exciting talents who could light up this winter’s World Cup in Qatar, has perhaps drifted under the initial conversation.
Recently placing sixth in the Ballon d'Or Kopa Trophy for the best young player, Gvardiol’s qualities are being widely recognized and he has earned respect from pundits, fans, and players alike. His national team captain and 2018 Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modrić even voted Gvardiol second for the Kopa Trophy which was awarded earlier this month.
Initially, in his early years of development, Gvardiol was deployed as a left-back or central midfielder until Dinamo Zagreb under 15s coach Dalibor Poldrugac converted him into the aggressive, ball-playing center-back that we know him to be today.
The same youth coach, Poldrugac, made the bold statement that: “If he’s not a regular for the Croatia senior squad by the time he’s 20, someone should go to jail for it,” a prediction that has since come to fruition.
Gvardiol played all four of Croatia’s games at the Euros as a left-back in a flat-back four, and with the impressive trajectory of his development since then, he is almost certain to be a regular starter next month in Qatar.
For his club side Leipzig he predominantly performs a more specific role on the left side of a back three, although having already played under four different managers since joining the Bundesliga side, he has demonstrated a remarkable and impressive versatility.
Gvardiol, as the below pie chart shows, has been deployed in as many positions as bosses he has had for his club. The chart uses data from matches he has started for both his club and country since the start of the 2021/22 season.
Alongside his impressive versatility, Gvardiol is also an impressive and imposing defensive presence.
Despite finishing fourth last year in the Bundesliga, RB Leipzig conceded the fewest goals in the division (25). Gvardiol was at the heart of this stellar defence, playing 29 of the 34 possible Bundesliga games at an average of 83 minutes per game.