Johan Vasquez – UNAM Pumas’ tigerish centre-back
Left-sided centre-back is a blue-chip position in football as right-sided centre-backs will normally be tasked with playing in the position but for UNAM Pumas, you have the rare instance that a left-sided centre-back playing in the right sided centre-back position. 22-year-old, Johan Vasquez was on the books for Rayados as the club communicated to him that he would have to look elsewhere for regular first-team football. UNAM Pumas and Rayados struck an agreement that would allow Vasquez to gain experience in Mexico City for the university club while Pumas and Rayados would each hold 50% of his rights. He has been an exemplary centre-back for two years as Real Betis and Sevilla have shown an interest in him.
Sevilla’s Monchi could be interested him due to the fact that for the past two Liga MX tournaments, he has led the league in ball recoveries on the ground and in the air despite not playing at his best position while it is possible to project him being more efficient in and out of possession if he is deployed as left-sided centre-back. Argentine centre-back, Nicolas Freire has taken a hold of the left-sided centre-back position with Vasquez shunted to the right as until recently, he struggled with playing the ball. He would struggle to re-set his feet and angle his body to play accurate line-breaking passes as he mostly distributed the ball to his right-back, Alan Mozo while his long-range distribution also suffered as he would play inaccurately lobbed passes forward causing his side to lose possession.
In a 3-0 thrashing of Xolos, he looked very strong as he used his anticipation in pushing up and making challenges to regain possession while he could also regain possession in a deeper block as he then shifted to the left side of defence to aid Pumas’ build-up play with passes in between the lines. Pumas would work a clever free-kick routine which would lead to Vasquez lobbing a ball to Carlos Gonzalez at the back-post to head past the keeper to open the scoring. In another dominant 4-1 victory for Pumas against Puebla, he proved his potential as a threat in the opposition box when he scored his side’s third goal as his partner Freire rose highest to have a header from a corner saved before the 22-year-old was on hand to tap-in the rebound. However, he was not comfortable passing with his weaker right foot but had some moments to prove that he could be a high-level left-sided centre-back as in one situation, he spun out of pressure to drive the ball forward with his left foot.
He then threaded a pass with his left foot to Juan Dinneno who had dropped into the ten space to receive possession at the end of the first-half. He continued to show a willingness to pass with both feet even though he was not particularly comfortable, but he continued to have bright moments in possession, especially when he used his directional first touch to beat an attacker before swivelling and passing to a teammate. Despite being uncomfortable on the right side of defence, he managed to finish the game with an 89% pass succession rate with 1 goal and 4 interceptions. In a 3-0 victory against Mazatlan in January, he continued to misplace passes as he had an awkward angle and body shape when releasing the ball. He tried to remedy this issue by driving the ball towards the left in order to be in a more comfortable position before releasing the ball. This never really resolved the issue as he mainly played passes to Erik Lira in the six-space.
There is a beauty in the diligence with which he approaches the defensive side of the game, as at home to Atlas, he made a brilliant challenge to end an opposition counter-attack. He can also use his body to regain possession as he can push forward and nudge attackers off the ball to regain possession while he wins a large amount of 50/50 challenges with his natural strength. Vasquez can be a high-level defender in holding a high line and using his anticipation to push forward and regain possession as well as winning possession in a deeper block as he has a sense of calm in defending last ditch situations in his own box. In this game, he had a low pass succession rate, but he also made 6 interceptions as well as 8 ball recoveries while he proved to be crucial in covering for Carlos Gutierrez who was a winger deputising at right-back.
Away to Necaxa, he continued to struggle as it seemed, Mozo at right-back was reluctant to pass to him under pressure as he struggled when Erik Lira in the six-space moved to the opposite flank leaving him with no central passing options in the next line. He played simple passes to Mozo and Freire as this allowed him to grow in confidence with the ball at his feet, threading passes through the lines to Juan Pablo Vigon as well as Gabriel Torres. There was a sequence where Lira dropped in between the centre-backs as this allowed Vasquez to drive the ball forward and thread a pass to Gutierrez in the half-space for the winger to lay a pass off to him as he attempted to switch a pass in behind for Sebastian Saucedo which rolled into the arms of the opposition goalkeeper. Vasquez’ habit of pushing up to regain possession is one of his finer traits but requires a lot of risk as he missed a few balls against Necaxa as Freire and Mozo had to tuck inside to cover for him.
His confidence in possession continued to rise as in one sequence, he received possession, swivelled and threaded a pass to Lira in the six-space. In his most recent match, in a 0-0 draw with Tigres, he showed an improvement with his distribution. He began the game by pushing the ball forward to spray a pass to the left flank with his left foot before he received possession to thread a pass in between the lines. He then pushed up to regain possession before heading away a knock-on inside his own penalty area. The 22-year-old would thread a pass in between the lines before playing another progressive pass when he received the ball as he was no longer looking for simple passes to Lira in the six-space and Mozo at right-back but looking to push his side forward. He would use his anticipation to regain possession again in the opposition half before the ball bobbled to Gutierrez who angled a perfect cross to Dinneno who mis-kicked. He initiated a brilliant move in build-up when he played the ball to Lira who laid-off to Freire for a pass to the ten space as the ball was spread for a cross to Gutierrez who had his first shot saved before squaring a cross for Dinneno to fire over.
Playing on the right side of defence has greatly limited Vasquez’ ability in possession as European clubs may see him as an undervalued asset due to his high-level defensive ability and the fact that he was not playing in his strongest position. He has led ball recovery statistics in the last two Liga MX editions as he is strong in the air. He is fearless in making crucial last-ditch blocks in his own box lunging in front of shots to make tackles as well as also distracting strikers to send shots away from goal. He has also shown the ability to thread passes through the lines with his left foot as his ability in possession would make a drastic improvement in possession if he plays from the left-sided centre-back role. A €5 million fee has been touted which would be a steal on the market considering his potential and age.
“I don't consider myself a kid and I think nobody in this institution sees me like that. Although I am 22 years old, a year and a half ago I did not have the minutes that I do now or the hierarchy. (I contribute to the) Convey confidence and security below if my forwards or midfielders may not have a good game, that they keep trying and that they do not see me as a boy, I have earned it, I have transmitted it on the field; and help the youngest, not to back down, " said Johan Vasquez at a press conference earlier this year.
Vasquez has earned interest from both sides in Seville while he will continue to accrue interest towards the end of the season and when he emerges as a key player for the Mexican U23 side at the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo. It is crucial that he moves to a club that will deploy him as a left-sided centre-back as his ability in possession will drastically improve while he will maintain his ability defensively. At a reported fee of €5 million, he will provide the opportunity for a steal in what could be a depressed market as well as giving his team resale value as he only turns 23 later this year.
