Andres Ferrari – Defensor Sporting’s talented young striker
Uruguay ‘s production line of strikers shows no sign of abating as when every talented young striker prepares for a move to Europe, another talented young striker in the country replaces them. Andres Ferrari is the next young striker from the country as he only made his debut in May this year against Deportivo Maldonado after being a lethal goal scorer for Defensor Sporting at U19 level. He is one of seven Defensor Sporting youth products in the last Uruguayan U20 squad as the 19-year-old could develop into one of the country’s better young strikers in 2023. His goal-scoring exploits were sharpened in the Uruguayan Cup as he finished as the top scorer with 4 goals, guiding Defensor Sporting to the trophy. The teenager has potential as he will need to build on this potential to become one of Uruguay’s top striker’s next season.
While being with the Uruguayan youth team, Uruguayan National Team Head Coach, Diego Alonso was leading the training session and took a liking to Ferrari, putting an arm around his shoulder and giving him the moniker ‘Toro’ meaning bull in Spanish. The 19-year-old’s size, ability to receive possession in between the lines and hold-up play while also being a threat in running in behind has given him the tools to develop into a high-level striker. Ferrari is the middle brother in his family as he signed his first professional contract with Defensor Sporting in 2021 and has been using the money to help his family while his father provides counsel, advising him to save his money.
As a striker, the 19-year-old already makes intelligent movements in the box, especially to the near post as he has the ability to finish with his head and with his feet. He has played on the flank and in the central spaces as he can receive possession, evade markers and drive the ball forward with his ball-carrying to create his own shooting opportunities. He can also create shooting opportunities by receiving possession in between the lines, working connections before moving into spaces in the box or making runs to receive possession to generate high quality opportunities on goal. Ferrari needs to better adjust to the physicality of the professional game, he does well to hold up possession and receive passes in between the lines but when he drives the ball at goal, he can be muscled out of possession. His touches in and around the box can also be erratic as he can be denied shooting opportunities in these situations while he will also need to fine-tune his finishing while being calmer in and around the box.
Away to Deportivo Maldonado, Ferrari received an early pass from Alan Maturro, holding off his man to control the ball and turn as he lost possession by pushing the ball too far forward. He received another early pass from the wide areas, taking a touch to evade his man before he was outmuscled before the 19-year-old had his first opportunity of the game, receiving a Matias Abaldo header to volley a shot over the bar. Ferrari received another deep vertical pass in between the lines to hold-up possession, spinning away from a challenge before laying off the ball to a teammate. Ferrari made an intelligent movement to the near post, stooping to receive a low cross as he ballooned the opportunity over the bar. Ferrari’s sense of double-movements and runs to the near post are highly developed but he will generate more high-quality opportunities once he gets in-sync with his teammates. He received possession in the nine-space to take a heavy first touch and lose possession.
Ferrari’s constant runs to the near post proved crucial as he made a run to the near post to have an opportunity blocked from a cross. With better service and better timing on his runs and movement, Ferrari will begin to score goals from runs to the near post as he is strong in the air while being a good striker of the ball with his feet. The 19-year-old received possession after a turnover, skipping past a defender to stride into the opposition half on the counter-attack, drawing markers before spreading a pass to Anderson Duarte who lost possession. Away to Progreso in the semi-final of the Uruguayan Cup, Ferrari was occupying positions on the left flank, central positions and in the deeper areas as he regained possession, skipping past a defender to send a strike over the bar from range.
Ferrari started the game by holding possession up and making runs into the channels as he received possession on the left flank, holding possession up before lobbing a pass over a defender to a teammate before tucking into the central spaces to receive possession and lay-off. He then received a deep pass in the nine-space to have a heavy first touch which denied him a shot on goal. The 19-year-old is still in the early stages of his development as a striker as he was making runs into the channels with double movements as in one sequence, he held his position in the centre, making a double movement to receive a cross and acrobatically volley over the bar. In a counter-attacking situation, he made a run into the channels to receive possession, playing the ball to a runner who was unable to get a shot away. Ferrari did a phenomenal job in holding up the ball, receiving possession with his back to goal, working a connection before chipping a pass to a teammate.
Away to Nacional in the Uruguayan Primera Division, he came off the bench as he had a moment that illustrated his movement, moving from the right flank and tucking into the nine-space as the player occupying the nine-space, moved wider and dropped deeper, for Ferrari to drop deeper as well, moving wider to raise his hand and make an intelligent run towards the centre of the box, positioning himself in between the centre-backs as he had a headed opportunity on goal but he was unable to get the purchase and direction on the ball. In the second-leg of the Uruguayan Cup, at home to Progreso, he illustrated his intelligence for movement once more as he was positioned on the left flank as when the ball was played to the left half-space, Ferrari made a movement to the central spaces before taking up a position at the near post as a cut-back was played to him but the delivery was played behind him.
Ferrari is an intriguing striker as his movement in the box is sharp, he can create opportunities for himself from combination play and movement sequences while he can also create shots for himself from dribbling sequences. The 19-year-old held off a marker to receive a high-ball, taking a brilliant first touch to control the ball and swivel past his marker as he drove into a pocket of space where he could have taken a shot, but he skipped past another defender, prodding past a third defender to drive into the box and lose possession. The Uruguayan striker won an aerial duel from an opposition goal-kick on the left flank, skipping past a defender to drive the ball forward before he was tackled. Ferrari then occupied the nine-space, making a movement to drop into space to receive a deep pass, gently laying off the ball to Duarte who had a shot blocked.
Ferrari then levelled the score for his team as a through ball was threaded into an attacker making a run in behind as the 19-year-old striker took up a good position at the top of the box to receive a cut-back and side-foot the ball into an empty net. The Defensor Sporting striker received a lobbed pass in the nine-space to head a flick-on for an attacker making a run in behind as the ball bobbled into the goalkeeper’s arm. During a counter-attacking situation, he received possession on the right flank, driving the ball into the centre, skipping past a defender as he surged into the box as he beat a second defender, but his touch was too heavy, and he lost possession. Ferrari exhibited his movement once more as he was positioned in the right half-space, dropping deep to receive possession before a switch ball was played to the right flank, Ferrari made a run to the near post, scanning as he made a run in between the two centre-backs for a cross that was caught by the goalkeeper.
Ferrari was holding the nine-space as he faked a run in behind before dropping deep to receive a vertical pass and attempt a one-touch pass in behind which was intercepted. The 19-year-old moved to the right flank to work a passing combination with Duarte for the striker to thread a pass for the attacker to receive possession in the channels. Ferrari then received possession just outside the box, playing a one-touch outside of the boot pass to a teammate before moving into space to receive a cut-back and fire home a one-touch finish with his weaker left foot. The 19-year-old regularly takes shots with his weaker left foot as well as his right foot as being able to finish with both feet makes him more dangerous as he can finish from a variety of angles and body shapes, especially with his frequent near post runs.
In the Copa Uruguay final against La Luz, Ferrari began the game playing through the middle before moving to the right flank as he received possession to hold the ball up before laying possession off to a teammate. He attempted a flick which was intercepted before holding the ball up and attempting a pass which was too heavy. When he moved to the wide areas, Ferrari did not have anybody to hold the ball up in the centre as the 19-year-old would move into the ten space as his overall hold-up play in tight spaces was disappointing. Ferrari made a run into the channels to retrieve a loose ball, skipping past a defender as he was holding onto the defender’s shirt and hauled him to the ground to concede a foul. The teenage striker flicked on a pass for Abaldo before receiving possession in between the lines to flick-on for a teammate. Duarte made a run in behind to square a cross which was diverted past the goalkeeper by an opposition defender as Ferrari was positioned behind the defender, in the perfect position to receive a cut-back as he forced the defender into a mistake.
Ferrari has the requisite tools to develop into a high-level striker as he can drop deep to receive possession in between the lines, using his strength to hold up the ball and connect play while he makes brilliant runs into the box. With more playing experience, he will create more opportunities for himself from combination play sequences in and around the box, connecting play before getting into good spaces to have high quality shooting opportunities on goal. The 19-year-old will need to improve his physicality to receive possession, turn and drive the ball forward to create his own shooting opportunities as he has immaculate close control but is bundled off the ball too easily. He can also receive possession in and around the box to evade one defender before getting a shot away. Ferrari’s bread and butter will be making runs to the near post to get on the end of low crossing situations to apply finishes as he is capable of finishing with both feet from a variety of angles. Aerially, his movement allows him to get into good areas in the box while his height and physical strength allows him to hold off defenders as he needs to improve at generating accuracy when redirecting deliveries with his head.
Ferrari has signed a contract that will keep him at Defensor Sporting until late 2024 as he needs at least another season in the Uruguayan Primera Division to develop as a goal scorer. He will need to earn the central striking role for an extended period of time, continue to gain experience in getting in-sync with his teammates while becoming a more reliable goal-scorer. Recently, young Uruguayan strikers have been able to bloom quickly and have quick upward trajectories as Ferrari is probably in a similar position to Thiago Borbas last season as he is not playing primarily through the middle but has shown the tools to develop into a well-rounded goal scorer. Midtylland would be a good landing spot for the young striker while Anderlecht, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, Antwerp and Genk would be good landing spots for him. In Portugale, Vizela, Vitoria, Rio Ave and Casa Pia would probably be good landing spots in the winter window of 2024. Ferrari will probably be the up and coming young striker to follow in 2023 as teams should look at signing a cheap and young striker in early to mid 2024.
