Marcelo Morales – Universidad de Chile's commanding left-back

Universidad de Chile have experienced tough times of late as they had to wait till the final day of last season to secure safety which led to raucous celebrations from their fan-base. They hired a new Director of Football in Ecuadorian Luis Roggerio who masterminded the Independiente Del Valle project as he hired Santiago Escobar as both have been sacked as one of Chile’s historic giants will have to start anew mid-season. However, to the delight of fans, their academy are produced highly talented young players, one of which is Marcelo Morales who made his debut at 17 and has experienced peaks and troughs before turning 19 at the beginning of last month.

Morales who is affectionately known as ‘Shelo’ is a ball-playing left-back in the modern-day mould, not known for his constant overlapping runs but his specialty is receiving possession in the build-up phase and manoeuvring past opposition attackers with penetrative passes or deft dribbles to drive the ball into the central spaces. The 19-year-old prefers to occupy the central spaces, receiving possession in the left half-space as an auxiliary midfielder, working connections with his teammates before making timed overlapping runs to the flank where he can wrap his foot around crosses and curl perfectly weighted deliveries onto the head of attackers. Where Morales struggles is with the mobility of the position as the defensive side of his game is all about positioning as he is a tigerish defensive operator when he can close down attackers at the moment they receive possession, but he struggles with defending 1v1s, especially against some of the better dribblers in Chile while he has earned multiple red cards at such an early stage of his career.

Last year in July, at home to Universidad de Catolica, he was good in the challenge defensively while playing some lovely in swinging crosses into the box in the opposition half as he had a cross from the deeper areas which was headed away by an opposition defender before he played another delivery into the box for an attacker at the back-post to lash a strike across the face of goal. He was astute at regaining possession on his flank, rarely allowing an opposition winger to beat him in 1v1s as he forced Jose Fuenzalida into some early and rash crosses with tight marking in some situations as at such a young age, he is already physically developed and loves to dive into challenges. However, he was caught out a few times with the opposition’s wide combinations as defensively, he prefers to remain touch tight to his marker, denying them space and looking to regain possession at the moment they receive the ball.

In possession, he loves to weave into the centre as he executed one of these mazy runs into the centre after evading his marker as he beat his marker but lost possession to the second attacker. This did not affect his confidence as he evaded his marker once more to drive into the centre and play a line-breaking pass to the nine-space. Morales then won possession at the back-post once more before blocking a shot on the rebound before he would have the opportunity to participate in the opposition half, receiving possession in the wide areas to launch a wonderful cross to the back post for Joaquin Larrivey to move in front of his marker and execute a simple tap-in. In a counter-pressing situation, the 19-year-old left-back would quell a counter-attack with a magnificent sliding challenge as he can cover smaller spaces but struggles with covering larger areas on the pitch. Morales also has a fiery character as he was one of the youngest players on the pitch, but this did not stop him from running to the opposite flank to get into a dispute with an opposition player after one of his teammate’s had been fouled. He finished the game with 1 chance created and 1 assist, 5 crosses with 2 on target as well as 3 tackles.

At home to Cobresal, Morales was tigerish in jumping into challenges as he won a 50/50 battle by diving into a challenge before he poked the ball away from an attacker who had his back turned to him. The 19-year-old was also taking free-kicks as his team were playing in a vertical 4-4-2 diamond formation as he was phenomenal in winning possession, hassling attackers while being focused and determined with his positioning. In possession, he worked a passing move where he moved into the centre before making an interception by pushing up to close a space. The teenage left-back received possession on the flank, cut past a defender onto his right foot and lofted a brilliantly directed cross that two strikers were unable to get on the end of as in some games, his defensive responsibilities are so arduous that he rarely has the opportunity to get on the overlap.

Away to Union Espanola, Morales would be returning from a suspension from a red card but the 19-year-old was involved in the early stages of the game, receiving possession to beat a man and play the ball into the wide areas before making a run into the half-space before veering out to the flank where he would receive possession as he evaded his marker to loft a cross into the box for Larrivey to apply the finish. These are the attacking interchanges where Morales thrives, working passing connections and moving in between the half-space and wide zone before moving into a position where he can have a high-quality crossing opportunity. With the lack of stability on the Universidad de Chile technical bench, he has not had the opportunity to properly hone these skills. He then made an interception before playing the ball forward as the teenager thrives in making tackles during the counter-pressing phase in the opposition half rather than defending in his own half as a few minutes earlier, he was beaten for pace in a 1v1 for an opposition winger to play a cross into the box.

He then made a tackle to regain possession on a Jonathan Villagra lobbed pass as Morales is more assured in 1v1 battles when he can hem his attacker into tight quarters and use his imposing physique to regain possession. He exhibited his ability as a dribbler and ball-carrier when he skipped out of a challenge before playing a pass down the line while he loves to work passing connections in the build-up phase and move into the half-space to receive possession and connect play from that area. The 19-year-old had a pass intercepted before receiving possession and working a long pass to the nine-space as he would work another pass to the central spaces. In the defensive phase, he is normally tucked inside as he lacks the pace to move to the flank efficiently during switching situations as he is unable to cover the space to make tackles or blocks as the defensive side of his game is highly reliant on positioning.

In the second-half, he won possession with a well-timed challenge as well as in an aerial duel as he showed his ability in winning possession when he is perfectly positioned, and his marker has a horrible first touch, allowing him to win possession with his physical ability. He is highly reliant on his positioning, so his lack of pace does not get exploited but he had a strong moment in a 1v1 when Juan Pablo Gomez attempted to take him to the by-line as Morales matched him stride for stride before lunging to make a block. The 19-year-old had been in those situations a few times and was unable to stop the cross as he is much more proficient when he can push up against an attacker and make a well-timed lunge to win a tackle. The left-back can also tuck into the central areas and make good runs off the ball, driving the ball inside to thread a pass to the nine-space before continuing his run past the striker but the return pass was intercepted for Morales to move to the half-space to receive possession. He received a switch ball to cut inside and thread a pass in between two players with his weaker right foot for a pass to Sandoval who applied the finish as Universidad de Chile took their third lead of the game. He went off with an injury, finishing the game with 1 chance created and 1 assist as well as 2/3 takeons.

At home to Colo Colo, the game was fiery and fast-paced, Morales was tucked inside and perfectly positioned to make an interception before closing down a cross in the wide areas. He was perfectly positioned once more to make an interception before making another tackle before driving forward with possession and playing a searching through ball in behind for Larrivey as the opposition defence swept up beautifully. He then controlled a switch ball to evade a marker before playing a deep pass into the centre as the teenager is a wonderful vertical passer, receiving another switch to play a penetrative pass into the centre. He repeated the trick when he received possession in the wide zone to work a pass into the centre before receiving possession once more in the half-space to play an outside of the boot pass forward. He was his team’s best player, receiving possession to play another penetrative vertical pass to the nine-space before he pushed up to win an aerial duel in the opposition half. In the build-up phase, his distribution is exemplary as he played a line-breaking pass into the midfield line from the left-back area.

The 19-year-old would concede a silly foul by lunging in on a challenge but in possession, he lobbed a pass into the channels to start an attacking move before tucking inside to regain possession in the counter-press which led to another opportunity being created. His defensive shortcomings would rear their ugly head again with the fullback tucking too far inside to track a man as he left a space open on the flank as he was beaten by an attacker who had a shot on goal. He also made a good recovery to regain possession after being caught in a higher area as his team were now playing with 10 men. Morales would serve another suspension after another red card in another game as he would return in the next month against Audax Italiano. He began the game by pushing up to regain possession as he was beaten while being unable to get back into position as his lack of pace also means that he is unable to cover the large swathes of space on the flank and needs cover when he pushes up.

Morales threaded another pass to the nine-space before pushing up to receive possession as he was unable to work a connection but his distribution from the left-back area was sublime, constantly playing well-weighted through balls in behind while he worked a one-two with a teammate before lobbing a pass to the nine-space. Defensively, he made a tackle on an opposition winger that tried to beat him on the outside before making another brilliant tackle to prevent a counter-attacking move. The 19-year-old received possession on the overlap before losing the ball trying to dribble past a defender as he reacted quickly to regain possession. The Universidad de Chile youth product took on a deflected corner to drive a shot into the side-netting before lobbing a pass into the channels which would lead to an opportunity being created.

In possession, Morales has the ability to connect play and generate high quality crossing opportunities in the final third as an inverted fullback but out of possession, he would thrive as an inverted fullback with the ability to cover smaller spaces to regain possession as he would be able to directly counter-press with someone defending him which will make him more proficient as a defender. He showed this when he regained possession with a nice tackle before he lobbed a pass to Pablo Aranguiz from his left-back position. Morales can also get too carried away with his challenges as this leads to him accruing yellow cards and red cards while when he is positioned well, he has the ability to regain possession as he exhibited this by making a block and tackle on the left flank. As an overlapping fullback, he can also be exposed after a turnover as the opposition are able to break as this is why it is crucial for him to play in a system where he has cover when he pushes forward and apply the counter-press directly. The 19-year-old finished the game with 5 crosses with 1 on target, 3 tackles and 8 ball recoveries.

At home to Palestino, he received possession to drive the ball into the centre and roll a pass down the line past two opposition attackers. Morales was unable to recover possession in the opposition half during the pressing phase but made a ball recovery when he was positioned correctly, making a tackle in the defensive phase as he also conceded a foul. The Chilean fullback found it difficult in 1v1s as he was beaten on his flank as his centre-back had to cover for him while he conceded a silly free-kick when an attacker drove by him for the 19-year-old to cynically shove him to the ground. Away to Melipilla, he would make a fantastic interception before being caught too narrow and missing a tackle when he was positioned in the central areas. He made a good tackle and interception to regain possession before receiving the ball in the central spaces, driving the ball to lob an accurate pass for a runner in the box.

Away to Cobresal, Morales managed to receive possession on the overlap as he had no crossing options at the near post or in the centre but managed to lob a cross to the back-post which went over the head of a teammate. He generated another crossing opportunity for himself after working connections before making an interception in the defensive phase. The 19-year-old then moved to a wing-back role where he was resolute in covering his marking responsibilities, making blocks and tackles as he was much more comfortable in moving to the wide areas to defend crosses. He was also integral in tucking inside to make interceptions as Morales would make a brilliant sliding tackle to shut down an opposition opportunity. The youngster worked a connection with a teammate before surging forward to angle a well-drilled cross into the box which none of his teammates were able to get on the end of.

Away to Universidad Catolica in April, Morales pushed up to make tackles as he showed more mobility than the previous year as he was still culpable for getting beaten and not having the recovery speed to contain his marker but with sound positioning, he was consistently forcing his attacker to play early passes. He was positioned perfectly to win an aerial duel in a switch ball situation before containing his marker to make a clean tackle by the by-line. He was caught out of position in one situation as his centre-back had to cover for him, but he also pushed forward to win an aerial duel and a tackle. In a 1v1 situation against Gonzalo Tapia, he stood his ground to regain possession and prevent the attacker from having a goalscoring opportunity. Morales loves to slow down attackers by closing down the space between him and his attacker before he receives possession, hemming him into tight quarters and not allowing the attacker to get into stride before making the tackle.

The 19-year-old created his team’s best chance when he worked a combination and moved into the half-space before making a run in behind to receive possession to lob an accurate cross to the back -post. At home to Palestino, Morales showed his ability as a ball-player, threading a pass to Lucas Assadi with his weaker right foot before making a run to receive possession on the flank to play a one-touch pass into the half-space. The 19-year-old was under pressure from two opposition attackers as he lobbed a delicate pass over them to an attacker in the half-space. He then worked a one-two with Dario Osorio to create a crossing opportunity before adjusting his body to play a brilliant pass in between the lines. The 19-year-old then received possession in the final third, nonchalantly rolling the ball past his marker before driving in between two defenders to cut-back a phenomenal cross to a teammate.

Away to Audax Italiano, Morales proved that he could be a more efficient distributor if he has direct passing options as he received possession, took a touch and played the ball to Osorio in the half-space. He managed to get on the overlap and play a wonderful cross to a teammate before the opposition broke on the counter as he was unable to get back into position. At home to Huachipato, the 19-year-old received possession on the flank to curl an accurate cross that landed on the head of Israel Poblete to head over the bar. He had a teammate tucking inside and covering for him which allowed to push forward and engage in the attacking positions, receiving possession, connecting play and getting into attacking positions. Morales was playing to his strengths, pushing up to win aerial duels with a higher focus on not putting him in 1v1 situations while he was much more comfortable in pushing out to make blocks as in one instance, he made an interception in a crossing situation to set his team on the counter.

The 19-year-old was more mobile in covering space and regaining possession on his flank as he was adept in closing down a shooting opportunity in one situation before chasing out wide to make a tackle. He also showed up in the middle of the pitch, connecting play and creating shooting opportunities as he received possession and spread the ball to Osorio on the right flank before receiving possession in the half-space to lob a well-curled cross into the box that nobody was able to get on the end of. Morales received possession in more advanced areas with better runs while in one situation, he won an aerial duel before playing a one-touch pass into the next line to evade pressure. The teenager finished the game with 3 crosses, 2 interceptions and 1 block.

Away to Nublense, he received possession near the left touchline after a turnover to thread a line-breaking pass into the half-space to instigate an attacking move. In a situation where a marker was closing down an opponent on the flank, allowing Morales to tuck inside and mark an opposition player in the centre, the 19-year-old had no problem in regaining possession with a clean tackle as he was brilliantly positioned to deny his attacker space. He then regained possession to take a touch play a brilliant pass down the line through pressure as he was perfectly positioned to make an interception before hustling to make a sliding challenge at the by-line. He was perfectly positioned once more to make an interception before lobbing a pass to a teammate to push his team forward on the counter. Away to Audax Italiano, he stretched to make another interception before receiving possession in the left-back zone to take a touch and work a pass into the half-space.  

Morales would take a throw-in before making a run to the flank to receive possession, drive past a man and drive a cross to the near post which was cleared. He received a cross from the deeper areas of the left flank to curl a delivery onto the forehead of an attacker who had a tame header saved. Away to Cobresal, the 19-year-old received possession on the left flank, skipping past a defender to hold off a second defender as he drove into the box to cut past a third defender and have a shot saved. The Chilean fullback played a penetrative pass to the ten space with his weaker right foot before sliding across as his winger received a switch ball, forcing his winger to cut inside as the defender made a wonderful block. After a turnover on the opposite flank, Morales would track back to make a well-timed interception before pushing forward to regain possession in the pressing phase.

Morales is in the top 25 players in Chile in crosses while being in the top 10 in accurate crossing percentage as the youngster could still be used in a much better fashion in the opposition half. The 19-year-old is in the top 20 dribblers in Chile as well as being in the top 10 in dribble success rate. For U23 players in Chile, he is in the top 10 in passes as the highest-ranking fullback in his age-group while he ranks in the top 15 in through balls, the top 5 in long passes, passes to the final third and general progressive passes as well as being in the top 15 in progressive runs. In general ball progression by passes, he ranks in the top 20 in under 23 players. In defensive duels for all players in the Chilean Primera Division, Morales ranks in the top 10, leading the league for U23s while for interceptions, he ranks in the top 15, leading the league for U23s in this metric. For aerial duels, he ranks in the top 20 for U23s as he is in the top 25 for all players for shots blocked in Chile.

At 19, Morales’ metrics and performances show the ability to be a fullback capable of operating in a variety of areas, but he is most comfortable as a ball-playing fullback, receiving possession in the wide zone with passing options in the half-space as he is capable of playing deep vertical passes to the nine-space with great regularity. In the opposition half, he is a great crosser and ball-carrier as this allows him to work connections before making timed and delayed movements into the wide zone to receive the ball and send crosses into the box. He is well-rounded as a crosser as he can cross with incredible accuracy from the deeper areas of the left flank, the higher wide zone, the by-line as well as the half-space as if he is played in a more central position, he can connect play, thread penetrative passes into space and create opportunities from a variety of areas. His runs on the overlap will need to be timed with efficiency as if possession is lost, he lacks the recovery speed to get back into position in a counter-attacking situation while he will need a midfielder to cover for him when he pushes forward.

Morales’ primary avenue for regaining possession is interceptions as the lack of consistency in the Head Coaching role at Universidad de Chile has meant that he has not been used to his full potential. If positioned well, he can win 1v1 situations, he can make well-timed interceptions while also being able to regain possession in the pressing and counter-pressing phase as he thrives at covering small spaces. If he is tucked inside too tightly and the opposition switch the ball to the flank, the 19-year-old will struggle as he must always be positioned in a fashion where he can close down the attacker quickly, use his physicality to close the space and win a clean challenge. A lot of his issues come with his recovery and in 1v1 situation as he has accrued a few red cards since his debut. It would be intriguing to see him play for a coach like Rodrigo Acosta who utilizes fullbacks as auxiliary midfielders or German Burgos who would help him develop his defensive instincts and awareness.

The key for Morales should be to find some stability in his football, especially with Universidad de Chile operating under a new coach as at 19, he has already played a lot of football and has experience. In Chile, teams regularly go from the bottom or mid-table to the higher reaches of the league through coaching changes with improved performances as Morales has a contract until 2024. Morales would be an ideal fit for Serie A where the fullbacks in possession-based football are more involved in the build-up phase, especially under a coach like Roberto De Zerbi or Francesco Farioli where fullbacks are positioned deeper and more centrally. Ajax would be a good fit, but they have a stylistically similar defender in Youri Baas while spending time at Familicao, Vizela or Santa Clara to improve his defensive aptitude would be crucial. Morales will be one of the few Universidad de Chile youngsters to watch going forward.