Cluster 12- Engines
Where We Left Off:
Engines: What makes them different?
Engines are the tempo setters: the heart of a team, steadily beating and always in control. Most of them are not great goal-scorers so their contributions can sometimes be undervalued, but these players can do it all. They are excellent passers, ranking 1st among clusters in progressive passes and passes into the final third per 90, and 2nd in pass completion% per 90. They are creative (though not quite as creative as their midfield counterparts, creative mids), ranking 3rd among clusters in shot-creating actions per 90 and 5th among clusters in key passes per 90. They do all of this whilst being the most involved attacking player on their respective teams, ranking 2nd amongst clusters and 1st among midfielders and forwards in passes completed and touches per 90. Finally, they are no slouches on defense either. Most cluster 12 players are excellent at winning tackles and successfully pressing as well. Arguably the most complete players among clusters, engines truly dictate how any given game is played.
Disclaimer
All the statistics used (and their description) can be found on fbref. Keep in mind that specific players’ key stats and age may have changed slightly since the writing (not publishing) of this article. If you are subscribed to the newsletter and the email isn’t reaching your inbox, you may want to add my substack email (davidsajdak@substack.com) as a contact to prevent it from going to spam or promotions.
Strengths:
progressive passes per 90 (1)
passes into final 3rd per 90 (1)
shot-creating actions per 90 (3)
key passes per 90 (5)
progressive carries per 90 (3)
pass completion% (2)
passes completed per 90 (2)
touches per 90 (2)
successful pressures per 90 (3)
tackles won per 90 (3)
Weaknesses:
npG per 90 (10)
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Notable Cluster 12 Players
Joshua Kimmich
Team: Bayern Munich
FBREF Position: DM-FB (Midfielder)
Key Stats:
Luka Modric
Team: Real Madrid CF
FBREF Position: AM-CM-DM (Midfielder)
Key Stats:
Marco Verratti
Team: Paris Saint-Germain FC
FBREF Position: CM (Midfielder)
Key Stats:
Notable Young Talents (u23)
Manuel Locatelli
Team: Juventus FC
FBREF Position: CM-DM (Midfielder)
Age: 23
Key Stats: