The addition of Julian Ryerson to Borussia Dortmund could provide several benefits to the club his experience and versatility in the full–back role would give them greater depth and quality in a critical area of the pitch. Julian Ryerson is a Norwegian professional footballer who joined as a right-back for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and plays for the Norway national team. In July 2018, Ryerson joined Bundesliga side Union Berlin, where he played a key role in their overall success in the Bundesliga. Looking at his impressive ability to go forward as well as Dortmund’s need for reinforcement, the January 2023 transfer window saw Dortmund announce the signing of Ryerson to replace the injured Thomas Meunier. We now look at some of his stats from the Bundesliga.
Julian Ryerson – last couple of seasons
The above pizza charts present his percentile rank versus other right-backs in Ligue 1 for 2022–23 and 2021–22, respectively. He appeared in 28 matches in the 2021/22 season for Union Berlin in their domestic campaign and was menacing in terms of going forward, having also scored two goals in the league. He has played 13 matches for Berlin in the current season and has a much higher rank in attacking departments than in the previous season. Julian Ryerson has shown significant improvement in winning defensive duels and has also bettered himself in terms of making dangerous passes.
Ryerson going forward
Julian Ryerson is a menace on the right as well as the left. His connection with his teammates is good, as he has linked up with the attack on numerous occasions. Based on the above viz for Ryerson’s winger actions in Ligue 1 2022/23, we can observe that he performs activities throughout the right flank and has plenty to show down the left as well. He is a successful dribbler and attempts 4.64 dribbles on average with a 61.8% completion rate. He averages 3.36 crosses per 90 minutes with 40% cross accuracy. He makes a lot of movement into the box from both flanks and has most of his success dribbling deep into the flanks.
Passes into the box
The above viz is a representation of the passes made by the player. It can be seen that most of his work rate is again on the right side of the defence and in the middle third of the pitch, with the occasional play on the left. The player makes 35.41 passes per 90 with 76.2% accuracy. Julian makes 4.52 passes into the final third on average. He possesses fine passing ability in terms of passes attempted and pass accuracy. The Norwegian also makes 3.05 passes into the penalty area per 90.
Defensive duties
The above viz shows the defensive territory of the 24-year-old Norwegian’s right back. It indicates that he is involved in a lot of defensive actions in the defensive and middle thirds. Being a fullback, he covers an entire flank of the field in terms of his defensive territory. He has a win percentage of 59.3% for defensive duels and 50% for aerial duels per 90 minutes. He also makes interceptions inside the box as well as in his defensive third. Julian makes 4.58 interceptions and 8.73 recoveries per match.
The Norwegian player’s versatile nature is seen in all his visuals in terms of his ability to play on both flanks and give an impressive performance on the pitch.
In for the injured
The above radar compares Ryerson and Meunier for Union Berlin and Dortmund, respectively. It can be seen that both the players are like for like in their characteristics and overall stats. In terms of numbers, Julian does better at winning defensive duels and going forward in attack as compared to Meunier, who is better in terms of overall possession stats. All in all, Ryerson is the perfect replacement for the injured right back for Borussia Dortmund.
Overall, Julian Ryerson is a composed and intelligent defender who is comfortable in possession and is adept at providing accurate passes in the final third. As such, his presence could help to make Dortmund‘s back line more secure while also providing them with an additional attacking threat. Ryerson‘s ability to deliver dangerous crosses into the box would offer Dortmund an invaluable asset in the attacking third. He is a versatile player and will be a good asset for the German side.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
