The Bundesliga has always produced talented players, and one of the most recent to catch Europe’s attention is the 21-year-old Kouadio Kone. Kone, who plays for Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga, has clubs waiting in line to sign him. With his defensive prowess, passing range, dribbles, and awareness, Kone has bossed the midfield for Monchengladbach. The Frenchman, who joined Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer of 2021, has put in a solid performance for them and has cemented his place in the starting lineup. Therefore, we take a look at his stats to understand why clubs across Europe want to sign the 21-year-old midfielder.
Performance this season
Kouadio Kone has played 14 matches for Borussia Monchengladbach this season, starting all of them. He has one goal and an assist to his name in the Bundesliga and has been an important part of Monchengladbach’s midfield.
The above visual shows Kouadio Kone’s percentile rank compared to other left-defensive midfielders in the Bundesliga. As we can observe from the pizza chart, he is ranked in the top 93.9 percentile for dribbles per 90 compared to other left-defensive midfielders. Kone has decent passing stats and is ranked in the top 66.6 percentile for accurate passes and progressive passes per game. Defensively, Kone puts up a good show as well. He has decent stats when it comes to defensive and aerial duels.
Defensive side
The above visual shows Kouadio Kone’s defensive territory. He stays on the left side of the midfield and controls the game with his incisive passing and timely interceptions. Strongly built, Kone makes around 8.12 defensive duels per game with a success rate of 62.9%. His physical strength combined with his footballing brain makes it hard for players to go past him. Kone also makes around 1.47 aerial duels per game with a success rate of 57.1%. The 21-year-old’s ability to anticipate and intercept passes is another reason why clubs want him on their side. He makes around 3.43 interceptions per game and is a real game-changer for Monchengladbach.
Despite being a defensive midfielder, he gets forward to press and regain possession. The visual above shows the high regains Kouadio Kone has made this season. He has recovered the ball plenty of times in the attacking half, with 16 high regains, 21 counter-pressing recoveries, and five dangerous recoveries. Kone makes an average of 8.26 recoveries per game, with 37.3% of them in the attacking half. These recoveries help the team launch a quick counter, and with the likes of Marcus Thuram in front, they give Monchengladbach an advantage.
Passing
The two visuals above show Kouadio Kone’s pass map from the previous and current seasons. Last season, he had a passing accuracy of 88.5% and made around 45.33 passes per game. Furthermore, he averaged 4.66 passes into the final third with a 78.9% accuracy.
Compared to last season, his passing stats have fluctuated a bit. His passing accuracy has come down to 86.6%, while the passes he makes per game have dropped to 43.5. However, this season, he has tried to attack more and has played an average of 5.95 passes into the final third with an accuracy of 76.5%.
The above visual compares the radars of Kouadio Kone and Leon Goretzka. Both players play as left-defensive midfielders for their respective clubs and are important pieces of the puzzle. Leon Goretzka, with his experience and skills, has better stats in almost every aspect barring defensive duels per 90, accurate passing, and dribbles per 90 minutes. Both defensive midfielders are strong players capable of making the lives of attackers hard.
Betting Analysis
Looking at the 1×2 market, the odds for Borussia Monchengladbach are more likely to decrease a bit with the inclusion of Kouadio Kone in the midfield. His strong presence in the midfield makes it difficult for attackers to build through the centre. As a result, underlines are expected to thrive more.
Kouadio Kone has, at 21, managed to hold Borussia Monchengladbach’s midfield. His ability to anticipate play and intercept passes is exceptional, making him one of the best defensive midfielders in the Bundesliga. His performances have not gone unnoticed, as big clubs have kept tabs on him and are closely watching his progress. Whether Kouadio Kone will leave if a better offer arrives or not is still unclear, but there is no lack of clarity in the fact that he is one of Monchengladbach’s best players at the moment.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
