Under the microscope: How this young Luxembourg midfield talent has settled into Mainz midfield

Leandro Barreiro is a Luxembourgish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Bundesliga club Mainz and the Luxembourg national team. He is 23 years old and a product of the Luxembourg youth setup. He has played 21 matches for Mainz this season and has been involved in four goals. He has the ability to win duels in the midfield, and his contributions on the pitch have helped Mainz move up to seventh in the Bundesliga standings. He is playing his fourth full season in the German top flight and has plenty of experience at such a young age. His side have picked up the pace in recent times, having won four of their last five matches. Below, we look at some of his stats from the current Bundesliga campaign.

The above viz shows the percentile rank of the player’s stats compared to other right-midfielders in the Bundesliga. It can be observed that Leandro has performed well in attack and defence with respect to metrics like shots, expected goal contribution, defensive duels won, and aerial duels contested. Besides playing an important role in going forward, he also contributes defensively, but his gameplay in possession can be better, as indicated by his low rank in that department. One of the key highlights is his ability to penetrate the opponent’s penalty area.

The 23-year-old scored the last time out in a 1-0 win over Hoffenheim overall, netting two from 18 shots (3.23 xG). The shot map shows that most of the attempts come inside the penalty box. He averages 1.11 shots per 90 minutes, with an accuracy rate of 50%. He has had three of his shots blocked and has attempted nine on target, all from close range. Additionally, with two assists this season, he has an overall xA of 0.86. The second viz for shot assists shows that one assist is a pass into the box and the other is a pass in front of the goal. Leandro Barreiro averages 0.92 passes into the box with 33.3% accuracy.

Creative attributes

A young and energetic player, Leandro can carry the ball effectively and penetrate opposition lines. He performs the task of moving the ball in the midfield. His ability to advance forward through actions like dribbles and progressive runs creates spaces for his teammates to attack. He advances the ball into dangerous areas by performing these actions successfully in the final and middle thirds. On average, he attempts 1.35 dribbles per match with a 68.2% success rate, along with 0.25 progressive runs.

He performs ball-carrying actions mostly from the final third, helping his team by stretching the play and creating spaces for his teammates. The young forward has made 21 penetrating carries into the penalty box thus far, particularly from central positions. On average, he receives around 12.62 passes from teammates and gets 2.22 touches in the penalty area.

The viz above shows Leandro Barreiro’s average defensive territory from the current season. He positions himself near the half-line and tries to contribute defensively in the middle of the park, as evidenced by the numerous defensive actions he performs. Leandro has given up a few fouls in the middle third and averages 1.66 fouls per match. On average, he contests 7.02 defensive duels and 4.19 aerial duels, with win rates of 67.5% and 41.2%, respectively. He puts pressure on the opposition’s midfield region and final third and also drops down into the defensive third to make defensive contributions. Overall, Sylla makes 4.99 interceptions per match, including a few inside his own box, and has given away a penalty in the process.

Playing as a midfielder, Leandro Barreiro has created a decent amount of scoring opportunities for his teammates. In the last three seasons, he has provided five assists for Mainz in the Bundesliga, for a total xA value of 2.1. From the viz above, it can be observed that his shot assists have come in the form of progressive passes and cutbacks. He has the ability to read the game and make passes into half-spaces.

Overall, Leandro Barreiro has become an important player for Mainz. He is a versatile midfielder with box-to-box qualities. He makes important contributions while moving forward in the attacking phase and also helps his team out of possession with a strong set of defensive attributes. Mainz will expect the same levels of performance from their young Luxembourg talent for the rest of the season as they look to make it a successful campaign by securing a high finish.