The 2022-23 season was an unforgettable one for Union Berlin. After finishing fourth in the Bundesliga table, the German club made it to the UEFA Champions League. They faced the likes of Real Madrid in the elite competition. Despite making it to the big stage, the German clubs struggled to compete in the league at the start of the season. They were sitting bottom of the league standings after a poor start to the season. With time the team recovered and started to move up in the league table.
The German club was involved in a few transfer deals in January. They sold some of their players and recruited a few to strengthen the team. Union were struggling to score goals. This forced them to buy some fresh faces to lead the attack. The club decided to sign Belgian striker Yorbe Vertessen from PSV. The 23-year-old has struggled for some regular game time and moved to a team that could offer him more opportunities on the field. Union Berlin have moved out of the relegation zone and are heading to safety. Let’s take a look at what this youngster has added to this Union Berlin side.
Impressive start in the 2023-24 season
The Belgian made 26 appearances for PSV in the 2023-24 season and spent only 812 minutes on the field. He played on the left flank on most occasions for his side. The above progressive runs graph shows that the youngster likes to penetrate the opposition penalty box with his runs. He averaged 5.1 progressive runs per 90 minutes and completed 64.2% of his dribbles.
In addition to this, the youngster scored four goals and created two more. At an average of 2.77 shots per 90 minutes, Yorbe attempted 25 shots. He had a 36% accuracy rate.
Yorbe Vertessen’s sudden impact at Berlin
Yorbe Vertessen is settling well into his new team. He is not a regular starter but has made regular appearances for the Bundesliga club. The striker has spent 328 minutes on the field. He likes to cover areas in the final third and averages around four touches inside the opposition penalty box per 90 minutes.
The striker netted his first goal of the season against Werder Bremen before the international break. It took him 12 shots to score his first goal. Vertessen averages around 3.3 shots per 90 minutes and 41.7% of these shots were on target. Most of his shots have been attempted from the left side.
In addition to his one goal, he has two assists. A crucial assist in a 1-0 win over Hoffenheim was followed by another one against Werder Bremen in a match-winning performance. The forward has created four shot assist chances and most of them have landed in the centre of the penalty box.
Yorbe Vertessen’s match-winning performance before the international break is the reason why he is so highly rated. He is scoring goals and creating a few for his team. Union Berlin will hope that he settles well in the team this season and makes an impact in his first full season at the club.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine