Breaking Down M’Baye Niang’s Qualities and Skill-Set
M’Baye Niang. Dazzling technical ability and creativity inside an NBA physique with Olympic sprinter athleticism.
Niang really is just like that. A center forward by trade, the French attacker has so much skill and natural talent that he’s been able to play out of position as a wing or second striker for AC Milan without any problems.
In addition to all of the speed and trickery, Niang is also an elite passer and dead ball specialist. When Mario Balotelli first game to Milan several years ago after being at Inter Milan and Manchester City, Niang showed the ability to harmonize with Balotelli and attack opposing defenses like bandits. This ability to associate and combine with Balotelli shows a mind that understands football and knows how to help and be helped by talented teammates.
The one area where Niang needs to improve is converting more of his individual creativity into goals. Niang can certainly score and be a threat for the entire 90 minutes, but there is lots of room for capitalizing on all of that skill and audacity.
The French forward is borderline unplayable as his speed and skill are too much to expect any defender to really contain. Since Niang hasn’t harnessed all of his powers yet, his scoring and assist stats haven’t been noteworthy. The lack of numerous goals and assists is attributable to simply not being clinical enough in the final third. When Niang sharpens up his finishing, he’s the only one stopping him.
Unlike Balotelli, Niang has no issues with discipline or emotional control. Like Balotelli, Niang can do everything with both feet, and he can smoothly execute difficult tricks that most footballers cannot pull off against other professionals in a game setting. Niang also excels at shielding the ball and bodying off defenders without fouling. Niang has a slender built, but there is a lot of muscle and power in his tall frame.
No one in world football runs with the speed and effortless grace of Niang, and this is coupled with a expert level of mastery of the ball. The Frenchman is just a speed merchant; he is an elite attacking talent that is only 21 years old.
A refined Niang will be a rival or partner for Karim Benzema in the French attack. Earning a spot on France’s UEFA Euro 2016 roster should be a goal for Niang.
M’Baye Niang checks all the boxes for a forward: skill, creativity, activity, speed, size, passing. and scoring ability. His time should be soon.
Milan are poised to leave their mediocre play behind after a victory over Fiorentina and the return of Kevin-Prince Boateng and Mario Balotelli.
AC Milan’s victory over Fiorentina could be a turning point for the club. Historically, the Rossoneri are soccer giants, and even a few years ago, the club had close Champions League games against the likes of Barcelona and Arsenal in the knockout rounds.
Milan are much more talented and complete than they get credit for. The club isn’t as crumbling as much as observers claim. Milan had enough money and appeal to sign a striker of Carlos Bacca’s quality over the summer, and youngsters like Davide Calabria and Gianluigi Donnarumma are cause for hope. Giacomo Bonaventura’s play as a fantasista is alone cause for hope. Looking at Milan’s roster, a very strong starting lineup can be easily put together, and there is even room for variation and player rotation.
If Milan use a 4-3-3 formation, then Kevin-Prince Boateng, Riccardo Montolivo, and Giacomo Bonaventura can start in the midfield, and that midfield is no joke even by the highest standards. Sinisa Mihajlovic has the option of starting an attacking trident of M’Baye Niang, Carlos Bacca, and Mario Balotelli, and those three would be a handful for the most elite of the world-class center backs.
Hypothetically, a Front Six like the one outlined above would cause problems for any squad, so already any talk of Milan being doomed to failure until more players can be signed is just not accurate.
Milan are 12 points back from Serie A leaders Napoli, but there is half of a season left to earn a Champions League spot. Surpassing Fiorentina and Roma can be the short term goal for Milan, and these two clubs are already within reach at 6 points and 3 point ahead respectively.
A stereotype about Serie A is that the league is all about defending and tactics, and Milan have the pieces for a strong defense. Along with Donnarumma in goal, Milan have four quality center backs in Alex, Cristian Zapata, Alessio Romagnoli, and Philippe Mexes. Mexes is a walking yellow card, but he’s a talented and experienced central defender. Alex and Romagnoli starting in the center of defense is likely Milan’s best option, and those two offer Milan a respectably central defense. Even though Alex is past his prime, Romagnoli is one of the best young central defenders in the world. Both Juventus and Inter Milan do have better defenses, but Milan is good enough to win a Champions League spot. With starting fullbacks Ignazio Abate and Mattia De Sciglio, Milan has quality in the center of the defense and on the flanks.
Writing off Milan for this season is a mistake, but Mihajlovic has plenty of work to do in improving Milan’s chemistry and organization. As soon as Boateng reaches 90-minute fitness, the Rossoneri will be a more formidable side, and Balotelli’s return to the Milan attack creates the exciting scenario of seeing Niang, Bacca, and Balotelli terrorizing opposition defenses together.
Despite the poor start for Juventus in Serie A and without Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, and Carlos Tevez, Juventus has a deep and talented squad. In fact, Juventus has more quality midfield and attacking options than starting spots.
Newcomers like Sami Khedira and Mario Lemina have given Juventus two strong defensive midfielder options in front of the defense, and Roberto Pereyra and Hernanes are vying for the playmaker role, even if coach Max Allegri has preferred to play Hernanes in more of a regista role.
In the attack, Juventus can start Álvaro Morata or Simone Zaza at center forward, or Allegri can start both players with Morata playing as the withdrawn or second striker. With Paulo Dybala also playing for Juve, there aren’t enough spots to start both Zaza and Morata. Dybala is too dynamic and talented to leave on the bench, so even with all of Zaza’s qualities as a center forward, Morata and Dybala are thus the best two forward options.
On paper and with Juan Cuadrado starting on the right wing in the attack, the best Juventus midfield would likely be Khedira, Paul Pogba, and Claudio Marchisio, and this even excludes both Hernanes and Pereyra.
The lineup dilemma for Juventus is one of Juventus being two players deep for every midfield starting spot, and this is a good problem to have for Allegri. Although Khedira is widely-considered the best defensive midfield option, it must be said that Lemina has looked much more athletic while still displaying great technical ability and distribution.
How controversial is it to argue that Lemina might be a better option for a Juventus squad that seeks to win Serie A again and go deep in the Champions League again? Will Khedira be wrong-footed and burned by the elite and speedy attackers?
More questions abound. Should Dybala’s starting spot be thrown on the sacrificial pyre to make room for a fourth midfielder like Pereyra or Hernanes (when Marchisio is back fit)?
Juventus really has the squad to use all of these players mentioned, plus who can forget about Stefano Sturaro, the Italian center midfielder that has proven to be a strong option and a big-game player as he proved last season in the Champions League?
Allegri will have to be careful to not just start the most famous of two options as the strong argument can be made that Lemina is more effective than Khedira and Pereyra is more effective than Hernanes.
Juventus has many starting options in the midfield and the attack, but perhaps the best options aren’t necessarily the most famous ones.
Is this Front Six the best option: Marchisio, Khedira, Pogba; Cuadrado, Morata, Dybala?
Or is it this one: Marchisio, Lemina, Pogba; Cuadrado, Morata, Pereyra?
Maybe it’s neither.
Juventus has started off badly in Serie A this season, but Juventus will soon be a different team with more continuity in the lineup. Form and injuries will affect the Juve lineup throughout the season, so some of the lesser lights may become first-choice options for Allegri.
Pirlo, Vidal, and Tevez are gone, but Juventus is still deep and formidable.
In their recent player ratings for the Juventus-Frosinone match, Tuttosport described Mario Lemina as playing the role of a regista di contenimento, which would be a deep-lying playmaker and holding midfielder at the same time.
Since Andrea Pirlo’s departure for MLS, Juventus has been looking for a midfielder to play in front of the defense, and they purchased German defensive midfielder, Sami Khedira, for this very purpose.
With Khedira injured, the versatile central midfielder Claudio Marchisio was going to be played in this role in front of the defense, but now Marchisio himself is injured.
Given Marchisio’s engine and facility as a box-to-box midfielder, it would be a shame to park Marchisio in front of the defense, but now Lemina (himself a box-to-box midfielder) has proven to be an effective holding midfielder with the ability to boss a midfield.
So the center midfielder can give Juventus a player to win back possession in the center of the midfield, and a central midfielder to act as a pivot to direct Juventus’ passing game from just in front of the defense.
With a player like Lemina in this role, Paul Pogba is set free to roam all over the midfield and attack where he sees fit, and Lemina opens up the possibility to start the electric Roberto Pereyra who brings so much dynamism, running, creativity, and attacking prowess.
Once thought of as an afterthought to Juventus’ summer signings, Lemina might now be a key player in the Juventus squad and midfield. Even when Khedira returns from injury, can he match the athleticism and skill of Lemina who might be better equipped to defend elite attackers and quickly open up the game for other Juventus players to attack?
Lemina brings an impressive array of skills and qualities plus an ease with having the ball on either foot.
Sometimes the less-heralded players surprise you, and Juventus might have a commanding midfielder on their hands in Lemina whose completeness as a center midfielder allows him to bring technical skill, strong defending, and standout athleticism to the holding midfielder and deep-lying playmaker role.
Massimiliano Allegri certainly has many lineup decisions to make in his midfield and elsewhere, and now Lemina’s play might cause him to have to think about his best lineup even more.
There is so much attention, criticism, and excitement around Mario Balotelli when he plays that it’s hard to treat him like any other soccer player.
The inconsistency with which Balotelli displays his amazing technical skill, athleticism, and physique infuriates spectators, teammates, and coaches alike. The ability and athleticism he showcases cause people to expect a world-beating performance from Balotelli every game, and this is why he is so criticized.
As an attacking player, Balotelli has everything that you could ask for. He has a velcro first-touch, and he’s basically technically-perfect with both feet. His passing and dribbling are world-class, and his shot is almost second to none in power and placement.
But, Balotelli doesn’t maximize and capitalize on his talent, which is good enough to dribble past anyone, unlock defenses with passes, and score on any goalkeeper. Too often Balotelli isn’t totally committed and focused on being 100% involved in games.
If Balotelli were always or almost always fully engaged in games, then his statistics and influence would be much better than they currently are.
It’s important to remember that people’s expectations are almost higher than they are for any other player. People see a phenomenal talent and athlete inside of an imposing physique, and they expect the world.
The best thing Balotelli can do for his play and his career is to solely focus on always making himself very involved in games, and he should impose his will on games.
One of the most impressive things about Balotelli is how his talent and physical gifts always make him a threat that opposing players immediately recognize. If you watch Balotelli in a game, then basically all you see is Balotelli. He is the killer shark in the water that everyone immediately notices.
For Balotelli, actively focusing on not becoming irritated and rattled by opposing players and fans should be his first priority. If he does this, then he can be totally focused on the game.
The type of focus and the level of restraint needed from Balotelli is somewhat unfair as almost no other player has to try so hard to not be reactive.
Nevertheless, Balotelli is an amazing talent that hopefully all soccer fans can come to enjoy, and if he is able to just be very involved in every game while blocking out all of the provocations, then he can reach the level where is acknowledged as a world-class player, instead of just a world-class talent.
As everyone knows, the talent is definitely there. Most professionals will never be able to do the stuff that Balotelli can do. For soccer’s sake, let’s hope that he can tune out and ignore all of the things that rattle him and take his focus off his play.
Say what you want about Balotelli, but he is a force of nature that all soccer fans can’t take their eyes off.
With Mario Balotelli suspended for the next three Serie A matches, the time has come to start the 18-year-old 6’4″ French striker, M’Baye Niang, and let him blossom into an elite striker.
Despite being a teenager and even without Balotelli’s suspension, Niang’s special gifts and abilities needed to be unleashed on Milan’s opposition on a more consistent basis sooner. A striker with Niang’s speed, agility, 1v1 abilities, shooting ability, and combination play isn’t something that Massimiliano Allegri can ignore.
Milan need Niang to disrupt defenses with his movement off the ball and his skill on it — all of which constantly threaten the goal. Niang is a great finisher with both feet, even though he received some criticism for having a shot hit off the post against Barcelona in the Champions League last season.
Without Kaká and Riccardo Montolivo, or Stephan El Shaarawy for that matter, a player with Niang’s workrate and effectiveness at putting himself in scoring-positions can help to compensate for a current midfield lacking in creativity, but Niang’s own qualities warrant a starting spot, even with a full squad.
The logical thing for Milan to do would be to start Robinho with Niang in order to facilitate combination play in the attack and to use Robinho as the player to drop back to collect the ball from the likes of Nigel De Jong, Sulley Muntari, Antonio Nocerino, and Andrea Poli who are all playing slightly deeper in the midfield.
For AC Milan’s purposes, even without the current injuries, a striker of M’Baye Niang’s physique, athleticism, aggressive and creative playing style, and world-class technical ability is simply too talented to leave watching the games from the bench.
Of all of the players in world football, finding one who is a faster and smoother mover than Niang who also has trickery and striker instincts that are off the charts is close to an impossible task.
Niang isn’t a raw striker who needs to refine his technical ability, but rather he is one of the best young talents in world football. What Niang needs is playing time: playing time to get into a rhythm and start scoring goals. Any striker who can smoothly execute textbook elásticos and pull them off effortlessly is truly a special striker indeed.
Whatever excuse that Massimiliano Allegri has for not making Niang a core element of his Milan squad in no way justifies the exclusion of a player who wrecks so much havoc in the attack and who draws so many defenders toward him.
None of Milan’s injuries rationalize the decision to not start M’Baye Niang every game they can because his abilities already demand it, and he needs the experience to continue to grow and improve as a striker.
Soon, M’Baye Niang will be one of the elite strikers in the world, and any club would be hard-pressed to find a striker with his combination of elite technical ability and creativity combined with incredibly smooth and superior athleticism inside such a tall and agile frame.
M’Baye Niang (left) and Mario Balotelli (right). (Photo: Icon Sport)
Stephan El Shaarawy is an exciting and gifted second striker, but Mario Balotelli and M’Baye Niang starting together as first strikers could be a lethal strike force for Milan this season.
The trident of Balotelli, Niang, and El Shaarawy works, and Massimiliano Allegri and Milan would be wise to start the trident, unless the tactics against a particular opponent call for choosing either Niang or El Shaarawy to partner with Balotelli up top.
While Balotelli and Niang are excellent dead ball specialists and passers who willingly combine with their teammates, El Shaarawy brings more of a second striker style of play than either Niang or Balotelli who bring an even more advanced element of speed combined with 1v1 abilities, which are off the charts.
If Allegri starts El Shaarawy, Balotelli, and Niang as a trident, Milan’s attack will look like a line of three forwards each inhabiting a certain wide or central area of the field, but really the players will be constantly moving and changing positions with each other to such an extent that their positions on paper won’t matter.
There’s no guarantee that Milan will start this trident up top as Allegri will have to decide which players he wants to start in the midfield. At midfield, Milan has players like Kevin-Prince Boateng, Riccardo Montolivo, Sulley Muntari, Antonio Nocerino, Nigel De Jong, Andrea Poli, and Robinho, who is a winger or second striker, and Allegri will have to find the best combination of these players and others.
Regardless of who starts in midfield and with or without El Shaarawy starting every game, Milan should place a premium on starting both Balotelli and Niang at striker because their combination of world-class speed and dazzling skill is simply too much of a weapon to not take advantage of.
Barcelona has Messi and Neymar in the attack, but Milan has two first strikers in Niang and Balotelli who work together to relentlessly attack the goal with their combination of skill, speed, and size, which is different to the Neymar and Messi combination.
While Niang and Balotelli are unique in their combination of skill, speed, size, and athleticism, there is room for El Shaarawy in the line-up, and Milan should take advantage of these three forwards in order to bring an onslaught of attackers every game.
No team in the world has two strikers with the skill and athleticism of Niang and Balotelli, and Milan needs to start these two strikers together and figure out what other four players are needed to field a balanced and effective midfield and attack.
For all of Balotelli’s individual skill and ability to execute difficult tricks and passes, Niang almost appears to possess better 1v1 dribbling abilities than Balotelli, and Niang just might be faster than Balotelli. This isn’t to say that Niang is better than Balotelli, but his speed and dribbling just might be better.
It’s rare to see soccer players who have the physique, athleticism, skill, and competitive mentality of Niang and Balotelli, but two strikers with these gifts and qualities on the same team is something that no other club or national team can match.
Rather than selecting Balotelli or Niang, Milan should start both strikers to terrorize defenses and dictate the tempo of the game, as it’s doubtful that any defense can truly contain players with Balotelli’s and Niang’s physical gifts and technical skills, especially when they are unleashed on opponents at the same time.
Mario Balotelli and M’Baye Niang impressed not only with their skill and athleticism but with the way that they shared the ball.
Mario Balotelli garnered most of the headlines for silencing his critics with his triumphant return to Serie A with AC Milan, but Balotelli has a history of delivering when the pressure goes up.
Most of the criticism of Balotelli’s personal life and so-called attitude problem is off base and blown out of proportion. While at Manchester City, Balotelli was even subjected to professionalism and maturity lectures and quotes in the press from Nigel De Jong who jumped kicked Xabi Alonso in the chest in the 2010 World Cup Final.
Mario Balotelli is a prodigy and his skill has been on display for around five years, but the teamwork and sharing of the ball between two technical masters and freaks of nature like Mario Balotelli and M’Baye Niang was something of a first in the world of soccer. It could be argued that never before have two strikers with the athleticism, size, and technical ability of Balotelli and Niang attacked an opponent together with a selfless sharing of the ball in a tandem of total destruction.
Milan’s other prodigy, Stephan El Shaarawy, should not be overlooked, as his skill and goal-scoring rate have been keeping Milan competitive, but seeing two soccer players with the physique, size, skill, and world-class athleticism of Balotelli and Niang attacking together must have made teams around Europe nervous.
Without exaggeration, what do you do when two players who have the total package of aggressive play, fantastic technical ability, and unmatchable athleticism attack you without one of the two players playing selfishly? There is nothing really the opposition can do. There are certainly teams with the ability to almost neutralize such players working together, and Niang and Balotelli will have off nights, but players with Balotelli and Niang’s physical gifts and speed, inside of tall and strong frames, is certainly something new in the world of soccer.
As Balotelli has been around for several years, there have been tall, athletic, and skilled players before, but if more players with all of these qualities become more widespread, many elite soccer players are going to find themselves struggling to keep up with players who inevitably will beat you due to one of many qualities.
For all of the talk of Balotelli’s so-called attitude problems and Niang’s youth, both players must have shocked many people by their willingness to play together while still shining as individuals. Balotelli and Niang found a way in their first game to not compete with each other, but rather to make each other better.
Any defenders or opposing players for that matter who face Balotelli and Niang will be in for a rough outing because, even if one or both of the players do not score or have something of an off game, the constant onslaught of speed, skill, adventurous play, and strength will be a total nightmare.
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Andrea Pirlo’s movement off the ball and constant movement all over the field seems to leave space for another midfielder who plays deep in the midfield, Paul Pogba, to have plenty of space to operate without getting in Pirlo’s way or hindering Pirlo’s play.
Therefore, less attention should be focused on what position Pogba is actually playing and more attention should be focused on the qualities that he brings to Juventus.
Italians have a variety of names for all of the positions in soccer, and in the midfield, mediano, mezz’ala, centrale, trequartista, and mezzapunta are some of the position names heard the most.
Paul Pogba is hard to characterize with the exception that he is not a trequartista or mezzapunta which are two names for the same advanced-playmaker role or the proverbial number 10 role. Andrea Pirlo, who now plays as a regista or a deep-lying playmaker who lines up at kick off directly in front of the defense, was originally used as a trequartista or mezzapunta until Milan moved him back to his now favorite regista role.
Pogba is some combination of a mediano, centrale, and (maybe down the road) a regista.
A mediano is a defensive midfielder who essentially plays as a midfield destroyer with the obvious caveat that anyone playing as a midfielder at the elite-level is expected to have advanced technical ability so as to not be a passing liability.
A centrale is a box-to-box midfielder along the lines of Arturo Vidal or Kevin-Prince Boateng, even though Boateng is often forced to play out of position as a pseudo-trequartista. In the past, players like Patrick Vieira and Michael Ballack were classic centrali (plural of centrale) and certainly someone like Ramires also would be classified as a centrale. Calling Paul Pogba a regista at this point is a stretch, but he has certainly shown the passing elegance and accuracy to play the sort of balls that a regista plays with ease.
Forcing Pogba into a box or trying to classify him as one of the three midfield positions mentioned above is not as important as the diverse arsenal of qualities that he brings to a midfield even as good as Juventus’.
Nobody really knows what midfield position Paul Pogba is actually playing for Juventus, and it does not matter because he is the total package and a complete player who provides everything one could ask for in a midfielder.
Pogba is a complete midfielder who provides so many different qualities that letting him play his game as opposed to forcing him into a set midfield role is probably the best policy, especially since Pirlo covers so much territory and knows exactly where to go on the field to compliment his teammates and orchestrate play.
Pogba is special because he provides goals, two-footed play, precision passing, strong and elegant tackling (both standing challenges and slide tackles), rock solid shielding of the ball, guile and trickery on the ball, and tireless running. Pogba scores volleys from distance with both feet. He plays soft chips that meet their target in stride. He plays one-to-two touch soccer, and he recovers the ball almost as soon as he or his teammates have lost possession. Pogba’s play is causing Antonio Conte to consider making more adjustments to his line-ups than Conte even had to consider in the past.
Pogba has created debate in soccer circles about what position he plays, how good he is, and which player he plays like. There have been numerous comparisons to Patrick Vieira due to obvious physical similarities and the fact that Pogba is a French midfielder, but Pogba appears to have a more refined technical skill-set than Vieira in addition to superior athleticism that most noticeably shows up in the form of agility and gait.
Pogba is around 6’4” as a 19 year old, so it is safe to assume that Pogba will just grow taller and stronger while maintaining his lean and muscular frame. By way of a comparison to basketball, there is no reason to assume that Pogba will lose some agility or athleticism as he grows taller because basketball players of a similar age and that level of athleticism do not lose their athleticism and agility when they grow a few inches taller.
For some coaches, fans, and players, versatility in a player is sometimes viewed as a negative attribute as some people believe versatility usually means that a player is merely good in a variety of categories and in a variety of positions as opposed to being great at a certain position or at a certain aspect of soccer.
Pogba appears to excel at almost all of the fundamentals that a player is measured by, and he plays like a midfielder that can be devastating in the defense and in the attack. With a player who provides so many qualities, a coach can, to some extent, free the player up to roam the field wherever he is needed providing defense when defense is needed and attacking ability when attacking is needed. Pogba already knows how to play effectively and where to go on the field, but playing alongside Pirlo with undoubtedly numerous French and non-French legends offering him advice can only make Pogba better.
Excluding the defenders, Juventus had been utilizing Andrea Pirlo as a regista directly in front of the defense with Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal playing in front of Pirlo as something like centrali (box-to-box midfielders) or mezz’ali (outside midfielders who tuck in). With Juventus’ use of three defenders who are essentially center backs playing as right, center, and left defenders with two terzini fluidificanti or old school wingbacks playing in front of them essentially to the right and left of Marchisio and Vidal, Juventus has been playing something resembling a 3-5-2 formation.
This formation did not leave space for Paul Pogba in the starting line-up, but he has nevertheless been incorporated into the starting line-up or used as a substitute. With the rise of Paul Pogba characterized by a string of commanding performances and fabulous goals, Juventus has even more formation options than the club initially planned on using.
Now Juventus and Antonio Conte have the difficult job of deciding which regular starter or starters will be the odd men out in certain games. Perhaps the injury to Giorgio Chiellini and Kwadwo Asamoah’s participation in The African Cup of Nations increase the amount of formation options with Pogba, but Conte and Juventus still have the dilemma of deciding which of the following midfielders should start: Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio, Paul Pogba, and Sebastian Giovinco (who is both a trequartista and a second striker).
Paul Pogba’s quality and athleticism are forcing Juventus to rethink their formations, and Pogba is one of several prodigies who are popping up on the world football landscape along with M’Baye Niang and Stephen El Shaarawy, who are all playing in Serie A.
The ascension of Pogba is both a surprise and foreseeable occurrence, as France has consistently produced soccer superstars, and France has two new teenage prodigies in Paul Pogba and M’Baye Niang, who should both prove to make France a formidable opponent for many years.
With the advent of Mario Balotelli, Paul Pogba, and M’Baye Niang, European soccer is seeing athletic specimens and freaks of nature who move with dazzling grace and speed. They are too good, too strong, too fast, and too tall to leave single-marked, and they are going to be around for a long time.
