A winger has free space to run into; he’s in behind the defence with a centre back giving it his all in an attempt to recover the ball. The usual outcome is that the quicker, more agile winger pulls away from the defender and creates a goalscoring opportunity or bags a goal for himself.
But that’s not what fans witnessed when Spain took on Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League clash on Sunday.
The script was flipped as the Swiss center-back Manuel Akanji outpaced Spain’s young sensation Lamine Yamal in a display of his athleticism
At just 17 years of age, Lamine Yamal is considered to be one of the best young talents in football. Having won the Euros this summer, Yamal has already established himself in the world of football.
His quick feet and skillful dribbling often cause problems for defenders, and Yamal is known for taking on defenders 1-on-1 and coming out on top.
The Spanish winger has had a blistering start to the season with goal contributions in all of Barcelona’s games and remains a crucial part of Hansi Flick’s new look outfit.
But what the winger definitely didn’t have in his plans this weekend was being outpaced by a centre back.
The game had plenty to offer for neutrals, even if the final score suggests otherwise. Spain took an early lead and much to Swiss fans’ disappointment, an equalizer was disallowed because of a handball that took place in the same play.
Spain went down to 10 men in minute 20, which added pressure on them in an already open game. From then on the Swiss dominated possession but only threatened from set pieces.
Zeik Amdouni pulled one back for Switzerland in the 41st minute, narrowing the lead to just 1. Only two minutes later Yamal seemed poised to restore a 2 goal lead, but in came Akanji’s crucial recovery that kept Switzerland’s hope alive at that point in the game.
A tackle that had the potential to shift momentum in the game heading into the break.
Unfortunately the game ended in a 4-1 defeat for Switzerland at home who struggled to keep Spain at bay even with them having a numbers disadvantage.
Akanji, a 6’1” central defender, defied the stereotype that comes with centre backs—that they are big and tall and hence lack pace. While Yamal’s pace would usually leave defenders in his wake, Akanji was not only able to catch up but also outpace him and win the ball back.
At 29 and in his prime, Akanji has been a mainstay in City’s backline since his arrival to the Premier League in 2022.
Akanji represents the new breed of centre halves, those who have the ability to command the box, be physically prominent and win duels, and also match the speed and pace of wingers and forwards.
For Yamal, this might have come as a surprise; the winger is used to gliding and seamlessly dribbling past defenders; this time around, Akanji showed him up. This spirited recovery to win the ball was received well by fans, who cheered on in appreciation.
Perhaps this duel might serve as a reminder for Yamal that he is still early in his career and he needs to keep evolving and improving to keep up with the game.
It’ll be interesting to see how Yamal will fare against some more brute centre backs like Antonio Rudiger, who possess both raw power and speed. Known to be one of the most dominant defenders, Yamal will have his hands full dealing with the Real Madrid back line on October 27th.
