Who is Pepelu? Pepelu is Valencia’s number 18 and now captain. The midfielder came through the ranks at Levante and also became a pro there, playing for the A and B teams. He’s also had loan moves at Hércules, Tondela, and Vitória Guimarães. The 26-year-old Valencia midfielder has gained a lot of traction over the last year, but what makes him so good?
Last season in La Liga, Pepelu was involved in many aspects of Valencia’s game. From the defensive aspect, to progressing play and taking set pieces. As he’d Valencia’s main penalty taker, it’s no surprise that he was their second top scorer, scoring 7 out of 8 penalties. But what does he offer outside of that?
In possession: Pepelu offers a lot on the ball, having the highest expected assists for Valencia with 4.52 xA, despite only getting 1 assist in La Liga. Pepelu is amazing at finding space in the second phase and playing passes in behind to Valencia’s attackers. He also averaged the most passes per game for Valencia (43.8, 82% successful) showing the ability to come for the ball consistently, also taking risks when needed but not overdoing it, a perfect mix of creativity and ball retention. Along with all the stats mentioned, he also averaged 1.5 key passes per game, which puts him in the top 15 in the whole of La Liga along with 3.6 average long balls per game
The defensive side: Pepelu is supreme at the defensive side of the game, having the ability to defend in the box, being able to intercept passes, and turn it into a counterattack, whilst also having a top understanding of reading the game to be a top tackler. Last season in La Liga, he made 1.3 interceptions per game, putting him in the top 8 in the whole of La Liga, also being 1 of 2 midfielders in the top 10. Along with this, he averaged 2.1 tackles per game and won 54% of all his duels (53% on the ground with 3.5 per game and 58% in the air at 1.6)
As a conclusion, Pepelu is close to being an all-round 8. Great in the second and third phases, great at set pieces, and amazing at creating space in the middle third for himself and his teammates whilst also being solid defensively. Will we see him make a move to an even bigger club any time soon? If he keeps performing like this, I’m sure that he’ll have many clubs asking for his signature.
Thank you so much for reading, stay tuned for more player analysis, tactical analysis, and transfer news!
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