Leeds United signed Diego Llorente from Spanish club Real Sociedad last summer to strengthen their defence. The Spanish international was a part of Leeds United side that played in the top division after a gap of 16 years and, the team finished in the ninth position of the English Premier League 2020/21 season. He has already missed four matches this season due to injury but has been a regular member of the playing 11 since making a comeback.
Diego Llorente has featured in seven matches for Leeds United. He missed the first two matches due to injury and was again injured in the second game he played in the league. Llorente has attempted 351 passes in seven games and has a pass accuracy rate of 84.3%. These passes include 53 long passes, two smart passes and six through passes. The 28-year-old defender has attempted three shots and scored a goal in the game against Watford. He was awarded the man of the match in that game. He attempted the most number of passes in the match against Wolves, 82, and made 21 recoveries.
When looking at the above chart, the general rule is that the longer the bar, the better the performance – you can see the league average in the middle and the % is the percentile rank the player is in.
The Spaniard averages 16.18 defensive actions per 90 and has a 78.10% win rate. He has made 77 recoveries and is ranked high for making recoveries per 90 amongst the other defenders. 17 recoveries have been made inside the opposition’s half and averages 2.62 recoveries in the opposition’s half per 90. His loose ball duels win % is the highest amongst the other duels contested.
Diego Llorente made 15 appearances last season but missed a lot of matches due to injury. The defender started in 14 matches and was subbed on in one match. He scored one goal and attempted seven shots towards the opposition’s goal.
If we compare his defensive actions chart of both seasons, then it shows that the average defensive actions per 90 are similar in numbers. His defensive duels per 90 have gone down in number, but the player has shown more accuracy this season. Llorente has shown some improvement when we look at his interceptions and recoveries in the opposition’s half. Last season, he averaged 5.20 interceptions per 90 and 1.67 recoveries in opposition’s half per 90. This season the numbers have gone up to 6.47 interceptions and 2.62 recoveries in the opposition half. The defender has a high win% for defensive duels and loose ball duels this season as compared to the last season.
Diego Llorente has been a part of Marcelo Bielsa’s plans this season. The defender has featured in every match in which he was declared fit. He has shown some defensive improvements and his duels win % has increased. His team has just kept one clean sheet this season and that was in the match against Watford. The defender is finding his touch in the English Premier League and will look to take his team back into the top half of the table with his defensive skills.
