The Celtic Way tactics writer Ross Goodwin digs into Velez Sarsfield defender Francisco Ortega following reports linking him with a move to Parkhead...
Background and player profile
Ortega is a 23-year-old Argentinian left-back who has been playing in the top tier of domestic football in his homeland for the past five years.
He has built his career at Velez Sarsfield, making his debut at 18 and cementing his place not only as the side's best full-back but one of the best in the league.
Ortega has contributed to a third-place finish which allowed him to sample life in the Copa Libertadores - the South American version of the Champions League. He helped Sarsfield make the last 16 of that competition as well as the semi-finals of the Copa Sudamericana.
This experience of high-level knockout football would bode well for a move to Celtic while, on the international stage, Ortega has been capped at under-20 and under-23 levels including appearances at the Olympics and U20 World Cup.
Heatmaps
Below are the heatmaps of both Ortega and Greg Taylor from the current season.
As expected, Ortega isn’t just a natural hug-the-touchline full-back, coming inside to help build play as can be seen to a far greater extent in Taylor's heatmap. The noticeable difference is the lack of activity in the final third for Ortega as he plays for a far less dominant side in a more competitive league.
Data view
Below is a Tableau template that offers a visualisation of where a player’s strengths and weaknesses are.
Immediately it’s clear Ortega is an extremely offensive full-back, largely owing to his superb athleticism. In the attacking section, we see a player who goes forward a lot and competes in many offensive duels, puts in a lot of crosses and takes plenty of touches in the box.
READ MORE: Mohanad Jeahze scouted
With movement, he is one of the league's best ball progressors and he’s one of the most successful when going forward too. On the ball, he is a strong passer from deep when under less pressure and his pace and ability to beat a man allows him to create chances frequently from wide areas.
An area of weakness would be the lower percentile ranks of more dangerous passing types such as smart passes, through passes and deep completions. At Celtic, he would be expected to improve these areas.
It must be noted that in a more dominant side most passing metrics will naturally rise and it would be interesting to see by how much were he to join Celtic. His high mobility, acceleration and recovery speed make him a difficult defender to beat, allowing him to engage in many defensive actions. This aggression can be seen in possession-adjusted interceptions where he is able to use pace and body strength to regain possession.
Above is Taylor for comparison. Ortega would offer a counteraction to Taylor’s main issue which is a lack of raw speed. This allows the Argentinian to recover when in transition, offering more defensive protection than Taylor can.
This could be essential in Europe where these events will be more frequent. Taylor has shown he is a great fit for Ange Postecoglou’s system on the ball in the inverted full-back role. Ortega would need to improve and show he can achieve the same standard on the ball as Taylor to make a starting spot his own.
Conclusion
Overall, it’s interesting to see Celtic once again look at a new market. Ever since Postecoglou came in the club has broadened its horizons to find high-quality players at low prices.
Ortega has a lot of first-team experience and, although he may take time to settle in Scotland, he appears more than capable of stepping up to the level of a club like Celtic.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here