How a Full-Back Partnership has Turned Utrecht into Title Challengers

How a Full-Back Partnership has Turned Utrecht into Title Challengers

It’s been a wild start to the Eredivisie season, and that couldn’t be more apparent than in the case of FC Utrecht.

Despite Jans taking over last season, Utreg went on to finish seventh for the third season in a row. We all know that these things take time in football, I mean look at Alex Ferguson’s first few seasons at Manchester United, and compare that to what he went on to achieve.

It might be early doors in the 2024/25 season, but Utrecht look a different animal this time out. They’ve won all their games but two, and sit second to only PSV in the league standings. Whilst winning the title will be a tough ask, Utrecht don’t look a side that will roll over and settle for European qualification when all is said and done.

🌃 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 😍 pic.twitter.com/4v0vruaW3l

— FC Utrecht 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@FCUtrecht_EN) November 9, 2024

You might be asking, just how have Utrecht become so good? There’s quite a simple answer, Ron Jans’ immense tactical prowess gives them an advantage that you can’t put a price on. He’s put a focus on wide players this season, and none have been more important than their full-backs.

The Impact of Utrecht’s Flying Full-Backs

A key aspect of Ron Jans system, along with so many other managers in the modern game, is his dynamic use of the wide defenders at his disposal.

His preferred choice of pairing, Siebe Horemans and Souffian El Karouani, has been so vital to Utrecht’s system. El Karouani alone has racked up three assists, provided 1.6 key passes per game, along with 2.2 accurate crosses per 90.

What’s been so instrumental to Horemans and El Karouani’s successes this season is their dynamism when it comes to the positions they take up on the pitch. When looking at El Karouani’s season, courtesy of SofaScore, there’s two easy conclusions to make.

It might be a given nowadays, thanks to managers like Ange Postecoglou popularising the inverted full-back, but it’s clear the effectiveness of El Karouani’s movement. Not only does he come inside when in the defensive part of the midfield third, he’s also taking up these positions further up the pitch.

This is the case for both him and Horemans, who have the engines and technical ability required to play this role, so don’t discredit Horemans’ impact just because I’m focusing on his partner.

These attacking inverts offer a world of opportunity to Utrecht, not only do their full-backs act as connections from midfield to their attacking line, they also draw attention away from advanced wide players like Cathline or Romeny. This results in higher one-on-one success from the wingers, more chances, and more goals.

Equally, we can see that El Karouani is more than often enough the most advanced player in a wide position for Utrecht, hence his assist tally from key crosses into the penalty area being converted by their aerial threats in the opposition box.

👏 Mike ➡️ Souf ➡️ Jens. pic.twitter.com/Ev86Rgjm6H

— FC Utrecht 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@FCUtrecht_EN) September 2, 2024