Vilafranquense and Vitória de Guimarães clashed ahead of the first matchday of the Portuguese League Cup. Due to some absences in Vitória’s defence, Moreno decided to opt for a 4-3-3 formation instead of his usual 3-4-3, in a game where they had the clear intention to play attacking football and dominate the match. The game saw very few opportunities on both ends with the away side dominating possession, especially during the second half. The scoreboard stayed settled during the entire match with the final whistle still showing a nil-nil score.
Ratings:
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be a strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, rewatch
- D – Below average in this match
Ibrahima Bamba
- Nationality: Italian
- Age: 20
- Date of Birth: 22/04/2002
- Current Club: Vitória Guimarães
- Career: Pro Vercelli Berretti, Vitória Guimarães
- Position: Centre Back
- Secondary Position: Defensive Midfielder
- Preferred Foot: Right
Bamba played as a right-centre defender in a four-at-the-back formation for Vitória de Guimarães on the first matchday of the Portuguese League Cup. The 20-year-old stands at 1,84m with a lean build. The Italian player has good acceleration and the ability to maintain speed over longer distances. He is agile and has excellent balance, traits that make him a very mobile player. Bamba still has some room for improvement regarding aerial duels, as there were a couple of occasions where he seemed to avoid going for those duels. Overall, the defender showed an excellent sense of spatial and defensive awareness. Throughout the entire match, he showed a great sense of commitment to cover for his teammates when necessary, especially in the second half as Vitória was trying to push for the winning goal.
Bamba was always very confident building from the back, and in the early stages of build-up, the team mainly relied on him or Tiago Silva to progress up the pitch. The young defender has a wide range of resources on the ball, being able to either carry it or play a mix of short and long passes. Bamba’s receiving and dribbling skills are good as he makes good use of all the free space he can get on the field. His passing technique is also very good and consistent, and he still excels when under pressure. Moreover, he reads the game very well and can adapt to difficult situations by taking his time and staying composed.
Ibrahima Bamba is very good in defensive duels, as he firmly stands his ground and is not afraid to put a strong foot. In 1v1 defensive situations, he remains calm and usually succeeds to recover the ball. Besides, the young centre-back often pressures his opponents when they receive the ball, quickly pushing them further away. This might have its downsides since he could get caught out of position as this might be exploited by tougher opposition. On the whole, Bamba made good use of his athletic build to deal with opponents and cover the ball when necessary, also showcasing some positive aggressive signs.
Rating – A1
Bamba had a good performance for Vitória de Guimarães in this match. He is very composed on the ball even when under pressure and has great passing skills. Defensively, he is also very strong and is capable of effectively recovering the ball multiple times throughout the match. I also think he is even better when he plays as a defensive midfielder or as a central defender in the central position in a three-at-the-back formation. Recently there have been some rumours that Arsenal might be keeping an eye on him, and I believe he might be ready to take the leap to a top-five league club sooner or later.
Mamadou Tounkara
- Nationality: French
- Age: 20
- Date of Birth: 14/12/2001
- Current Club: Vitória Guimarães
- Career: JA Drancy, Vitória Guimarães
- Position: Centre Back
- Preferred Foot: Right
Tounkara played as a left-centre defender in Vitória’s 4-3-3 alongside Ibrahima Bamba. The French defender stands at 1,92m with a muscular build. He has decent acceleration and sprint speed but doesn’t have the ability to maintain it over very long distances. His balance and agility are not great, characteristics that do not make him a very mobile player or capable of quickly changing direction. On the contrary, he is very strong in aerial duels showing a good leap to do so, even though he could improve his approach. Overall, the 20-year-old showed a good sense of positioning and did not get caught out of the defensive line many times.
Tounkara was not successful in building from the back during the first half. His ball-controlling technique was not impressive and his passing was also inaccurate, leading to him making a couple nonsense passes. However, he substantially improved during the second 45 minutes, carrying the ball forward multiple times and making good passes in between the opponent’s defensive lines. The young french defender still has some room for improvement regarding his long-distance passing technique, even though he made a couple good passes.
Mamadou Tounkara is very strong in defensive duels, making very good use of his athletic build to gain an advantage against his opponents. He put in some good tackles and put a strong performance in defence alongside Bamba. He is more conservative regarding coming out of the defensive line, only doing it when necessary. In addition, he also showed a good sense of positioning, making sure to adapt it to compensate for his disadvantage in acceleration and sprinting speed compared to the opposition’s attackers.
Rating – A2
I believe Tounkara put in a good performance in this match and has the potential to play at a higher level in the future. He still makes a few mistakes when building up play and is not yet fully comfortable in those moments of his game. I also believe he can still improve his defensive attributes, even though they are already good. This was only his 7th game for Vitória’s first team, and I think this season will help him improve and grow as he switches between their B and senior squad.