23 year old, Yassin Oukili, operates as a central midfielder for Dutch Eredivisie side RKC Waalwijk. This is his third consecutive Eredvisie season with RKC, both his minutes and his output have increased season-by-season.
Oukili is a physically imposing presence. He is approximately 6ft4 and has a well built frame. Oukili long stride pattern means he covers the ground in a quick manner which helps him with backing up attacks from a deep starting position. Oukili’s size is also to his advantage aerially and he competes well in duels and is of benefit to his team when defending and attacking set pieces. Oukili loves to use his long legs to try and steal interceptions, when he comes away with the ball it’s very effective but can also lead to him giving away cheap fouls.
Technically, Oukili is a clean striker of a football. Oukili is strongest on his right foot but is capable of striking at goal on his left side too. He has a good passing range and when allowed time on the ball he likes to look for long raking diagonal passes over the the top of the opposition full back. This campaign Oukili has become more of a goal threat than in previous seasons. In fact only forward Michiel Kramer has scored more league goals than Oukili for RKC this season. According to Wyscout data, Oukili’s five league goals this season have come from an xG of 1.55 indicating that Oukili is finishing low margin chances. This is evident on video, Oukili has a great knack of joining in with attacks and showing up at the edge of the box with great timing. His finishing is exemplary and he has a great calm and composed nature around the penalty area.
Oukili is most often used on the left of a double pivot, his role is multi versed. He is at times tasked with screening the back four, getting on the ball and distributing and becoming an extra man in attack. Oukili needs great stamina to perform these duties over a full game. Oukili is more impressive in the attacking aspects of the game. He is diligent in his work and his effort is tireless, however it looks like too much is asked of him in this RKC team.
Oukili has an aggressive nature to his game and picks up plenty of yellow cards. Sometimes these are for tactical fouls to stop quick transitions, however some are down to poor decision making and being caught ahead of the ball. This area of his game requires improvement but in his defence he’d be better suited to being tasked with a less multifaceted role where he can either be defensive or attacking but not both.
With regards to Oukili’s future, I think it’s bright. RKC Waalwijk are currently 16th in the Eredvisie which would mean participating in the end of season playoffs where relegation would be a possibility. I don’t see Oukili playing second tier Dutch football next season. He could move to a mid-table top flight team, however I think his style would be well suited to the English Championship.
Target Scouting 