Guest report by Mieszko Pugowski
Tochi Chukwuani is a 22-year-old Danish midfielder who plays for Sturm Graz in the Austrian Bundesliga. Within the team’s setup, he usually operates as the left-sided number eight in a two-man midfield pairing. Standing at around 187 centimeters, Chukwuani has become an essential figure for Sturm this season, stepping into the role previously held by Malick Yalcouyé, whose loan spell ended. He is also a regular presence for Denmark’s U21 national team, where he has collected 20 caps and scored 3 goals.
Tochi Chukwuani has a broad body build, which he uses effectively in shoulder-to-shoulder duels and when shielding the ball. His balance is great; it is almost impossible to push him off balance without conceding a foul. At times, however, his aggression in pressing leads to unnecessary fouls, especially when a quick dribble bypasses him. Chukwuani has an electrifying pace, and he is incredibly useful in both attacking and defensive transitions. His above-average height helps him in being successful in most aerial duels in defense and a box threat during offensive set pieces.
Offensively, Chukwuani excels in playmaking and ball progression. His biggest strength are his ball control, attacking movement and first-touch passing. During fast transitions he can run into free space, and from there his range of moves is varied. He has eye for long passes into the penalty area penetrating the opponent’s defense, although accuracy of such passes could be better. His aforementioned excellent first touch passes make him highly effective in link-up play and fast, one-two touches actions to either retain possession or create a quick attack. It’s not easy to take the ball from him, as even under pressure, he uses his technique to keep the ball and eventually pass it to a teammate. In deeper build-up phases, he drops alongside DM to offer support in progression and drag an opponent from wing back. However, the main offensive attribute Chukwuani still has to improve, is his box threat. Even though he’s not that rarely in the penalty area with the ball, he doesn’t shoot often from live play, with most of his shots coming from set pieces.
Defensively, Tochi Chukwuani is fantastic in counterpressing; he impresses in ball recoveries, both in his own half and in advanced areas. In Sturm, as number 8, he doesn’t get to showcase his defensive abilities in the midfield regularly, so most of his defensive actions are done in the penalty area, to stop a shot or a pass at the absolute least. As mentioned before, he impresses in defensive duels, both ground and aerial, due to his broad body build and good height, but he struggles in defending 1vs1 situations, which frequently lead to Chukwuani’s getting bypassed, or him committing a foul. Additionally, he occasionally shows lapses in decision-making and activity in the defensive third to close the space or block the ball. That allows opponents to take shots from distance or deliver crosses into the box.
Overall, Tochi Chukwuani is a fantastic midfielder who is already ready to step up to the top 5 leagues. He stands out for his strength, balance, pace, and first-touch passing, making him effective in transitions and ball progression. While strong in counter-pressing and aerial duels, he can struggle in 1v1 defending, sometimes commits fouls, and offers limited shooting threat. The number 8 role is the one that best suits him, although he can also play as number 6, as he does in the Denmark U21 team, albeit at the cost of limiting his offensive abilities.
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