Michy Batshuayi

Scout Report: Michy Batshuayi
Country: Belgium, Congo
Date of Birth: Oct 2, 1993 (22 Yrs)
Current Club: Marseille
Position: Striker
Current Transfer Value: €16million (Credit – TransferMarket)

In recent seasons, Belgium have produced some outrageously skilled players who are capable of winning games on their own. Joining that coveted list comes Michy Batshuayi, who is fast becoming the toast of Europe this season.

At the age of 22, Batshuayi is doing everything right to make his mark on the European scene. Amid all the excitement surrounding the Belgian ace, we take a closer look at Michy Batshuayi’s playing style, strengths, weaknesses and future prospects as a professional footballer.

Michy Batshuayi: A brief history

Born in Brussels, Batshuayi had a tough start to his professional career. Even before turning 13, he had already tried and failed at R.F.C. Evere, RUSA Schaerbeek and FC Brussels. Then came the decisive move of his life when he joined Standard Liege in 2008.

After coming through the academy ranks for 3 years, Batshuayi made his senior debut for the Belgian club in 2011. From there on, he grew strength to strength and kept scoring goals.

Michy Batshuayi

 

In his first season he scored 6 goals, next season he netted 13 goals and then in 2013/14 season he made the entire world to take note of his exceptional scoring abilities. In 34 starts, he fired 21 goals and led Standard Liege to their first ever Belgian League title since 2008.

Those performances were enough for Marseille to splash €6million on this talented striker and Batshuayi has not disappointed since his move to Ligue 1. After taking initial time to adjust, the young striker has scored 19 goals and managed 9 assists in 44 appearances for the French club.

Michy Batshuayi: Style of play and strength

He is not a modern day striker who will drop deep and play in the hole or try to be the number 10, he is an out-and-out striker who thrives on scoring goals. Gifted with pace and acceleration, he sees space and he runs for it.

Batshuayi is a two-footed powerful striker whose quick feet and superb finishing makes him a threat against any opposition. Standing at 5 feet 11, he tends to out-jump his opponents more often than not.

His movements inside the box and having the ability to be at the right place makes him harder to mark. He is an instinctive finisher who does not waste too many chances. This season, he has finished with 48% of his shots and has enjoyed per-90-minutes goal ratio of 0.67, which is impressive for a player of his age.

Michy Batshuayi: Weaknesses to be worked upon

He is still 22 which means he is still learning, however, his disciplinary issues have been a headache for his former coaches. Gladly he is currently working Marcelo Bielsa, who is known to bring out the best in a potentially talented player and install team effort before any other quality.

At times, Batshuayi has been criticized for his selfish play but he backs it up with his goal-scoring abilities. His tackling isn’t the best and he tends to leave his prints in a 50-50 tackle. Despite being a clinical finisher his first touch leaves him embarrassed at times, if he can work that out, he will be an even better striker.

Michy Batshuayi: What does the future hold?

At present, Batshuayi is heavily linked with a move to Tottenham next season and given Mauricio Pochettino’s relationship with Marcelo Bielsa, the deal is likely to go through. If it does happen, Spurs will have another deadly striker in their ranks and it would make them even bigger threat for the title next season.

As for Batshuayi, it would be his time to prove his talent to everyone and shine in the most-followed league in European football. There is no denying his caliber as a striker and he will indeed come good for Tottenham or the club he plays for next season.

Batshuayi was on the standby list for Belgium’s FIFA World Cup 2014 squad, but he is expected to be selected for the upcoming Euro 2016, which will once again be his opportunity to showcase the obvious talent he has.

The Belgian ace indeed has a bright future ahead of himself. All he needs is to stay focused on his game and keep doing what he does best – score a lot of goals.

Image Credit: Getty, Video Credit: Youtube