Chelsea’s midfield area is currently in a state of flux. That’s why incoming manager Antonio Conte has made it his prime objective to reinforce the area and make it his own.
There is a real lack of energy and nous in the middle of the park whenever Chelsea play nowadays, with it often easily overrun and outsmarted by teams that rely on a pressing game. That’s why Chelsea have been linked with Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan, with the Belgian confirming the club’s interest. The midfielder is often dubbed “The Roma Pitbull” for his ferocious energy in the middle of the park.
So who is Nainggolan? Here, I profile the midfielder…
What is his background?
Abandoned by his father at an early age, an Indonesian of Batak background member of the Batak Christian Protestant Church, Nainggolan was brought up by his Flemish mother Lizy Bogaerts along with his three half brothers and his twin sister.
Leaving his homeland at an early age to pursue his footballing career, “the Roma pitbull” joined Piacenza Calcio 1919 in 2005 at the age of 17. In his best season for the club, he played every league game in the 2008-09 season.
In January 2010, he was loaned to Cagliari, with the Serie A club having the option to make the move permanent at the end of the season. He made his debut in February, and on the 21st June of that year, they acquired the Belgian on a permanent basis.
Quickly cementing his place in the side, Nainggolan renewed his contract in 2013 until the year 2016. He was loaned to AS Roma the following year, and was signed on a permanent basis by the Rome giants in 2015 for €9 million.
What type of player is he?
Nainggolan reminds me of a young Michael Essien. A box-to-box engine, Nainggolan works at a tempo that is unceasingly intense at times. From what I’ve seen, the Belgian always tries to show his man the outside rather than the inside. His ball retention and tight ball skills are also great. Nainggolan is also a great distributor of the ball.
He can not only defend, regularly shutting down passing lanes and depriving players of any sufficient movement off the ball, but Nainggolan drives forward with the football with the ferocity of a lion chasing his prey.
Statistics
In 2015/16, in Serie A and the Champions League, Nainggolan racked up a healthy 6 goals, but only 2 assists, with a pass success rate of 82.5%. He averaged 1.9 SPG (shots per game) and 0.7 aerial duels won per game.
Indeed, Nainggolan’s defensive side is also good. The Belgian all-rounder averaged 3.6 interceptions per game, winning 4.1 tackles, and dribbled past 1.9 times. He also averaged 1.5 clearances, while blocking 0.3 shots p/g.
What are his strengths?
Nainggolan averages 3.6 interceptions a game, 4.1 tackles—it doesn’t take a genius to see that he is a ninja on the field, a player that perfectly embodies Antonio Conte’s drive, determination, and never-say-die attitude—but the Roma pitbull is also an efficient distributor of the ball, whose passing abilities are criminally underrated. On English soil, against Manchester City two seasons ago in a Champions League game, he pinged a peerless ball over the City defence to Francesco Totti at the Etihad, who calmly converted past Joe Hart.
In the Serie A this year, Nainggolan has created 42 chances, with an average pass accuracy of 85%.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIxzhu3n8PY
When he lets fly of the ball, it’s like a cannon has gone off inside the stadium. This was exemplified when Nainggolan cannoned a shot past Pepe Reina in the 89th minute against Napoli for a 1-0 win to Roma in late April and secure yet another Serie A triumph for Juventus. His shot accuracy in the Serie A is 40% and has scored 6 goals.
The Belgian averaged 1.9 shots per game in the Serie A, with every 1 coming from outside the box, and the other 0.9 coming from the penalty area.
Nainggolan’s ball retention is also of very high quality. Nainggolan has won possession 219 times in the midfield third in the past two Serie A campaigns, only a few players can boast a better record than that in the past two seasons.
What are his weaknesses?
Roma’s pitbull still has his fair share of weaknesses. One of those is aerially, where standing at 5’9″, Nainggolan lost 30 of his 51 aerial duels in the Serie A last season. Winning 21, that’s a success rate of 41%.
He also needs to work on his discipline. Racking up 11 yellow cards in the 2015/16 Serie A—and one red card—Nainggolan and fellow midfielder Miralem Pjanic have received more cards than any of their Roma teammates.
Erik Lamela and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa are two players who have played in Italy’s top tier. They have both bemoaned the physicality of the Premier League in the past, so Nainggolan would probably want to work on his temperament if his wishes to avoid more cards in the future.
Would he fit a Conte team?
A 3-5-2 or a 4-2-4 requires players in midfield who will tirelessly work trying to retrieve the ball but also players who have tight ball skills and good communication skills. These are Nainggolan’s hallmarks, so he would fit a Conte side perfectly.
