New St Johnstone loan signing, Dara Costelloe, is a versatile attacker.
Two-footed, quick, direct and possessing a determination to drive at defenders, the Irishman is happy to play across the front three.
After getting early-season game-time at Burnley under Vincent Kompany, Costelloe spent the second half of 2022/23 with Bradford City.
Courier Sport has analysed the 20-year-old’s StatsBomb numbers to determine how Steven MacLean is likely to get the best out of his latest recruit.
Positions played and touch map
The football played at Bradford wasn’t for the purists – not uncommon in the EFL’s bottom tier.
As was observed on ‘The Width of a Post’ Bradford website after a January victory: “It’s all a bit more, well, back to basics.
“It’s not flash, it’s not overly complicated and it’s not even especially clever. It’s just simplifying some of the complexity, and understanding better what your typical League Two player is good at.”
Manager Mark Hughes found a formation that worked around the time Costelloe arrived at Valley Parade, a 4-3-1-2.
And he was often deployed as the left-sided forward in the two.
Over Costelloe’s 11 games he played in five positions (in descending order of game-time) – left-sided forward, left winger, right-sided forward, left wing-back and attacking midfielder.
His touch map shows that, even though he wasn’t getting chalk on his boots, he was predominantly on the ball in the left third of the pitch – or on the right – rather than down the middle.
Strengths as a winger
Dividing the analysis between Costelloe’s output as a winger and output as a striker is illuminating.
Looking at the former, you can see he out-performed the League Two average for his position in five key metrics.
His shots, xG shots and xG percentile totals are all in the 60s, even though he didn’t score at Bradford.
Costelloe’s touches in the box numbers are even more impressive and his pressure regains point to a player who will give MacLean the work-rate he is demanding and which has been conspicuous by its absence too frequently in the Perth side so far this season.
Strengths as a forward
Given he didn’t find the net, it’s no surprise that Costelloe’s radar shows him falling markedly short of the League Two average for strikers when it comes to goal-related metrics.
His shots, touches in the box and shot touch percentage are all marginally above the pack, however.
Costelloe certainly wasn’t hiding nor was he afraid to go for goal.
It is also worth noting that Costelloe’s pressure regains in central areas are even more impressive than out wide.
Conclusion
At points of this season, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Costelloe deployed centrally.
As long as he’s not being fed high balls from the back, he has the speed and know-how built up in League Two to do a job there.
But Saints’ need for pace and somebody to stretch an opposition defence is at its greatest out wide.
And Costelloe’s StatsBomb numbers back-up the theory that’s where he’ll be used predominantly, as was the case in his handful of appearances at his parent club.
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