Spotlight on... Nilson Angulo

Our next post features another young, exciting talent straight out of Ecuador in the form of attacker Nilson Angulo. We use the phrase 'attacker' as the first thing you notice about Angulo is his versatility. We analysed his performances earlier this year and immediately identified his talent and earmarked him for a move to Europe and on the 21st June, he signed for Anderlecht.

We've seen Angulo play anywhere across the front three or just off the front and he looks very capable in each position. His physical characteristics, particularly his size and pace immediately catch the eye as do his ball manipulation skills, particularly in 1v1 situations. Angulo references this in his first interview after signing a five-year deal with the Belgian club:

"What can supporters expect from me? I think I can make an impact with my dribbles in a 1-on-1 situation"

Anderlecht CEO Peter Verbeke echoed the same sentiments:

"We have been following Nilson for a long time now and it was clear that he was making progress match after match. Nilson can play as a striker, but also as a winger or wingback. He is of course still young and he will need some time to adjust, but with his dribbling skills he could prove his value to the team soon.”

The 19 year old made a name for himself at LDU Quito, breaking into the first team in the 2020/21 season, playing 13 games in all competitions, scoring once and contributing one assist. He earned himself a call up to the Ecuadorian national team in the process. He then cemented his place as a prominent figure at Liga in the first stage of the 2021/22 season, playing 21 times, scoring 6 and contributing 4 assists. His standout performances caught the eye of many suitors including Anderlecht, who were quick to act and secure the Ecuadorian on a long term contract.

SAFA Analysis

Overview (Written in March): Young and exciting Ecuadorian prospect who has come through Liga’s Academy. Looks capable of playing anywhere across a front three or as a number 10. Very dangerous in 1v1 situations, continually dribbled past players with good close control. Comes alive in the final third and looks capable of creating something out of nothing both for himself (Non Penalty Goals per 90: 0.39, 4/33 in data set) and others (xA per 90: 0.16, 9/33 in data set). Suits a system where he gets plenty of ball to feet and is allowed time and space to be creative and expressive.

Angulo; Data Set Average; Best in Data Set: Lisandro Alzugaray

Other players who scored well on the data: 

Ismael Diaz (25, Panamanian, Universidad Catolica)

Joao Rojas (24, Ecuadorian, Monterrey - Formerly Emelec)

Ramon (23, Brazilian, Guayaquil City)

Radar Review: Scores fairly well across most domains with Assists per 90 and Crosses per 90 being the only two where he scores are notably low. We see the right side of the radar as areas to improve in comparison to the best player in the data set but we acknowledge this comparison is to a far more experienced player. His Dribbles per 90, Shot on Target % and Defensive Duels per 90 are very encouraging. By playing in a more structured set up with better players around him at Anderlecht we expect his attacking output to increase further.

Physical (88%): Angulo scored highly within our profiling system with his top speed, acceleration and strength his outstanding physical attributes. He is also deceptively agile for a player of his size (6'1). Will comfortably handle, and excel in, the Jupiler Pro League. 

Technical/Tactical In Possession (81%): Highly creative with the ball at feet and very dangerous in 1v1 situations. Defenders really struggle to contain him 1v1. In the data set we used for the analysis, he was comfortably top for Dribbles per 90: 8.57, 1/33 in data set) with a reasonable success rate (51%). In terms of his final ball, this needs to improve in quantity and consistency. Even when playing as a winger, he prefers to play narrow and shoot (Shots per Game: 2.18, 10/33 in data set) rather than go on the outside and cross (Crosses per 90: 1.71, 23/33 in data set). He also displayed good intelligence and movement in the final third to drift into and play in defenders' blindspots.

Technical/Tactical Defending (63%): We saw a limited output from Angulo in this domain, he was too passive too often and when he was involved he was a little off the pace. When made concerted efforts to affect the opponents' play, he was slow to anticipate the play as it developed and occasionally gave away cheap free kicks. All things considered, his defensive data isn't too bad, engages in 6.23 Defensive Duels per 90 with a 59% Success Rate which places him 7th and 11th out of 33 in the data set. 

Psychological/Behavioural (75%): Sent off in the Aucas game which influenced our analysis of him in this domain. He displayed a lack of discipline to raise a hand to an opponent but other than that he displays positive behavioural traits, particularly with regards to his confidence. His self-belief to receive the ball at feet, attack defenders in isolated situations and express himself in the final third is excellent for a player of his age and something which will stand him in good stead in the future. 

Overall: Nilson Angulo is an exciting prospect and his influential performances have earned him a deserved move to a big European club. It's unclear at the moment how long Nilson will have to wait for his opportunity but here at SAFA we're expecting him to take his opportunity with both hands. Impactful off the bench, we are expecting Angulo to show what he's capable of in Anderlecht's first team this season and if so, he may well be knocking on the Gustavo Alfaro's door for a place in the Ecuador squad in Qatar.