As Tyler Adams prepares to feature for Leeds United against Crystal Palace in Perth, Adrian Clarke looks at the impact he can make.
Tyler Adams (LEE)
USA international Adams will hope his positive history of working under Jesse Marsch can help him make a strong early impression at Leeds United.
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The 23-year-old excelled for the Leeds head coach at New York Red Bulls in MLS, and with RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga.
Expectations are high that his energy and all-action style will help compensate for the loss of Kalvin Phillips to Manchester City.
It is perhaps unfair to make too many parallels between Phillips and Adams, who are stylistically quite different.
Phillips was more of a box-to-box performer for Leeds and was happy dropping in between the central defenders to make something happen and play raking long-range passes.
Most of Adams' best work is done in the middle of the pitch, knitting moves together with shorter, sharp passing and busy movement.
Phillips and Adams compared
| 2021/22 | Phillips | Adams |
|---|---|---|
| Minutes | 1,596 | 1,351 |
| Completed passes | 769 | 792 |
| Completed long passes | 160 | 73 |
| Pass accuracy | 81.5% | 86.7% |
| Pressures | 504 | 325 |
| Tackles won | 43 | 16 |
| Shots | 15 | 2 |
As a teenager, Adams was regarded as an aggressive and determined defensive midfielder.
In 2018, he ranked second for blocks (77) and third for interceptions (53) in MLS, while also making 54 tackles.
Flashes of his combativeness were on display for RB Leipzig, and Adams will again work tirelessly to disrupt the flow of opposition moves.
However, his defensive numbers have been less eye-catching since arriving in European football.
Partnership with Roca
It is expected that Marsch will pair Adams with the left-footed Marc Roca, who signed for Leeds from Bayern Munich earlier this summer.
The 25-year-old Spaniard is a deep-lying playmaker who can break the lines with his progressive forward passes.
😤 @marcroca21 pic.twitter.com/oaXlc5CnXs
— Leeds United (@LUFC) July 17, 2022
Together, they will seek to provide tenacity, compactness and quality in and out of possession.
Across Europe’s top five leagues in the last 12 months, Roca ranks in the highest seven per cent for pressures per 90 minutes.
Setting the tone
As a bit-part-player for Bayern, he also averaged 70.6 passes a match, getting on the ball as often as possible from his defensive role.
Marsch likes his teams to produce high-octane football and this midfield pair will be asked to set the tone.
While Adams and Roca may be Premier League rookies, the duo have the athleticism, desire and technical class to be awkward opponents.