The Sancho Spectacle: Part II — Carries
Jadon Sancho has always stood out. Even at the tender age of 18, he was one of the world’s hottest prospects. It didn’t matter if he was playing against young or old. Whenever he got tackled, he just got back up again.
He calls himself a street footballer; that’s where it began for him. All the qualities that make up the footballer that is Jadon Sancho are the qualities that make his carries excellent. He has incredible confidence in his own ability, flair, imagination, and a complete absence of fear.
It doesn’t matter what flank he starts on, it doesn’t matter if he receives from deep or just outside the box, his quick feet, and close control mean he will always be a menace to any opposition defender. It makes him the perfect compilation player but also the perfect threat. Let’s scout.
For the nerd in me [and all of us!] and to make sure we are all on the same page, let’s make it clear how I defined a carry. A carry is defined as any movement of the ball by a player which is greater than five metres from where they received the ball. A progressive carry is defined as a carry that is greater than five metres and moves the ball at least five metres towards the opposition goal.
Initiating Carries and Take-Ons
I meant it when I said Jadon Sancho has incredible range when it comes to carries ––which means that there is a lot to look at. Let’s first draw our attention to why his most concentrated areas are on the left.
Jadon Sancho is right-footed, which means when he’s dribbling at people on that left side, he can actually go inside or outside and that makes him very difficult to defend against. This in itself not only makes him a high volume carrier on that left side, but it also makes him more valuable.
What’s even more interesting is that his most concentrated areas, from both flanks, are initiated out of the box. Remember when we said it’s his immense understanding of positioning off the ball that allows him to do excellent things on it? We can see that here. He knows when to position himself on the blindside of the defender wide to then peel away from him or between the lines and utilise his acceleration to then isolate himself.
He can do it deeper too. What needs to be emphasised here is that Jadon Sancho moves quick –– and that is not his acceleration, it’s also his intelligence. When in deeper areas, especially in transitions, he does not dilly-dally on the ball. He keeps it clean and simple. That was an important development in his dribbling over the past three seasons: cutting out unnecessary touches and understanding how to utilise his pace.
What’s even lovelier is that the most concentrated areas of initiating take-ons align quite well with where he initiates carries. It’s self-explanatory but the fact that he can dribble past players whilst carrying the ball is a devastating combination, especially when it’s out wide and leaving the fullback behind. During his time in the Bundesliga, the English forward led the way in terms of attempted take-ons per 90 with 6.6 and successful take-ons per 90 with 3.5.
An area you would not expect a player to initiate carries at a relatively prominent rate is the penalty box, but that’s what makes Sancho special. It’s his magnetism that drags players towards him and creates space for others, even if it’s a mere five yards. How and where he carries the ball is only one of his many excellent qualities, but it’s one of the most important in terms of shaping how he creates chances.
So not only is he excellent when it comes to carries, but he is also excellent when it comes to 1v1s. This means he can bypass defenders and literally take them out of the game — leaving even more space behind to run into. It’s a deadly combination.
Progressive Carries
We know Jadon Sancho is a very high volume carrier of the ball –– but now we can see that. There’s quite a good reason as to why I separated them into the past three seasons — it’s the fact that his central penetration increases as he develops.
One of his biggest tendencies as a player comes in the form of dropping deep, despite the fact that Borussia Dortmund play in a system that is oriented around high possession. His value as a ball carrier does not come from merely passing the ball, it also comes from carrying the ball into valuable areas and what he does after it. Again, it’s his deep understanding of spatial awareness that we covered in detail in the previous chapter that allows him to receive from multiple areas in transitions and settled possession.
From a Sancho that used to carry possession into the crowded areas of the pitch too often came a Sancho that was better at distributing the ball between either flank and utilising that in itself to create chances. He began using his pace, but again, I don’t just mean acceleration.
He developed quick combinations with his attacking counterparts, his positioning and penetrative runs before beginning his carries. This means we saw more range in both the distance in which he carried the ball, but also the areas he began initiating them in.
In very Maram fashion, let’s cluster them and see where we can gain more insights into how he progresses the ball using carries.
What we first notice here is how many of Jadon Sancho’s progressive carry clusters penetrate the penalty box. Don’t mistake this as a common occurrence, it’s quite resounding for a player of his profile. Let me explain why.
While Jadon Sancho is a player of pace and elegance, he isn’t one of explosive pace, yet he still possesses an ability to progress the ball out wide, stretch the backline and take on his man. He can also cut inside.
What do we gain from this? His value in progressing the ball through carrying is one that is quite adaptable. That’s a rare characteristic in the rehearsed patterns of modern football. He is able to replicate what he does no matter what flank he is on. Adapting his talent and adjusting his approach is what makes him difficult. Why? It’s because his productivity does not drop when moved. And again, throughout all three seasons, he’s attracted to the left.
He can attack the penalty box, he can cut inside, he can receive from the half-spaces, and run to the byline. So, not only is it a variety of skills on the ball, but it is also a variety of skills that have multiple applications. It means his creation and progression through carries isn’t restricted to just the fullback, or just the midfielder or even the striker. He is able to weave a connection with teammates by either creating space for them or supplying them with incisive passes.
His value in carrying is not limited to just creating chances or in the attacking areas. His ability to receive possession in deeper areas means he can help move the ball higher up the field, especially by cutting inside to the central areas. Sometimes that wins a foul. If it doesn’t, it also means he can progress the ball uncontested. No matter the outcome, you are higher up the pitch than where you started from. A win-win.
What does that give? A problem-solver. I always like to say that when you give brilliant players freedom, they will do brilliant things. This is the case with the Sancho –– when given the ball, he will create and progress, especially through carries. So when you have your team struggling against a low block, you have an excellent carrier that can receive high and deep and that can disrupt the opposition’s organisation. Not every carry adds value, but with Sancho, the majority do.
It’s easy to forget he is only 21. I sometimes do. Not only does that mean his brilliance will improve with time, but it’ll make him one of the most exciting prospects in the world.
Chance Creations From Carries
Jadon Sancho is only second to Lionel Messi in terms of goal involvements following a ball carry since the 2018/19 season –– to say he is good is an understatement. I’ll take it even further. Jadon Sancho is as good, if not better, a carrier as he is a passer. Let’s examine how he shoots following his carries.
Now, this is one of my favourite discoveries. Jadon Sancho actually carries the ball at a much shorter distance when shooting than when it is a shot-creating pass. Why is that? Well, one of the reasons is because he’s always setting himself up to receive in valuable positions.
Let’s take a look:
What makes Jadon Sancho’s carries deadly when carrying isn’t just what he does on the ball, it’s what he does off it and most importantly –– before it. In both examples, we can see how he, little by little, peels away from the defender to isolate himself. His preparation before carries is quite impressive. It’s all about making it easy, or rather, look easy. It leaves the defender too late to react and creates vast space for him to run into, especially in transitions.
And if that wasn’t enough, what he does on the ball is excellent. His ability to glide past players while carrying creates and opens up angles for him to shoot the ball. He’s quick and smart, such that one defender is rarely sufficient. His foot is so close to the ball, if you come for it, he’s now gone because he can move the ball instantaneously.
This leads us to two particular insights about how Jadon Sancho utilises carries to generate shots at an exceptional rate –– it’s his spatial awareness and close control. It’s also why he has a good conversion rate, he is setting himself up in ideal positions.
That’s what makes Sancho special, it’s the devastating combination of both on-the-ball and off-the-ball excellence.
Wow, let’s talk long distance. Sancho is very good at carrying the ball from deep, especially in transitions, that we know.
Let’s look deeper.
I once again point to acceleration and yes, this time, I actually mean acceleration. The long-distance that Sancho covers in his carries isn’t one that’s captured by the data, but one essential to his shot creation. The snapshot above is a perfect example.
The defender who was once ahead of him now cannot even not catch up to him –– that is what allows Sancho to release the ball in a swift manner, but also drive into the opposition box and drag *checks notes* three players along with him. He is very good at getting ahead of his opponent, but here’s something even better: when he is in such tight spaces, he can still carry it forward and pick out a teammate.
That brings us to our next point, there is a reason Sancho creates more from his carries as opposed to taking shots. While he is a ball-to-feet player, he is also a pass-first player. That is what makes him extremely efficient. He understands the value and space created from his carries and uses that to generate chances for others. He’s always scanning, always looking up even whilst dribbling with the ball.
And finally: his carries following shot creations are incredibly direct and incisive. It’s not just the pass itself, it’s the magnetism he draws from running into valuable spaces. Let us not forget he defines himself as a street footballer –– fundamentally, he is not afraid to take on his man [and he’s quite good at it too!].
This means he’s able to penetrate spaces under pressure quite well, opening up further avenues to create from. An 18-year-old Sancho misused this skillset and fell into the trap of overzealousness, now he runs into dangerous positions to play a cutback or a ball across the six-yard box. So it’s not just his carries that are threats, his passes after that are as well.
Progressive Combinations
What makes Jadon Sancho’s carries so good aren’t just the carries themselves –– it’s what he does after it too. Not only does he carry the ball higher up the pitch, but he also releases it higher up the pitch. This is a common theme across the past three seasons, his passes after carries are penetrating the penalty box at an outstanding rate, many of them deep into the six-yard box.
It’s the epitome of Sancho himself: incisive. He gets into good positions as a result of his close control and he distributes into good positions as a result of his vision and technical ability.
It’s one thing being able to carry the ball into dangerous positions and disrupting the opposition’s organisation, but it is another thing to be able to exploit that using penetrative passes. Otherwise, the player wouldn’t be taking advantage of the a) disruption b) space created as a result. Sancho; however, releases the ball quickly, allowing him to take advantage of both. That’s what happens when intelligence is paired with ability.
He is the best among the best. The fact that he ranks high in both progressive carries per 90 and carries followed by progressive passes per 90 reaffirms what we know: both his carries and what comes after it are incredibly valuable. When given the ball, he’s very productive without needing assistance. That is output that can be transferred to any team and raise its potential. That is his adaptability.
Conclusion
We now know everything about Sancho’s carries and how they make up the footballer. Like himself, his carries are not just valuable in terms of chance creation, it’s also in terms of helping move the ball higher up the pitch. That is a combination of his flair that we all love but also his vision.
We also looked at how such traits are even more valuable as a result of how transferable they are across different positions and different end results. It’s all about how he utilises them. He knows when to peel away as silent as a mouse but he also knows when to be loud by bursting with pace.
How close Sancho holds the ball to his feet is how he excels now–– and it’s quite symbolic that he developed this playing football in the streets with his mates. And like us fans drawn to our television screens, defenders are magnetised to his gravity in the [hopeless] attempt of wanting to close him down.
If you need even more to look forward to, we will be talking about his creation and passing in the next part of the spectacle.
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