Arrigo: Unlocking The Linebreaker

There won’t be a long, novel-like introduction today. We will go right into the thick of it. Our aim today is to identify a concrete profile of centre-back: one who breaks opponents' line with his passes. In other words, today we're looking for the Linebreaker. We will use our Arrigo data and its intelligent metrics, which combine event and tracking data. ‍

The Linebreaker Profile

Let’s put it straight: what on Earth is a Linebreaker?

◎ We seek a risk-taking defender who’s also safe with his passing game.

◎ A progressive passer who frequently plays the ball forward.

◎ In terms of quality, his passes must be dangerous and create real threat.

◎ Obviously, he has to be line-breaking, but we need to identify how he does it.

◎ Lastly, he has to do it consistently.

Our focus will be on Linebreakers in the top five leagues. In the 24/25 season 417 central defenders played over 1000 minutes in at least one of these leagues. Now we will filter them to find exactly what we are looking for.

These criteria allow us to focus on defenders who not only contribute to building play but also actively create danger and disrupt opposing defensive structures. By setting these thresholds, we make sure we highlight players who consistently impact the game in benefit of their teams through line-breaking actions, rather than occasional or sporadic efforts.

◉ Quantity-wise, they should have averaged at least 30 completed passes per game with a success rate of 80% or higher.

◉ They have to pass the ball forward frequently: a minimum of 12 progressive passes per game, and at least 40% of their total passes should go forward.

◉ Threat creation: we will only stick with players who average over 0.2 xT(Expected Threat)per 100 passes.

◉ Line-breaking: at least 3 line-breaking passes completed per game.

◉ They have to do it constantly: at least 7% of their passes should be line-breaking.

We've now gone from 417 centre-backs to 33. These are the Linebreakers of the top five leagues. Among them, only 10 are under the age of 25.

Up-and-Coming Linebreakers

Future linebreakers breaking through. Prospects every team dreams of.

The youngest of all our Linebreakers is Rennes graduate Jeremy Jacquet. Being a Rennes academy product can only mean two things: he will probably be great… and expensive. He's already ticking the first box. He’s good, pretty good, even though he has only amassed just over 1000 minutes. At Rennes, Jacquet was the right-sided defender in a four-men defensive line. However, quantity-wise, his role in Rennes’ build-up was reduced. He was in the 30% of Ligue 1 defenders with the lowest number of passes per game.

It’s his willingness to be agressive and dangerous with his passing that we truly appreciate as Linebreakers trackers. 46.3% of his passes went forward last season. Only 8 central defenders in Ligue 1 did it more frequently. Also, Jacquet recorded an average of 0.23 xT per each 100 passes. Both things combined mean that not only Jacquet can pass the ball forward but he can also find teammates in advanced, dangerous positions.

We also celebrate the frequency in which he can make line-breaking passes, even though his numbers weren’t as high as other Linebreakers. With the minimum required at 3 line-breaking passes per game, Jacquet went slightly over it with 3.28. Nonetheless, he showed consistent commitment to making this kind of passes which created direct value to his team. His rate of 12 passes per line-breaking pass was the third-best among our U25 Linebreakers.

Another U25 Linebreaker we want to highlight is RB Leipzig's left-footed defender El Chadaille Bitshiabu. Before we dive in: he’s massive, he’s mountain-like tall. That said, among all our Linebreakers, not just the under 25, he recorded the 2nd most line-breaking passes per game (4.76), only behind Nico Schlotterbeck.

There are cheaters inside our linebreaker list, some of whom break lines by making long passes over the opponents' last defensive line. These kind of passes don't require as much precision and timing as others in the same category. However, Bitshiabu is not one of them. In fact he ranks 2nd among Linebreakers for the most passes that break the midfield line. The French central defender is the ideal profile of passing centre back for a team which thrives on the renowned artificial transitions. These tend to happen when the midfielder line is turned on its head and opponents can exploit the space behind it.

Even though he has great ability at line-breaking, Bitshiabu struggles when under pressure. He completed 5.2 passes under strong pressure per game (the 8th-best number in the Bundesliga), but these passes only accounted for 76.1% of his total passes attempted under strong pressure. A figure well below average and significant enough to be noted.

Golden Ticket Linebreakers‍

‍Consolidated talents in their prime. Game-changers every team wants.

We won’t stop on Dean Huijsen. He played in the most-watched football league in the world, and you all know him. If you don’t, he recently signed for Real Madrid. Vinicius Jr, Mbappé and Co. will surely be licking his lips at the the idea of Huijsen and his singular ability to break the defensive line. This Spanish centre-back recorded the 4th highest number of passes that broke the last defensive line per game (1.25). The famous through balls that leave attackers in an extremely advantageous position.

Schlotterbeck is the only U25 Linebreaker who bettered Huijsen’s through balls number last season (1.42 per game).

Everybody stay calm, we're nearly there. You’ve been reading about him for the last 3 paragraphs. Nico Schlotterbeck is the poster boy for our Linebreaker profile. None of them average more than Schlotterbeck's 5.96 line-breaking passes per game.

Moreover, he was the Linebreaker with the highest number of opponents bypassed per game on average. Not all passes have to be line-breaking or deactivate an entire line of the opponents to be effective. Only two defenders in the Bundesliga bypassed more players and the German completed the 2nd most passes that bypassed players in the league.

If he can get back to his previous level after recovering from a meniscus injury, he will surely be worth his weight in gold.

Still D.R.E

Experienced pros at their peak. Playmakers every squad desires.

Are you a team looking for a linebreaker-type defender but can’t afford a big fee? Or maybe are you building a team and searching for a experienced linebreaker?

Here are two interesting options for your team-building process.

Daley Blind’s maturity (35 years old) makes him an appealing name. He’s now more of a secure passer rather than a risk-first player. He made the cut, but only 41.4% of his passes completed went forward, slighty above our minimum in this metric (40%). He’s a left-sided central defender with bags of experience. Blind generates the 5th-best number of xT per 100 passes among central defenders in LaLiga.

Only two centre-backs in our Linebreaker list averaged more line-breaking passes than Blind last season. Only 5 defenders in LaLiga bypassed more players with their passes.

The other veteran we are recommeding is 33-year-old Kevin Vogt. With 3.82 line-breaking passes per game, he ranks 20th among all Bundesliga defenders. 7.59% of his passes are line-breaking. Last season he recorded 8 games with 4 or more line-breaking passes.

To finish on a high, these are all our U25 Linebreaker. Bear in mind that only these 10 players surpassed the minimum criteria.