🇲🇱boGOALan: Mamadou Doumbia

Giraffe watch - FA Cup vs Fulham, January 9

I decided to go for a trek for the new year ; as I’m always fooled by how Hammersmith, Kensington and Fulham are a little bit more than a group of flats with the next station around the corner. Well, kinda, but buses stopping every two minutes makes it quite the journey. Hammersmith, in particular, sounds like a black hole of a building-roundabout that swallows time and bus schedules. Anyway

This one belongs to the CLOUD 9 : The Temptations series

But also, the draft was already in the way before I started the series so.

Also on Watford :

Hello Yellow Brick Road

Watford’s red and yellow reminds me of the Montessori learning tools I grew up with, then the number of saves on EA then FM Manager I did (never quite knew why). There’s a sense of familiarity here, but that doesn’t align with specific players.

I of course remember Adrian Mariappa and Jobi McAnuff.

Then when I started watching The Football League Show ; and turned a corner by getting radicalised to rant about Watford’s managerial sackings when a bloke called Sean Dyche was said to be unfairly removed from his position (years before he’d become a box office Barclays Main Character). Pundits all in agreement and all that.

I remember liking Tom Cleverley wearing the boots I kinda fancied.

Him and Daniel Drinkwater (Huddersfield, Mercurial boots in central midfield, woke) gave me the idea to follow big club loanees in the EFL as football then was dangerously closing in to having my age peers featuring.

I’ve also become a fairly knowledgeable football expert over the years, usually killing time in train commutes by writing the full Premier League lineups by memory on a blank sheet of paper, squad numbers. Being able to waffle on every Premier League footballer and whatnot.

But other than that, Watford’s squads is the kind of blackhole of football knowledge I settled with accepting to accept not knowing about thoroughly ; reverting to “ah right, you’re there”, and “well well well, who are you sir.”

Knowing these players signed from Udinese, or on loan from Granada doesn’t feel like bringing us anywhere further down the road ; just like driving by car between London and Watford.

Point is. Watford play, you don’t know who’s gonna turn up and actually ; I’d suggest leaving it as such. Their huge squad turnover and emphasis on transfers ; acknowledging there’s people who know their stuff, mean you’re rarely disappointed.

Fulham - Watford

Watford fans chanted Tom Cleverley’s name througout 90’ ; the prawn cocktail, brie-eating quiet Fulham home support contrasting from a decibel standpoint, but still one of the best away ends atmpsphere I’ve seen all season.

4 fairly great goals.

GBE criteria

And a Mamadou Doumbia stating upfront, 18 with a Malian patronym, rare in the UK.

Which would suggest : either he worked really hard for 6 months after a transfer and deserved a first start after impressing in training, or only joined and is already so good that he already starts.

Turns out after checking that Mamadou Doumbia signed in February 2024 after impressing at the U17 World Cup
He joined in July 2024 after being awarded one of the GBE spots…

…available to EFL League Clubs ; depending on the number of English players they play.

Bogoalan

The idea behind this was to break down “the play” I saw that made me decide to write a tidbit down the line. This is a fairly regular play ; striker intercepts a lose pass, then proceeds to move across the front line and tries to attack the cross.

The fact that he’s not a complete lamp post was a good base to start.

Then, not knowing the player, it’s more about dribbling what I’d imagine a clumsy lanky striker would do (go through people, fall over due to the wind, move his limbs with 300ms ping, react to what’s happening on his direct environment).

Hmm, well okay then

Scouting memo

• Can you move

• Can you move in all directions

• Can you move before the ball does

• Are you at ease in large space (eat up ground)

• Are you at ease in small spaces (agility, deceleration)

Ball about to be recovered, eyes on the ball, one foot in front, one foot behind (not flat footed only looking at his goal) - can see both goals

Block on right leg to push towards his left shoulder

Sprinting motion (self explanatory) : chest aligned with left calf

Deceleration : this prevents him to go through people, clamp someone at the edge of his own box. And have coaches cuss you : the equivalent of eating gasoline as opposed to bleach : I’d rather have a striker who won’t defend (organise the remaining 8 to) than a clumsy striker who’ll concede daft free kicks in his own half.

First block is brave, to get stuck in ; whover has the closest stance to shoulders / chest over the ball will have the strongest position and get away with it

Good spring to bounce back from the previous block : succession of explosive demands, sprint (speed), block (strength), bounce from it (power)

The agility is interesting, landing the right foot a bit withdrawn

Stuttering with the right, for the purpose to make a reverse flick with the left leg

Which is sharp, by chopping the ball.

The fine line betwen hitting a pass, and shanking it.

Pivoting from the left toes (1), opening the gate to land the right foot (2) with an angle

So that he can run forwards in 3 steps

Ball moves left, occupy the space 2/3 of the distance between the two CBs

Ball far side, but not close enough to get grabbed or clipped off the ball-

Shenanigans!

In position to run around the penalty spot opposite side, to attack the near post

Which he does, as he stayed between the two CBs

Larouci plays the ball back, and the Fulham right back is slacking

Usually fullbacks are meant sprint back in position then recover.

Not the other way round

Doumbia recognizes it. Covered in other articles, Tosin or Mheuka.

It’s an algorithm: 2v2 (Watford carrier + striker) vs CB / FB

There’s a combination of situations (both in position, one, two out of position) that dictates where the space is (duh) and what passes can be played

Doumbia attacks the open space

Anyway, ball moves across for the other attacker in the D ; but Doumbia has created for himself the room to start from the opposite CB and attack the near post again

Which he starts doing going at the opposite side of the ball

Not afraid to arm wrestle with Diop ; will you marry me?

Whoever gets the opposite arm in front will get dibs to then get the hip and leg to flick the cross at the near post.

Cross is cleared;

Takeaways :

• Can move in space, to eat up ground and decelerate

• Can move his feet and be agile

• Knows where to go to prepare the next move

• Some elements of gamemanship

Doumbia’s season so far

Two cameos in the EFL Cup in August

Three cameos in the first part of the season ; mostly playing for the U21s

where he scored against Bristol U21s (2)

Featuring Amin Nabizada:

and Charlton U21s

His full start for Watford probably made a good enough impression after the defeat at Sheffield United, and got him to start one month later.

Scored a top level goal at Bristol City

One of the biggest learning points for strikers is that they need to move 4 times to create a yard and receive where they want.

Go away to come back in, with curvilinear runs (that’s 4 bits of movement)

Diagonal run across to get the defender follow him and get away from his team mate

Run across the front line (move "#1)

Diagonal run #2 to get the runner track his movement

Get back centrally-ish for a better receiving location (goal in front), that’s move #3

Open between two defenders

Pass is in the air, so MD dominates the ball topping it (volley from up to down)

Right foot pointing where he wants to shoot, volleying the ball on downwards trajectory

Follow through with left foot toes pointing

And the killer bounce just before the goalkeeper

We can legitimately compute the technical benchmarks are hit because the shot goes in.

Mamadou Doumbia scored one of the 16 goals conceded by Burnley

Look at Doumbia grappling at the far post

big difference between elbowing people in the face, and jumping with a folded arm nudge on the shoulder (jump higher, a bit early because you can afford to, an you’ll put a ceiling to the defenders’ leap)

The goalscorer’s rebound, make sure it bounces in front of the goalie.

Depending on the surface, grass, dryness, how wet it is etc… the rebound is different and the ball gather speed on the dense watered pitch.

International stage

Mamadou Doumbia has had a productive 2023 year at U17 level

The goal vs Burkina is uncannily similar to the one scored vs Bristol City, with a low diagonal first touch and drilled finish under the goakeeper’s arm.

The goal againt Cameroon is stunning

Which reminds me of one of the best goals I’ve seen live, that’s Olivier Giroud for Tours FC in 2009-10

Mamadou Doumbia was voted Young Player of the Season at Watford after 2 goals in 22 games.

He caught my eye for the speed, left foot, quality of the first touch in space and feline finishing moves. Watford are ruthless when it comes to identifying and signing strikers, maybe the groundwork means they always had a head start when it comes to sign him. Can head and take on people. More things than the stiff stick man striker goal hanging to tangle his feet. Won two penalties as well.

That’s a wide “fits all” cluster, but Papiss Cissé, Diafra Sakho, Sadio Mané or Emmanuel Adebayor played in Ligue 2 at this age and Mamadou Doumbia doesn’t necessarily compare defavourably to him. Joao Pedro, Richarlison are two other example of extremely quick and agile goalscorers Watford identified then sold for 30-50m.

That skillset combined to goals get you a PL move. Only 2 goals but continued starts mean there’s something in the workrate, activity, desire and ability to get in the game that makes coach persist

Let’s see if he continues getting minutes ; and get double digits next season in the Premier League.

Efficiency is interesting, and when he gets it on target it’s usually a goal.

Caveat that Championship strikers have to receive a lot more clearances pumped in their general direction

Let’s see who wins.

Microsoft Excel 1995 vs Watford striker scouts.