Hitting the corners with Eli Junior Kroupi

After some internal deliberation and recalibration at SCOUTED HQ, SCOUT NOTES is now the go-to newsletter for those that love discovering new players and learning the finer details of the finest emerging talents football has to offer.

This week, I'm drilling down on the detail to highlight the pinpoint finishing ability of Eli Junior Kroupi. Next week, I'll probably do something more akin to the classic SCOUTED profile, like my one on Lucas Bergvall.

But every week, you'll get actual scout notes from my burgeoning notebook on a broad selection of up-and-coming prospects. That will be one of the pillars of SCOUT NOTES moving forward: me watching loads of games and players, then bringing my thoughts straight to you.

If you want the overview on the future of football, you come to SCOUTED. If you want the deep dive on the future of football, you come to SCOUT NOTES. Got it?

In this week's SCOUT NOTES:

• A deep dive on hitting corners with Eli Junior Kroupi
• The breakout attacker in this season's J.LEAGUE
• FC Nordsjælland's newest Ghanaian prospect
• Top talents at the elite academies, and more...

You’ve all heard of the term ‘hit the corners’, right? If you’ve played football at any organised level, you must’ve had a coach telling you to do exactly that. It’s a simple yet logical approach to shooting: try and put the ball in the further reaches of the goal, as far away from the goalkeeper as possible.

Y’know who hits the corners? Eli Junior Kroupi.

He doesn’t just hit the corners, he is really good at hitting the corners. I’ve been watching him recently and his ability to plant the ball in the practically unsaveable areas of the goal – out of reach from a diving ‘keeper, nestling into the side netting – is eye-catchingly impressive. Most of his goals this season have seen him hit a corner of sorts, and there have been a number saw of near misses of a similar ilk.

Kroupi is an instep finisher. His best finishes see him use the curved, bony bridge between the side and top of his right foot. That part of your foot is a best of two worlds: it generates power but not at the expense of control, while the typical angle of attack on the ball (hitting upward from its underside) imparts a topspin that gets it turning over itself, dipping in the air and fizzing off the turf. Factor all three in and you’ve got, probably, the most effective finish in football.

I’ve categorised five-and-a-half of his nine non-penalty goals this season so far as a ‘hit the corners’ goal, using his instep to execute them. Let’s break them down…