Your new favourite centre-back, the U-21 EURO dream teams, and the cleanest sheets in South America

I’m back.

I had to skip last week’s newsletter as I spent Monday on a 48.5km walk to Essex. After blistering both little toes into oblivion, I completed 62km across two days for Movember. It will take a lot for me to miss MNS, so if you want to read more about why I did so last week, you can visit this page.

If not, you’re about to get stuck into a feast of youth-centric stories from last week’s international fixtures. Settle in.

On this week’s Monday Night SCOUTED:

• There’s no way through the Ecua-door
• VfL Wolfsburg: centre-back whisperers
• Imagine these line-ups at the UEFA U21 EURO in 2025
• SCOUTED Stats refresher

Let’s make up for lost time…

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Wolfsburg have done it again

At the start of last season, VfL Wolfsburg sold Micky van de Ven to Tottenham Hotspur for €40m, their second-highest sale after Kevin De Bruyne. At the start of 2024/25, they sold Maxence Lacroix to Crystal Palace for €18m. According to Transfermarkt, that also makes their top 10 for record departures.

It will not take long for another centre-back to appear on that list. It may even happen in January.

I was first alerted to Konstantinos Koulierakis by SCOUTED Stats. In fact, it was in the last MNS newsletter that he caught my attention.

Konstantinos Koulierakis completed 19 long passes against Augsburg, the most by any U23 player in a single game this season - including goalkeepers! He also came close to breaking Lucas Beraldo’s record for Progressive Passing Distance and is only the second player to cover 500+ yards in Carry Distance. Wolfsburg’s 2003-born Greek centre-back racked up 794 yards through his passing in the 1-1 draw, 59 short of the Brazilian’s benchmark. He also logged 527 yards-worth of carrying, 97 short of Jérémy Doku’s MD1 total of 624 against Chelsea. Konstantinos Koulierakis, you have my attention.

Over the international break, Greece lost 0-3 to England before beating Finland 0-2, finishing level on points with the former in UEFA Nations League Group B2 (my word, that is just so silly to write out) but missing out on top spot due to the goal difference across their head-to-head matches with the Three Lions.

Koulierakis made five appearances across the group stage overall, including both recent matches. In those games, he displayed characteristics that will add millions to Wolfsburg’s asking price.

Against England, despite the eventual defeat, Koulierakis made two last-man tackles and four overall. No player on the pitch made more. One of his recovery tackles was made by tracking Bellingham all the way into the Greece penalty area to deny a shot. He also matched Watkins for pace at the start of the second half.

Is there room to improve? Of course. He was dragged out of position for England’s opener having decided to follow Bellingham out to the touchline. England’s No.10 created separation with a dip back towards his own goal before swinging the ball into space for Noni Madueke. The Greek never made it back behind the ball.

But against Finland, Koulierakis was the standout player.

Another collection of tackles, interceptions and clearances was punctuated by a perfect line-breaking pass to Anastasios Bakasetas for the opener. It might be my boomer arc, but I have been recently building a strong personal bias towards purposeful, forward-thinking passing like this.

Koulierakis spotted an opportunity, took responsibility and made something happen.

Also against Finland, Christos Mouzakitis made his senior debut. Llew has been banging his drum all season. So, if you still have not made a note then surely you have to now? For Greece, the future looks very bright.

It would become blindingly so if they can convince Belgian-born Konstantinos Karetsas to pledge his allegiance. He may take some convincing - Karetsas was born three years after they won the UEFA European Championship in 2004.

Koulierakis’ front-footed, aggressive approach characterises his style of play with and without the ball and equips him for potential minutes at left-back, as is the current meta.

Either way, Wolfsburg should be applauded for their brilliant scouting. In 2021, they gambled on a 20-year-old Van de Ven from the second tier of Dutch football, sanctioning the €8m signing from FC Volendam. It seems like the risk has paid off with Koulierakis. It is simply a question of how quickly the €11.75m fee they paid to PAOK turns into €40m, not a matter of when.

I would love to know what their centre-back checklist looks like.

Three Amigos

If not for their three-point deduction, Ecuador would be third in CONMEBOL’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification standings. Despite scoring just 10 goals in their opening 11 matches, La Tri have only conceded four. They lost 1-0 away from home to both Argentina and Brazil, also conceding in 2-1 wins at home to Uruguay and away against Bolivia. But that’s it.

After their most recent win, 4-0 against Bolivia, the irrepressible Mister Chip revealed this is the first time in FIFA World Cup qualifying history that Ecuador have kept five consecutive clean sheets at home. If they keep a clean sheet against Colombia on Tuesday night, it will be five in a row. Punto.

In this latest win, three of the back four were born in the year 2001 or later; Pervis Estupiñán was the odd one out.

The centre-back pairing of Willian Pacho (2001, PSG) and Piero Hincapié (2002, Bayer 04 Leverkusen) would not look out if place in the UEFA Champions League knockout stages. But it the third amigo I wanted to highlight.

‘Joel Ordóñez’ will ring a bell for any UEFA Watchlist readers. The 2004-born Club Brugge centre-back still leads all 2001+ players for clearances made in the UEFA Champions League this season and he is the reason why I have been keeping a closer eye on the Ecuador national team.

Ordóñez was spent his youth career at Independiente del Valle, the club famous for developing the likes of Moisés Caicedo, Kendry Páez, Willian Pacho and Piero Hincapié - we need to keep an eye on the Ecuador national team.

Granted, this was just his third senior cap and his first appearance in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, but I believe it is a glimpse into how they will line up in two years, should they qualify.

Sebastián Beccacece is just five games into his tenure as Ecuador head coach and has show an early preference for a back three. Against Bolivia, despite some websites logging their formation as the usual 3-4-3, it played out as a 4-5-1. This may have been due to Bolivia’s first-half red card. It may have been an adaption given their expected dominance. Either way, I don’t expect to see the below heat map too often from Ordóñez.

Since first appearing at the FIFA Men’s World Cup in 2002 - Pacho, the oldest of our SCOUTED-approved trio, would have been 20 months old - Ecuador have never progressed beyond the Round of 16. But the blueprint is there.

Morocco made history in Qatar, conceding just one goal before their 2-0 semi-final defeat to France. The Atlas Lions are the only nation with a perfect record in 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, winning all six games with an aggregate score of 26-2. They have also won three out of three FIFA World Cup qualifiers so far: 10 scored, one conceded.

In 2022, Japan knocked out Germany and topped Group E ahead of Spain with their rearguard approach. In the Second Round of AFC FIFA World Cup qualifying, they have won six out of six games without conceding a single goal and scoring 24. In the Third Round, Samurai Blue have dropped just two points and conceded just one goal, scoring nineteen.

However, given the personnel available - remember, they have Moisés Caicedo marshalling this backline - and the precedent set in 2022, Ecuador could also frustrate the world’s best with this Independiente del Valle trio at the core.

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DREAM TEAMS: UEFA U-21 EURO

By Tuesday evening, we will know the full line-up for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Hosts Slovakia will make their first appearance since 2017 - Milan Škriniar and Stanislav Lobotka were brilliant in that tournament. Five-time winners Italy and Spain will be there, as will the reigning champions, England. Other previous winners include the Netherlands, Germany and France.

Les Espoirs were the only previous winners to qualify via a best-placed runner-up spot after finishing behind Slovenia in Group I. Romania, Denmark and Portugal - who have surprisingly never won this tournament - are the final three group winners. Ukraine and Poland qualified via the same route as France.

Only the three play-off spots remain. In the first legs, Finland beat Norway 5-1, Czechia beat Belgium 2-0 and Georgia beat Croatia 1-0. All three second legs will be played on 19th November.

All players born on or after 1 January 2002 will be eligible to participate in the 25th edition of the UEFA U21 EURO next summer. That means every single one of these line-ups would be legal.

Beyond a bit of a fun (please don’t take the line-ups too seriously), I think these line-ups also show just how young some of the game’s superstar talent is. Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham, Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz are among the best players on the planet, regardless of age.

It also illustrates just how far ahead Bart Verbruggen is of any goalkeeper his age.

We will not see the majority of these players in Slovakia next year, but that is what makes the tournament even more exciting. We get to discover a new generation of talent.

SCOUTED Stats

That’s it. No more international breaks until 2025. From here on out, it’s wall-to-wall club football.

So, I thought I would present a complete run-down of the 2024/25 SCOUTED stat leaders across Europe’s Big Five Leagues so far. Each metric will be broken down into three categories:

• Season: outfield players born in the year 2001 or later
• Per 90: outfield players born in the year 2001 or later with at least three 90s
• Match: outfield players under the age of 23 on the day - in the result of a tie, the youngest player is listed

All data is correct as of 18 November 2024

Goals

Season: 10 - Bradley Barcola (2002, Paris Saint-Germain)

Per 90: 1.2 - Bradley Barcola (2002, Paris Saint-Germain), Jhon Durán (2003, Aston Villa)

Match: 4 - Cole Palmer (22 years 145 days old, Chelsea, vs. Brighton)

Assists

Season: 7 - Bukayo Saka (2001, Arsenal), Lamine Yamal (2007, Barcelona)

Per 90: 0.9 - Karim Adeyemi (2002, Borussia Dortmund)

Match: 3 - Cole Palmer (22-111, Chelsea, vs. Brighton)

Goals + Assists

Season: 12 - Bradley Barcola (2002, Paris Saint-Germain), Lamine Yamal (2007, Barcelona)

Per 90: 1.5 - Karim Adeyemi (2002, Borussia Dortmund)

Match: 4 - Cole Palmer (22-111, Chelsea, vs. Brighton)

Expected Goals (xG)

Season: 6.9 - Bradley Barcola (2002, Paris Saint-Germain)

Per 90: 0.9 - Elye Wahi (2003, Marseille)

Match: 2.4 - Enzo Millot (22-45, VfB Stuttgart, vs. Mainz 05)

Expected Assisted Goals (xAG)

Season: 5.5 - Lamine Yamal (2007, Barcelona)

Per 90: 0.8 - Francisco Conceição (2002, Juventus)

Match: 1.4 - Cole Palmer (22-111, Chelsea, vs. Brighton)

Expected Assists

Season: 4.2 - Álex Baena (2001, Villarreal)

Per 90: 0.8 - Francisco Conceição (2002, Juventus)

Match: 1.4 - Michael Olise (22-284, Bayern München, vs. Werder Bremen)

xG + xAG

Season: 10.7 - Bradley Barcola (2002, Paris Saint-Germain)

Per 90: 1.3 - Bradley Barcola (2002, Paris Saint-Germain)

Match: 3.8 - Cole Palmer (22-111, Chelsea, vs. Brighton)

Shot-Creating Actions

Season: 65 - Florian Wirtz (2003, Bayer 04 Leverkusen)

Per 90: 8.5 - Rayan Cherki (2003, Olympique Lyonnais)

Match: 13 - Lamine Yamal (17-45, Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano)

Shots

Season: 39 - Lamine Yamal (2007, Barcelona)

Per 90: 5.5 - Désiré Doué (2005, Paris Saint-Germain)

Match: 9 - Jamal Musiala (21-208, Bayern München, vs. Werder Bremen)

Shots On Target

Season: 17 - Bradley Barcola (2002, Paris Saint-Germain)

Per 90: 2.1 - Bradley Barcola (2002, Paris Saint-Germain), Vitor Roque (2002, Real Betis)

Match: 5 - Alejandro Garnacho (20-110, Manchester United, vs. Brentford)

Key Passes

Season: 37 - Álex Baena (2001, Villarreal)

Per 90: 4.0 - Álex Baena (2001, Villarreal)

Match: 8 - Nico Paz (20-60, Como, vs. Genoa)

Passes Completed

Season: Pau Cubarsí (2007, Barcelona)

Per 90: 89.8 - Aleksandar Pavlović (2004, Bayern München)

Match: 136 - Willian Pacho (22-341, Paris Saint-Germain, vs. Reims)

Long Passes Completed

Season: 77 - Pau Cubarsí (2007, Barcelona)

Per 90: 12.5 - Tommy Doyle (2001, Wolverhampton Wanderers)

Match: 19 - Konstantinos Koulierakis (20-340, VfL Wolfsburg, vs. Augsburg)

Passes Into Final Third

Season: 88 - Angelo Stiller (2001, VfB Stuttgart)

Per 90: 11.8 - Aleksandar Pavlović (2004, Bayern München)

Match: 17 - Arnau Martínez (21-122, Girona vs. Atlético de Madrid)

Passes Into Penalty Area

Season: 30 - Lamine Yamal (2007, Barcelona)

Per 90: 4.4 - Sávio (2004, Manchester City)

Match: 8 - Yaser Asprilla (20-322, Girona, vs. Athletic Club)

Progressive Passes

Season: 107 - Joško Gvardiol (2002, Manchester City)

Per 90: 10.2 - Joško Gvardiol (2002, Manchester City)

Match: 30 - Joško Gvardiol (22-271, Manchester City, vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers)

Progressive Passes Received

Season: 145 - Lamine Yamal (2007, Barcelona)

Per 90: 18.4 - Jérémy Doku (2002, Manchester City)

Match: 29 - Jérémy Doku (22-146, Manchester City, vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers)

Successful Through-balls

Season: 10 - Álex Baena (2001, Villarreal)

Per 90: 1.2 - Xavi Simons (2003, RB Leipzig)

Match: 4 - João Neves (19-331, Paris Saint-Germain, vs. Montpellier)

Carries

Season: 668 - Pau Cubarsí (2007, Barcelona)

Per 90: 65.2 - Willian Pacho (2001, Paris Saint-Germain)

Match: 105 - Joško Gvardiol (22-271, Manchester City, vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers)

Progressive Carries

Season: 66 - Jérémy Doku (2002, Manchester City)

Per 90: 14.6 - Jérémy Doku (2002, Manchester City)

Match: 18 - Jérémy Doku (22-83, Manchester City, vs. Chelsea)

Carries Into Final Third

Season: 45 - Eliesse Ben Seghir (2005, AS Monaco)

Per 90: 6.6 - Jérémy Doku (2002, Manchester City)

Match: 14 - Jérémy Doku (22-83, Manchester City, vs. Chelsea)

Carries Into Penalty Area

Season: 40 - Bradley Barcola (2002, Paris Saint-Germain)

Per 90: 5.8 - Sávio (2004, Manchester City)

Match: 10 - Sávio (20-199, Manchester City, vs. Southampton)

Successful Take-ons

Season: 34 - Lamine Yamal (2007, Barcelona)

Per 90: 4.9 - Jérémy Doku (2002, Manchester City)

Match: 12 - Abdul Fatawu (20-247, Leicester City, vs. Manchester United)

Fouls Drawn

Season: 35 - Dilane Bakwa (2002, Strasbourg), Chrisantus Uche (2003, Getafe)

Per 90: 4.0 - Eliesse Ben Seghir (2005, AS Monaco)

Match: 9 - Chrisantus Uche (21-132, Getafe, vs. Alavés)

Touches

Season: 1063 - Pau Cubarsí (2007, Barcelona)

Per 90: 102.7 - Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern München)

Match: 149 - Willian Pacho (22-341, Paris Saint-Germain, vs. Reims)

Touches In Final Third

Season: 505 - Florian Wirtz (2003, Bayer 04 Leverkusen)

Per 90: 56.6 - Sávio (2004, Manchester City)

Match: 89 - Florian Wirtz (21-155, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, vs. Holstein Kiel)

Touches In Attacking Penalty Area

Season: 82 - Bradley Barcola (2002, Paris Saint-Germain)

Per 90: 10.3 - Sávio (2004, Manchester City)

Match: 17 - Sávio (20-199, Manchester City, vs. Southampton)

Tackles Made

Season: 38 - Moisés Caicedo (2001, Chelsea), Carmona (2002, Sevilla)

Per 90: 5.4 - Manuel Ugarte (2001, Manchester United)

Match: 11 - Jon Aramburu (22-67, Real Sociedad, vs. Valencia)

Interceptions

Season: 31 - Carmona (2002, Sevilla)

Per 90: 4.4 - Rocco Reitz (2002, Borussia Mönchengladbach)

Match: 7 - Rocco Reitz (22-164, Borussia Mönchengladbach, vs. RB Leipzig)

Tackles + Interceptions

Season: 69 - Carmona (2002, Sevilla)

Per 90: 7.9 - Rocco Reitz (2002, Borussia Mönchengladbach)

Match: 13 - Tim Iroegbunam (21-48, Everton, vs. Brighton)

Clearances

Season: 67 - Murillo (2002, Nottingham Forest)

Per 90: 7.3 - Nathan Zézé (2005, FC Nantes)

Match: 15 - Murillo (22-80, Nottingham Forest, vs. Brighton)

Aerial Duels Won

Season: 43 - Bertuğ Yıldırım (2002, Getafe)

Per 90: 10 - Juanmi Latasa (2001, Real Valladolid)

Match: 12 - Koni De Winter (22-81, Genoa, vs. Hellas Verona)

Ball Recoveries

Season: 71 - Seydouba Cissé (2001, Leganés)

Per 90: 8.2 - Eduardo Camavinga (2002, Real Madrid)

Match: 13 - Tim Iroegbunam (21-48, Everton, vs. Brighton)

Information overload complete. You are now ready for the final two months of the year.

Finally, some housekeeping.

If you’re not caught up on your reading, here’s what you’ve missed since MNS last hit the printing press; and what to expect in the coming weeks.

Last week at SCOUTED:

• Most importantly, we announced Stephen Ganavas is leaving these shores for pastures new. Read our briefing for details
• Creative Editor Tom Curren sat down with our subscribers for a Q&A: topics covered included growing a football newsletter on Substack, breaking into the industry, and our little magazine’s finances
• Llew and I watched a bunch of the UEFA Youth League and published our usual coverage: highlights including Liverpool’s next set of dynamic wingers and more PSG propaganda
• Llew’s weekly SCOUT NOTES went live, including words on Adam Aznou (again), Bayer Leverkusen sealing a SCOUTED favourite, and a Monaco breakaway straight out of a movie scene

This week at SCOUTED:

Here’s what’s coming up:

• Tom and I spoke to Diego Luna, MLS Young Player of the Year, about his skillset, goals for next season, international future and our shared history as baristas
• Phil is heading to [REDACTED] training ground to visit one of his favourite players, [REDACTED], and conduct an exclusive interview
• Tom is heading to [REDACTED] studios to chat with one of his favourite players, [REDACTED], and conduct an exclusive interview
• In my first analytical epic, Operation John Durán, I take a look at the recruitment meta in MLS - and use SkillCorner data to figure out how Aston Villa found their explosive Columbian
• Llew is putting the final touches on his own scouting chronicle, which takes a plunge into the depths of Scandinavian football to analyse Sverre Halseth Nypan and more

All that and more is coming exclusively for paid subscribers - although you freebies will continue to get MNS instalments every week. To upgrade your membership, click the button directly below this sentence.

I hope you all have a great week.

Jake

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