Eredivisie

Barcelona target Calvin Stengs is the type of languid playmaker you thought was dead

From a 15-month layoff to being the future of Dutch football, Stengs is the type of creative talent you love to watch

2:30pm on Friday 24th April 2020
By
Paul Macdonald

PROFILE

21 yrs - W (R) - AZ
70
Defending
Creative
Passing
Attacking
Shooting
Decisive
Aerials
Physical
JavaScript chart by amChartsLDefendingCreativePassingAttackingShootingDecisiveAerialsPhysical10-10-5051015100%
2158
Played matches
25
5
7
Shots P90
2.59
Dribbles P90
2.46
AVG Rating
6.9
Man of the match
1

ATTRIBUTES: Close control, dribbling, intelligent passing

PLAYS (A BIT) LIKE: Mesut Ozil

LINKED WITH: Ajax, Barcelona, Arsenal

In an era where the Dutch have been bereft of genuine attacking talent, Calvin Stengs is one of the developing stars expected to lead the charge for the Netherlands in the future.

Stengs broke onto the scene at AZ at the beginning of the 2017-18 season, but seven minutes into his debut against PSV he tore his cruciate ligament and missed a full 15 months of football. There was serious concern whether Stengs could fully recover, but in the past 12 months he has proven all over again that his skillset is to be respected.

Stengs is instantly recognisable, and not just because of his David Luiz-esque hairstyle; his languid, leisurely approach as he moves with the ball is easy on the eye, and he can drift seamlessly past defenders before they know he’s gone. It’s all ball manipulation, less speed of body and much more speed of mind.

He takes up the now conventional inverted winger position on the right despite being predominantly left-footed, and just glides inside into areas where he can be most effective. He does this by looking to pass in between full-back and centre-back; his weight of pass and timing of release is good, and it’s getting better.

He entered AZ’s side half-way through the 2018-19 season and ended with three goals and four assists in the Eredivisie, the equivalent of a goal involvement every 241 minutes.

STENGS: 19/20 Eredivisie STATS

StatisticScoreLeague Rank
Assists P900.297th
Big Chances Created P900.64th
xA8.24th
xA P900.326th

But with a full pre-season behind him and a fantastic relationship with fellow talent Myron Boadu, he has raised his game in every conceivable metric. Per P90 he is averaging three shots, five touches in the box and 1.9 completed dribbles. But his direct goal involvement is most impressive, with five goals and seven assists already domestically and in the Europa League. He creates something every 100 minutes.

There’s a natural state of intelligence that permeates Stengs’ play and he is clearly comfortable in his surroundings, having been with AZ since the age of 12. It helps that the club have been patient in his comeback and they are now watching him blossom. His superb solo goal against Utrecht last January shows what he is capable of, but there’s so much more to him - think Mesut Ozil, when playing on the right of the triumvirate behind Karim Benzema at Real Madrid under Jose Mourinho, marauding inside and releasing the ball with precision.

He’s obviously not anywhere near Ozil at his peak yet, and the tests will come for Stengs when matches get physical and defenders become more aware of his abilities, but at the base level he is a player with acute awareness and the proficiency to put the ball into the place where he himself would like to receive it.

Oranje boss Ronald Koeman appears more than happy to bleed in this triumvirate that includes Donyell Malen and Boadu, and his two assists on his international debut - the second a sublime through pass to Gigi Wijnaldum - suggests he is more than capable of featuring at a higher level.

I dream big. Ultimately, I want to reach the top. The top is Barcelona, ​​they have been my club since childhood, since Ronaldinho.Calvin Stengs

Having already overcome a significant setback in his short career, there’s clearly no shortage of confidence and even the Dutch media feel that he has already outgrown the Eredivisie. He sees himself at Barcelona, and while the coronavirus crisis may put that on hold in the short term, Stengs seems to be the type of character that is calm, and ready to wait for the right moment.

Calvin Stengs: Full Profile, statistics, career stats and pitch position

⚽ Watch Calvin Stengs in action

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