Adrian Lopez

{Profile Posted 13/10/12}







Date of Birth: - 08.01.1988

Height: - 5ft 11 inches

Position: - Striker

Nationality: - Spainish

Current Club: - Athletico Madrid

Estimated Market Value: - £18 million

Linked with: - Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal









Club Statistics





Deportivo de La Coruna



2006/2007 season - 15 matches, no goals and no assists.

2007/2008 season - 8 matches, no goals and no assists.

2008/2009 season - 2 matches, no goals and no assists.

2009/2010 season - 39 matches, 4 goals and 2 assists.

2010/2011 season - 40 matches, 12 goals and 3 assists.

TOTAL - 104 matches, 16 goals and 5 assists









Deportivo Alaves



2007/2008 season - 10 matches, 3 goals and no assists.









Malaga



2006/2007 season - 30 matches, 3 goals and 3 assists.







Athletico Madrid



2011/2012 season - 57 matches, 18 goals and 10 assists.

2012/2013 season - 9 matches, no goals and 2 assists.

TOTAL - 59 matches, 18 goals and 10 assists









International Statistics





Spain U20



2007/2008 season- 2 matches, 1 goal and no assists.









Spain U21



2008/2009 season- 1 match, no goal and no assists.

2009/2010 season- 5 matches, 1 goal and no assists.

2010/2011 season- 10 matches, 7 goal and no assists.

TOTAL - 16 matches, 8 goals and no assists







Spain



2011/2012 season - 2 matches, 1 goal and 1 assist.











General Comments:



When Arsenal were linked with Lopez my first instinct was why? His goal scoring record is terrible for a striker; although on further inspection he isn't a bad player. However, I dont think he is good enough for the EPL.



First of all, for a player that is less than 6 ft tall, he is extremely good in the air; the jump he can get is quite astonishing. Many times you will see him win an aerial duel against an opponent much taller than him. Its a very good trait to have - especially if you're quite fast as well as it mixes up your play. Lopez played as a winger for Madrid last season, so it meant he would win most of the headers against the wing backs, this often made Lopez a very useful outlet.



Adrian also has a bit of pace about him hence why he is able to play as a winger. Adrian has a very useful combination of attributes to his game and it means he is a very unique player. Too accompany his pace he is also quite a good dribbler nothing fancy or anything just able to get past his man, which in my opinion is all you need to do! He is a number 10 and a number 7 mixed into one but he is not as accomplished as any of them.



Another quick point I would like to add is that he is a very good poacher; he always seems to be in the right place at the right time which is always a good instinct to have.



However there are reasons why in my opinion Arsenal were right not to go for him, he may have scored 19 goals last season but that does not excuse the fact he is a poor finisher, Suarez scored 40+ goals in Holland but it does not excuse the fact he is a poor finisher. For some reason I cannot comprehend why he cannot finish properly. Without a doubt if he could finish he would have near to 30 goals and would be gaining recognition from all over the world. However he is 24 and its his first real breakthrough season so maybe next season he might do just that.



Also his passing isn't too good either, many times you will see him waste countless opportunities and it is not that the passes are hard to make either, its simple 10 yard passes - he is not a good passer - and you wont expect him to be good at crossing either, which is one of the main reasons why he is not seen as an accomplished winger, getting only 4 assists in 60 games for club and country is absolutely terrible in my opinion, it is not because he is greedy he just cannot assist!



In conclusion, Adrian is a player who at the moment in my opinion is just about above average. However I do think there is time to improve and it does look like he is improving too, I would like to see him play as striker for Madrid but when you have in my opinion the best striker in the world playing in his position what do you expect?









Summary of Lopez:





Strengths: Beating his man, pace, speed and winning headers.



Weaknesses: Finishing, crossing, assisting and passing.









The Business End of the Profile:





Despite tons of speculation about the player, Lopez did not go anywhere this summer. However, should he have another cracking season in Spain, then expect him to be linking with everybody under the sun, next summer.







Thanks



{A profile by Ed062}