Florian Monzon – Almirante Brown’s promising striker

There is a new generation of South American talent that are taking the lessons of their parents who played the game professionally and expanding on them as the new generation. Florian Gonzalo de Jesus Monzon or better known as Florian Monzon is the son of Pedro ‘Moncho’ Monzon who was a centre-back who played with Argentina at the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Florian is a striker who was groomed in the Velez Sarsfield academy as the club have become one of Argentina’s premier developers of young strikers as Mateo Pellegrino, Abiel Osorio and Santiago Castro have all recently graduated from their academy as all five players are Under 22. Monzon has spent the last season on loan with Almirante Brown in the Argentine Primera Nacional as he has shown potential in developing into a high-level striker as the most undervalued player of the quintet.

Monzon is a lumbering striker who stands at six-feet tall as he has the ability to receive possession in between the lines, hold up possession, connect play in the final third and make runs into the box. He has shown potential at receiving low crosses in the box to apply finishes be it with his first touch or second touch on the ground while he can also finish with his head. The 21-year-old is comfortable in dropping deep to receive possession with his back to goal, holding up play and working connections while he will need improve his ability to hold the ball and work connections in tight spaces. The Argentine attacker has played as winger, second-striker and attacking midfielder in the past season but his future lies as a central striker as he does have some facets of his game that he needs to improve on.

Away to Alvarado, he would lead the pressing phase as Almirante Brown would regain possession with the ball being played to the left flank as Monzon backed into a space in the box before moving into space at the top of the box where he received a cut-back, controlling the ball and firing home past the goalkeeper. After a turnover in the defensive phase, he would receive a lobbed pass in the nine-space, playing a delicate flick to a teammate and making a run in behind to start an attacking move. He instigated another counter-attacking move when he received possession in the channel to drive the ball forward and play an outside of the boot through ball to a teammate making a run into the channels as the striker made a movement to the top of the box where he was in the perfect position to receive a cut-back which was intercepted. Monzon’s ability to receive deep balls in between the lines and connect play to the final third makes him an integral build-up conduit as he controlled a lobbed pass with his chest to flick the ball to a teammate in the next line.

Monzon loves to drop deep to receive possession, playing one-touch flicks for teammates to connect play as the 21-year-old repeated the trick, dropping deep to flick a lobbed pass to the wide areas. The young striker made a movement into the channels to receive a lobbed pass, holding possession up to swivel before driving to the by-line to attempt a cut-back which was blocked. He continued to illustrate intelligent hold-up play when he dropped in between the lines to receive possession, holding off a defender before spinning into a pocket of space to poke a through ball to a runner who worked a combination to receive possession in the right channel for Monzon to make a movement to the top of the box to receive a cut-back. The striker received another high lobbed pass in the nine-space to play another flick to a teammate before he moved to the left channel to receive possession once more, using his first touch to skip past a defender, holding off a second defender before poking a pass to a teammate in space with the outside of his boot.

Monzon can hold-up play, drop deep and make runs in behind as well as runs into the channels as the young striker can work pivotal connections in the attacking areas while also being able to operate as a chance creator in the final third as after a turnover in the attacking half, he would fake a run into the central spaces before moving into the wide areas to receive possession, holding the ball and flicking a pass for a runner in the channels to have a shot blocked. The 21-year-old has shown a potential to finish cut-backs and crosses into the box as he has immense potential as a one-touch finisher as a cut-back would be played to him for the striker to guide a cross past the goalkeeper with one-touch. Away to Nuevo Chicago, he made a run into the left channel to receive a flick-on, using his body to hold off two defenders and laying off a pass to an attacking midfielder.

The 21-year-old attacker made a run into the right channel to receive a deep pass in between the lines, holding off a marker to lay-off the ball to a teammate with the outside of his boot. A criticism of his game is that in sequences where he makes runs into the channels and stretches the opposition defence, he remains stagnant after laying off the ball as he can make runs into space to receive possession and have goalscoring opportunities or to create opportunities. Monzon would exhibit his one-touch finishing from cut-backs as he received a cross from the left to steady himself, adjust his body shape as the cross was played an inch behind him to stretch his weaker left foot to guide the ball past the goalkeeper. Monzon’s two goals against Alvarado were with his stronger right foot as he has shown the ability to finish high quality opportunities with his first touch with both feet. In the defensive phase, Monzon used his head to deflect a corner out of the box as in the attacking phase, he was positioned in the left channel to drop deep, spin around a defender and make a run into the channels to receive a through ball as the pass was too heavy.

Dropping deep to spin around a defender and make a run into the channel is a highly efficient manoeuvre of making runs in behind to receive passes in the channels or passes in behind to create opportunities and have shooting opportunities. If Monzon can continue to make such movements, he will be able to generate high quality opportunities for himself from through balls or for his teammates, making runs into the channels to play crosses. He dropped to receive a goal-kick and flick-on to a runner to create a counter-attacking opportunity for his team as he received a pass in the nine-space after a turnover, holding possession to turn and drive the ball forward before working a pass to a teammate and looking to make a run behind the defence as the pass back to him was too heavy. Away to Quilmes, he made an interception on a loose ball in his own half, driving the ball forward to spread a pass to the flank.

Monzon can be a counter-attacking conduit with his ability to receive early balls in the nine-space or in the channels as he has the ability to flick passes to runners while he can also hold-up possession and surge forward to penetrate with his ball-carrying before releasing the ball to a teammate. Monzon is intelligent at working connections but he will need to manage the pacing off his runs as there are instances where he is too slow to move into space. By managing his pacing, once he releases possession he can start with a slow jog as he is trudging towards the box as this will force his defender to set his feet and stance before Monzon makes a quick burst to move into a position where he can receive possession to apply the finish. The 21-year-old possesses technique and potential as a one-touch finisher but will need to work on his movement and timing to get into goalscoring positions to maximize his ability.

From a long goal-kick, Monzon had an acrobatic bicycle-kick which rolled into the path of a teammate to balloon the ball over the crossbar from close range. After a turnover in the defensive phase, Monzon would drop deep to receive possession and flick on to a runner to instigate a counter-attacking situation. The 21-year-old would have a goalscoring opportunity when he made a perfectly timed run into space to receive a flick-on, driving a volley into the ground to look to direct the ball in between the goalkeeper’s legs but the keeper smothered the ball and saved the shot. Monzon’s ability to take one-touch shots from a variety of different angles could see him develop into a high-level striker later on in his career. Another aspect of his game that could see him develop into a high-level striker is the fact that he is two-dimensional as he can drop deep to receive possession as well as making darts in behind which is integral for modern-day strikers. He exhibited this when he moved into the left half-space from the left flank to drop deep, receive possession and lay-off before making a run in behind to receive possession.

Monzon generated another one-touch shooting opportunity from a corner, angling his body to volley the ball after nudging past a defender as he mis-kicked the opportunity and the ball was cleared for a second corner. At the moment, the 21-year-old is currently relying on crosses to generate goalscoring opportunities while with better movement, he could also generate opportunities from his combinations in between the lines. The Argentine striker received possession in between the lines, holding the ball before laying off to the ten space as the ball was played into the wide positions for Monzon to trudge into the box as a cross was played to the near post but he was tightly marked. The attacker was in a position where he could isolate his defender, making a movement towards the back-post before making a run to the near post where he could have received possession in front of his marker within a width of the goal as his movement could have helped generate a better opportunity. The 21-year-old tends to be quite lacking with his double-movements.

Monzon received possession on the right flank, holding possession before lobbing a cross into the box which was blocked. His lack of double-movements and lack of movement around the box in general is one of the greatest hindrances to his game as in a sequence, he attempted a run in behind but was blocked by his defender before the ball moved to the left flank, his teammate enticed his marker as the attacker was positioned by the back-post while the defender at the near post had his feet set. Once the wide player was initiating the dribble, that should have been a trigger to make a direct dart to the near post as he could have received a cross to have a shooting opportunity while if the cross was not played, he could have backed into a yard of space in between the defenders to receive a lobbed cross or made another run to the near post. His lack of movement is a major shortcoming as it denies him shooting opportunities from his favoured crossing situations or from combinations in between the lines.

Monzon had a sequence where he made a run into the right channel to receive possession, holding the ball and skipping past a marker to thread a pass into the ten space as the striker remained on the flank instead of making a looping run towards the near post where he could have received a cut-back. The ball was played to the flank as if he made a run to the near post, he would have been in the perfect position for a low cross and high-quality shooting opportunity. The 21-year-old demonstrated his hold-up play once more, dropping into the defensive phase to win a turnover as he eventually received possession, spinning out of a challenge and laying the ball off to a teammate as he was hauled to the ground. The striker moved into the right half-space to receive a throw-in, backing into a defender and bundling him to the ground as he generated the space to turn as he attempted a pass which was blocked.

Monzon received a direct pass in the nine-space to play one of his trademark flicks to the ten space to facilitate a switch ball to the weak side. The 21-year-old dropped deep to receive possession in the ten space to take a touch and spread the ball to the wide areas as after a turnover, he received a direct pass in the nine-space to nonchalantly back-heel for a teammate to have a shot blocked before another attacker sent a shot over the bar. Monzon created another opportunity when he ran into the channels to receive possession, attempting to flick a ball past a defender as the defender intercepted his flick for the ball to bobble to Monzon who played a rabona cross which was a few centimetres over the head of a teammate. At home to Deportivo Moron, he played in a deeper role, almost as an attacking midfielder as he received a lay-off to play a through ball into the box for a teammate who was unable to have a shot at goal. He moved into the left channel to receive possession, nonchalantly flicking a pass for a runner in the half-space to drive into the box. It was another situation where the attacker remained stationary after playing the ball as he could have made a run to the near post to receive a cut-back and have a high-quality opportunity on goal with his first touch.

Monzon moved into the left channel once more to receive a through ball, playing a one-touch cut-back with his left foot to the back-post for a teammate to apply the finish. The 21-year-old illustrated his hold-up play once more, receiving possession in the right channel, spinning away from a defender to lay-off a pass for a teammate. The young attacker would move into the nine-space before dropping deep and chesting a lay-off to a teammate to instigate an attacking move. When he operates as a striker, Monzon can drop deep to connect play and move into the wide areas as this allows teammates to make deep third man runs behind him to receive possession and have opportunities on goal. In another sequence, he exhibited his ability to make runs in behind as he team won a second ball in the opposition half, to adjust his body and make a run in behind as the run was well-timed but the ball was intercepted. The Argentine attacker received another high ball in the nine-space to take a touch and lay the ball off to a teammate in the wide areas.

The attacker showed his ability in the air as a free-kick was deflected into his path as he rose higher than his defender to head the ball over the bar. In the defensive phase, the attacker won another aerial duel to regain possession for his team and make a clearance. He exhibited his willingness to defend once more when he made a sliding tackle to regain possession before laying off a pass to a teammate. Monzon is a unique striker because he possesses a wide range of tools as he can hold-up play while the 21-year-old received possession on the left flank, skipping past a defender to drive the ball forward before cutting into the centre to work a pass for a teammate in the ten space before he made a run towards the box as he could have played a passing combination to have an opportunity on goal. The Almirante Brown attacker exhibited his ability to make well-timed runs in behind the opposition defence as he angled his body to receive a through ball as his centre-back made a last-ditch sliding tackle in what would have been a 1v1 opportunity.

After a turnover in the defensive phase, a direct pass was played for Monzon to lay-off the ball with his head before making a run into the central positions as the ball was switched to the left flank as when the ball was switched to the right flank during the counter-attack, he held his position outside the box to allow his left winger to make a run into the nine-space as Monzon received a cut-back to have a shot blocked. Monzon showed that he is ability to make movements after combinations to receive possession and have shooting opportunities as with his one-touch finishing, he should have moved into the box to receive a cross and have a goalscoring opportunity. After a turnover, Monzon drove the ball forward and poked a pass to the nine-space from the right flank as he moved into the central spaces to make an interception before poking a heavy through ball into the channels which rolled out for a goal-kick.

Monzon has the potential to develop into a well-rounded central striker who can combine play, create opportunities, act as a transitional tool in the build-up phase and counter-attacking sequences while also being able to finish with his first touch inside the box. The key to unlocking the 21-year-old’s potential would be improving his sense of movement, especially after combination play sequences, to allow him to get on the end of deliveries in the box to have more high-quality opportunities on goal. This is the main defect in his game as he has to develop a mentality of attacking spaces in the box to create opportunities with his movement. He will need to improve his double-movements, especially with making movements to the back post before making darts to the near post to receive deliveries to apply finishes to crosses as he has the ability to finish both low and high crosses. Double-movements not only allow a striker to evade his marker, which Monzon struggles to do, but also to remain in the width of the goal to have better shooting angles as the Argentinean already has the ability to guide deliveries at goal with his first touch. He will also need to develop his ability to make near post runs to receive low crosses as he could become very proficient in these situations.

Monzon is able to lead the line for a high-pressing team as his ability to use his physique to regain possession with tackles and 50/50s is excellent while he can receive deep passes after turnovers to work innate flicks to runners to create opportunities, work quick combinations in between the lines while he has the dribbling ability to create his own shots. In the defensive phase, he can win aerial duels in his own box while also dropping deep to make tackles as in counter attacking situations, he can receive early passes to string together counter-attacking moves. Monzon is similar to Thiago Borbas who he is a year older than and was the top scorer in Uruguay as both players have played in the wide areas which has led to them developing into well-rounded attackers. Monzon would suit the Italian Serie B where he could play in a team which utilizes a two-striker system as he could develop his movement in the box and goalscoring repertoire at that level.

Monzon’s contracts with both Almirante Brown and Velez Sarsfield end in December as with Lucas Pratto, Abiel Osorio as Mateo Pellegrino is on loan at Estudiantes till the end of next year, the Argentine club do not have room for another attacker. Within Argentina, he could develop in a striker-friendly system such as Gabriel Heinze’s Newell’s Old Boys, Diego Flores’ Godoy Cruz or Fernando Gago’s Racing side as Enzo Copetti is currently nursing an injury and they may lose the striker in the next two windows. Italy would be the perfect country for Monzon’s development as Genoa, Brescia, Venezia, SPAL, Cagliari and Benevento would be good teams for him in Serie B. In Brazil, Paulo Pezzolano’s Cruzeiro would be a really good fit for him and his playing style while in the Spanish Segunda Liga, Las Palmas, FC Andorra, Leganes and Sporting Gijon would be good teams for him. In Switzerland, Basel would be a good club for him while he could also develop at Royale Union Saint-Gilloise as a future option for Brighton and Hove Albion as Midtylland in Denmark would also be a good landing spot for him as a future option for Brentford. The Liga Portugal wuld also be a good league for him to develop as Portimonense, Vizela, Santa Clara, Famalicao, Rio Ave and Boavista are good teams for him. Monzon has the potential to be a low cost but high return option in the January transfer window as his skillset needs some refining.