George Ilenikhena – Scouting Report: The Next Elite No.9? by MaxTalksFootball
A comprehensive overview of George Ilenikhenas Strengths and Weaknesses written by – MaxTalksFootball
Background
Nationality: France/Nigeria
Date of Birth: 16/08/2006 (17)
Place of Birth: Lagos, Nigeria
Height: 185cm
Position: ST
Preferred Foot: Left
Current Club: Royal Antwerp
Overview
Strengths:
- Frame
- Jumping
- Finishing
- Pace
- Close control
- Anticipation
- Movement
THE INTANGIBLES:
Ilenikhena possesses the intangibles of the game in heaps. His blend of confidence and relentlessness, arrogance and determinedness, will help him massively in reaching the heights his potential is worthy of.
RAW TALENT:
Despite clear areas for improvement, you can’t help but see Ilenikhena’s raw talent and the elite foundation he is building from. A rare type of player, blending high iq, mentality, physical dominance and footballing aesthetics. He has an incredible leap, a huge frame, brilliant pace, defiant close control, composed finishing and likely a high level of coachability to improve upon that. These aspects make him an exciting prospect.
Weaknesses:
1. Weak Foot: Ilenikhena’s right foot is underutilized and very weak, presenting a clear area for improvement. However he wouldn’t be the only one-foot dominant player to reach the top level.
2. Patience: At times, he tends to take shots too early, perhaps an eagerness stemming from his youthfulness but he can sometimes neglect potentially better options.
Example:
Note – Image shows Ilenikhena taking a shot early and not assessing options of teammates.
3. Aerial Duels: Despite his size and aforementioned incredible leap, Ilenikhena ironically struggles in aerial duels, with the major problem being the mistiming of his jumps.
Example:
Note: Image shows Ilenikhena out jumping his opponent.
Note: Follow up image shows Ilenikhena losing the aerial duel despite out jumping his opponent, demonstrating his tendency to miss time his jumps and misjudge the flight of the ball.
4. Aggression: Occasionally, he can be overly aggressive, a trait that needs cautious management.
Example:
Note: Image shows Ilenikhena pushing his opponent in retaliation to being bundled over.
5. Passing: While not a bad passer, he demonstrates good sweeping switches and an understanding of the weight of passes, he seldom attempts more technical passes.
PLAYSTYLE
Finishing: An instinctive finisher in the box. Also creates shooting opportunities very effectively.
Note: Image shows Ilenikhena reacting instinctively to a mishit ball from his team mate and managing to finish.
Shooting Style: Has a preference for early shots, Ilenikhena generates considerable power, favoring strikes across the ball with his left foot.
Note: Image shows a first time shot from Ilenikhena, striking the ball powerfully with his left foot low across the goalkeeper into the far corner.
Dribbling: His lanky frame doesn’t hinder his agility, allowing him to navigate in tight spaces. He uses his quick feet, close ball control, and frame to retain the ball. Perhaps my favourite ability of his is his close control when dribbling, it’s unusual for a player of his profile and for me is an aspect that helps separate him from his peers of a similar mould.
Ball progression: His ability to carry the ball and take on defenders demonstrates a progressive style, contributing to offensive momentum. He also receives numerous progressive passes, making himself constantly available, trying to find space on the pitch and making runs to receive.
Spatial Awareness: High iq player, excelling at finding space and a brilliant offside awareness and both great timing and variation of runs when playing on the shoulder.
Example:
Note: Image demonstrates Ilenikhenas IQ and awareness to hold his run and stay on-side during a quick counter.
Pressing and Defensive Contribution: Tenacious in pressing and tracking. Ilenikhena actively seeks to win the ball back, showcasing defensive commitment.
Example:
Note: Image shows Ilenikhena pressing the opposition goalkeeper and forcing him to kick the ball out.
Offensive Presence: Comfortable playing off the shoulder of defenders, whilst also being a good box-presence.
Anticipation and Reactions: An underrated skill but highlights a culmination of some of the skills in his game. Demonstrates IQ to anticipate loose balls and the mentality to react and get there before anyone else.
PLAYSTYLE WEAKNESSES
1. Back to Goal: Ilenikhena struggles with back-to-goal play, relying more on physicality than anticipatory touches/movement. A rare area where he lacks a bit of iq but given his elite close ball control and frame this should iron itself out through appropriate coaching.
2. Channel Preference: Primarily running into the left channel, he could benefit from diversifying his attacking routes more often.
3. Doesn’t use his natural physique: For a player of his size and frame he can sometimes be weak when challenged and go down or lose the ball easier than you’d expect. However, this can be normal for young players who have grown up physically dominant in youth football, they sometimes don’t learn the most effective ways to use their body, because they haven’t needed to, and it takes time to adapt when stepping up.
Note: Image shows Ilenikhena being pushed off the ball.
Final Notes
What could hold him back?
His current issues with winning aerial duels and back-to-goal play make him a difficult man to rely on as a target player. Coupling this with him possessing a tenacious mentality that has been shown to turn itself into frustration at times, I’d say these gaps in his game represent stumbling blocks if he was to go to a big club without fully addressing these areas, as they are his main weaknesses for me.
How good can he be?
At his best Ilenikhena can be truly exceptional as an all phases striker, effective in every role, whether as a target man, a channel runner, coming deep, drifting wide or being a presence in the box, he has demonstrated a potential to be able to do all of this. If he can reach that level he would surely be one of the best in the best in world football.