Ardit Nuredini: The Albanian Bastoni by Jake McGhee
Introduction
Left footed centre backs are a rare and elusive profile in the modern game with the majority of forward thinking clubs placing them at the top of their defensive pedestals, a unique and game-changing ability to open up new lanes of passing and defend in a different way. One new player who fits the mould is coming through Udinese’s academy;18 year old Ardit Nuredini.
Standing just shy of 6”2 Ardit is a tall and physically imposing centre-back with a great mix of strengths in his game.
Playstyle
The system in which Nuredini plays for Udinese Primavera is more often than not a 3-5-2 in which he finds himself as the LCB, he often plays wide and more advanced than his other centre backs as the manager likes to set them up in an asymmetrical line-up allowing Ardit to showcase his passing.
Ardit’s passing is one of his biggest strengths, he is comfortable receiving the ball on the turn from his opposite CB’s or the goalkeeper and turning forward to look up the pitch and spark an attack with a pinged diagonal ball or finding the feet of a midfielder with an accurate and incisive ball infield using his left foot.
Due to Udinese Primavera’s asymmetrical system they often have more bodies dropping deep which invites a press, Ardit is a very press resistant defender and often uses short bursts of pace to bypass the press and move forward into a more midfield role or playing into the half-spaces centrally or the channels out wide created by the press leaving the opposition out of position.
The diagonals which he often plays are very effective for his team in creating overloads down the right hand flank, his intelligence in helping to create overloads and picking which pass is suitable for the situation are very good signs for a young player, his decision-making is good and he rarely makes or tries the wrong pass.
Off the ball his defensive positioning is a key part of his game, he offers great leadership qualities and is both vocal and dominant, often seen organising his defence. Watching his game it’s not hard to see why he has worn the captains armband on a few occasions this season.
His tackling and aggressiveness are useful aspects of his forward thinking play, the anticipation of when to tackle or step up and make an interception often lead to a change in possession and a quick counter attack being started with Ardit playing a long ball or using his wingback down the byline.
Ardit also shows decent pace across mid-long distances but particularly flourishes in short foot races and uses his frame well to cover ground quickly and muscle his opponent out of the way.
Similar players
As the title suggests his playstyle is quite similar to that of Bastoni, both wide centre backs who are comfortable under pressure and are key parts of linking defensive transitions to the next third. Physically they are quite similar also, tall, powerful and commanding across their backline.
What’s next for Ardit Nuredini?
Having come through all ranks of Udinese’s youth system Ardit’s senior call-up doesn’t look a million miles away, with continued application and hard work off the pitch to further develop and strengthen key aspects of his game he will become an asset for Udinese in a few seasons time.
With Udinese looking set for the drop into Serie B it wouldn’t be completely crazy to see Ardit make his first team debut next season, he is a player to keep a keen eye on having already made a handful of appearances for Albania’s u19 side and finding the net on one occasion.