BONGANI MALUNGA
Olympique Lyon forward Bertrand Traore has grown in leaps and bounds since his days as a Chelsea FC youngster, the Burkina Faso player has nailed down a regular spot in the French team’s starting line up. He is one of Burkina Faso’s most lethal attacking players and could cause problems for the Zebras in the upcoming back to games in the AFCON 2019 Qualifiers.
If his club form is anything to go by, he will be a nuisance to Zebras defenders if they do not play close attention to him. Traore has developed from a player who went on loan from one club to another, to becoming one of Lyon’s most productive players.
Last season he enjoyed his best ever season as he scored 18 goals in all competitions, including two goals against Everton in the Europa League. He registered 13 league goals, scoring against then defending league champions AS Monaco and former league champions Lille. There’s more to his game than just scoring, he was also a creative force as he dished out seven assists in all competitions, demonstrating that he is an all rounded player.
Style of play
Traore is a left footed player who is usually deployed on the right wing position, or on the right in a three man attack in a 4-3-3 formation. Some may call it predictable but Traore has the same attacking routine of cutting in from the right and drifting in field before shooting or making key passes, it is a style that is slightly similar to that of Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben.
He has incredible close control, pace and power. His long legs give him an advantage in terms of his running power and he has used that to his advantage to evade opposing defenders or to outrun them. He is usually effective in a fast passing system whereby he dribbles and makes a pass before making space for himself to receive the final ball. Traore used to be a striker and those instincts are still in his game as he has specialized in making effective movements in the box.
Club form
Traore is Lyon’s leading scorer at the moment with four goals in nine league games so far, he scored an impressive brace against French giants Olympique Marseille and also provided an assist in the five star performance.
The Burkina Faso man has been Lyon’s best player this season, he has hit a quicker purple patch than last season’s top performers Nabil Fekir and Memphis Depay. In total, Traore has scored four goals in 11 games in all competitions so far, making him Lyon’s most effective player so far.