Sibling Rivalry
Coaches from Atletico Madrid always saw the potential in Lucas Hernandez ever since he stepped foot into the academy. He had everything you’d want in a center half — physique, anticipation, quality and most importantly, aggression. He was known as “Jefazo”, which translates to Big Boss. He made his debut in 2015, but it wasn’t until the 2016 Champions League quarterfinal against defending champions Barcelona, when people started to take note of him. Lucas never looked flustered, instead dropping a defensive masterclass alongside Diego Godin, nullifying the Messi-Suarez-Neymar trio, as Atletico beat Barcelona to progress.
Subsequently, he became a mainstay for Diego Simeone’s side, winning the Europa League, Super Cup and even the World Cup with France. His accomplishments and talent eventually convinced Bayern Munich to pay €80 million for the Frenchman, as they see him as their center back solution for the next 10 years. Now at 25, he is a well-decorated center half with multiple honors to his name, including a Champions League alongside the two Bundesliga titles won thus far.
Lucas’s rise has certainly overshadowed the progress of his younger brother, Theo Hernandez. Ever since their youth days with Atletico, Theo was always referred as the “Big Boss’s brother”. When Lucas was starting against the likes of Messi and Ronaldo, Theo would be running circles around the opposition defence with the reserves. Just like his older brother, Theo was talented and more than ready for the first team. His only obstacle came in the form of Felipe Luis, who was arguably one of the Europe’s best left-backs. Simeone saw no reason dropping the Brazilian for the unproven teenager.
Upon signing a new contract, Theo secured a loan move to Alavés upon their La Liga baptism in 2016. Away from Atletico, Theo was finally out of his brother’s shadows, he was no longer known as the “Big Boss’s brother”. Instead, he has become the boss himself, as the Frenchman played a crucial role in the club’s impressive 9th place finish. The loan gave Theo a platform to showcase his ability and perhaps the confidence to strive, away from his comfort zone. When cross-town rivals, Real Madrid came calling, Theo took the opportunity, disregarding the non-aggression pact between the two sides.
Theo’s bad luck with Brazilian left backs followed him to his move to Real, as he yet again found difficulty in displacing them from the starting eleven. This time in the form of Marcelo, whose partnership with Ronaldo made him undroppable. As such, 13 appearances were all he managed across two seasons at the club. Unconvinced of his abilities, Real decided to cut their loses and offload him for a discounted fee to AC Milan.
At only €20 million, it seemed like a small risk, high rewards scenario, with the Milan club potentially gaining much more if Hernandez realizes his potential. Two years on, Hernandez has become one of Milan’s best players and has light up the Serie A, helping the club reach 2nd place this season.
The dashboard below shows why Hernandez is highly regarded as one of the left backs of his generation and his importance to the Rossoneri when compared to other fullbacks in Serie A. This analysis will cover the Frenchman’s performance in the league this season. All figures below are based on performance per 90 minutes played, according to FBref via StatsBomb.
Milan’s Roadrunner
We now live in an era, where the modern full back role is just as significant as the playmaker role was in previous generations. Before, shirts of Kaka and Ozil were widely popular, with many across the globe idolizing the players who made the attacking midfielder spot their own. Fast forward today, you’d regularly see fans donning the shirts of Trent Alexander-Arnold or Dani Alves, both players hugely influential in revitalizing the role of the full back we see today. The modern-day fullback plays a tantalizing role in every top club’s attack. In AC Milan, Theo Hernandez’s playstyle accurately defines the representation of the trait. It is not a rare occurrence when you see the Frenchman constantly bursting through the defence from deep with or without the ball, for the entire game. When not drifting wide to stretch defence, he is often seen operating in the half-spaces while his winger holds the width. He’d always look to directly contribute to goal by driving the ball into the box to either pull it back or have a shot himself.
Blessed with incredible pace and technical abilities, the 23-year-old is regularly Milan’s outlet when transitioning from defence to attack. This season, his ball-carrying abilities have been vital to his side as he recorded 8.68 progressive carries per90, with 3.22 carries into the final third, which is a league high amongst all fullbacks in Serie A. The Frenchman also records 1.99 successful dribbles per90, which is the 4th highest amongst fullbacks in the league. To put it in greater context, he has beaten the likes of Insigne, Mkhitaryan, and Ronaldo in this metric, players who have established themselves as brilliant dribblers in the past.
His assist against Sassuolo perfectly illustrates his brilliant ball-carrying abilities and the role he plays when Milan counterattack. As Milan defended the set-piece, Diaz holds the ball up to find Hernandez just outside their own penalty area. The Frenchman proceeded to run with pace on the ball, initially knocking the ball forward to Tonali, before realizing he was offside. He continued his run towards the penalty box before squaring it to Saelemaekers for the goal.
Knowing that Hernandez’s ball-carrying and dribbling is a threat, Teams start doubling up on the fullback to prevent him from progressing. This meant he’d drag players out of position with his direct running and free up space for his wingers on the flank to progress. The game against Roma highlights this as players are more wary of the Frenchman.
Creative Influence
His offensive approach and direct running from deep, make it hard for oppositions to track, especially when they are occupied with other players. This would mean he is more likely free to receive a pass unless his opposite number tracks him all the way back. The Frenchman’s dynamism provides the Rossoneri with more options in the final third, with him directly contributing to a lot of chances. With regular appearances in the final third, Hernandez is bound to have created some good, clear-cut chances for his teammates. This season, the left back has accumulated 2.42 shot-creating actions per90, with 0.37 of those actions converted into goals. With 5.2 expected assists this season, Hernandez has proved to be one of the more creative influence in the dressing room, alongside Çalhanoğlu and Rebić.
Most of the chances created by Hernandez this season, has been inside the penalty area with 1.41 per90 — opportunities created are more likely to end up being a goal. Hence the relatively low expected assist numbers and high goal-creating action numbers, as his teammates are more likely to convert the chances when presented inside the penalty area.
The game against Parma showcases his dynamism and effectiveness in the box perfectly. As he receives the ball just in the inside-left channel, he plays a one-two with Çalhanoğlu, driving forward into the box to latch onto the through ball before squaring it for Diaz. The youngster miskicked the ball, but Castellejo scored at the back post. Unfortunately, the goal was eventually ruled offside by a small margin due to the Spaniard.
That said, Hernandez is by no means a one-trick pony who only utilizes his pace for the chance he creates. He can also provide crosses from deep as an avenue to create opportunities against low blocks, where space isn’t afforded to be exploit. The assists he made against Torino, Bologna, and Napoli highlights his ability to cross from the half-spaces, providing a balanced cross with the right combination of swerve and power onto the ball.
Goal Threat
With regular entrances into the final third, Hernandez is bound to have more chances at goal than other fullbacks. This season, Hernandez has registered the 47 shots on goal with a career-high of 7 goals. Only Çalhanoğlu and Zlatan registered more shots this campaign than the Frenchman, which is very telling of the opportunities on goal Hernandez has been getting. To put it in further context, he has an accumulated 0.11 expected goals per90 this season, which ranks him as 7th amongst all fullbacks in this metric.
As alluded earlier, Hernandez’s run from deep is often unmarked and difficult to stop, almost like a steam train bursting through the fields. He’d often utilize his pace in the event of a counterattack where space is there to be exploited. The goal he scored against Torino depicts this as he makes his signature lung-bursting run from deep into the box unmarked, to latch on to a through ball before chipping the keeper.
As teams become more aware of the quality Hernandez possess, they’d look to nullify that threat by having limited space for him to exploit. Milan would look to counter this by building up play on the right flank before switching the play over to Hernandez who’d be free of his markers by then. The equalizer he scored against Parma was a result of Milan’s switch of play and Hernandez’s commitment to attack the box. As Milan builds up play from the right, Hernandez gradually arrives the box unmarked as the focus is with Calabria. As the shot from the initial cross was blocked, Hernandez was first to react to the loose ball to score.
Theo ‘Maldini’ Hernandez
Upon signing the contract, it was the legendary Maldini who ultimately convinced the Frenchman to join Milan. So, it stands to reason that Maldini saw a bit of himself in Hernandez as the club’s left back. That said, many doubts were cast on the fullback due to his constant desire to join the attack, which would inevitably leave spaces behind him to be exploited.
The truth is, Hernandez is fairly discipline and utilizes his pace brilliantly to recover loose balls. This season, Hernandez is a rather efficient tackler as he registered a high volume of tackles, with a large number of the tackles resulting in possession regained. He has registered 1.99 tackles per 90, with 1.32 tackles effectively winning possession back for his team. The tackle made against Hakimi is reminiscent of those made by Maldini in his prime for club and country, a moment which highlights Hernandez’s speed, defending and most importantly, determination or the refusal to get beaten — something Maldini prides himself on in his stellar career.
When opposition look to open up Milan from the wing, Hernandez would see that as a pressing trigger and step out the defence to press the wide player aggressively. This is done to ensure the opposition does not progress any further up the pitch, forcing to play the ball backwards. If the opportunity arises, he’d be tempted to put a foot in, winning the ball and start a counterattack. The goal he scored against Spezia is the perfect example of what Hernandez is capable of defensively — stepping out of the defensive shape to press the wide player upon receiving the ball, putting a tackle in, and proceeded to carry it towards goal before scoring himself.
Brothers in Arms
Ever since he snubbed a U21 call up for holidays at Marbella in 2017, Hernandez has never been called up to the national setup. Perhaps it is the France FA’s way of punishing the players, reminding the players that the national setup, no matter the age group, should not be made a mockery. That said, the recent recall of a Karim Benzema has proven that a player’s past can be temporarily ignored, for the sake of glory for the entire nation, making the end justifiable to the mean. As such, not all hopes are lost in Theo’s road to redemption. The day both brothers share the same pitch, wearing the same Navy-blue jersey, is the day they can finally look back at their careers and say they achieved this together.
Twitter: @chunhang7
