Scouting Dean Huijsen: The Spanish Chill Center-Back
A big scouting report for an adept center-back. Taking a nuanced look at Real Madrid new signing, Dean Huijsen's profile, his play style, analytics, passing, position, value, and a lot more.
“When I dare to be powerful—to use my strength in the service of my vision—it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” ~ Audre Lorde
Childhood and adolescence are deemed periods of no fear, no constraints, and spontaneity. They are the ages of discovery, exploration, making, and remaking mistakes. It is when children and adolescents are free, untied, and willing to express themselves at any cost. It is the time frame wherein they are in constant learning, absorbing, and picking up on things they see in front of their eyes.
Therefore, it is the first station where their personalities get formed and molded. Surroundings and mainly parents are responsible for what their descendants or successors become after they turn two years old.
Setting up the foundation for a child's confidence who acts fearlessly requires significant hard work coupled with educational knowledge and awareness to support him in discovering his capabilities, whether emotional, intellectual, or physical.
Recognizing a child’s inner strength and encouraging vision and purpose is a form of handing them the opportunity on a golden plate to chase their interests, express their values, and uphold what they believe in. By doing so, they learn gradually how to act with intention on a regular basis. That hugely contributes to reframing the concept of fear and trepidation. Embracing the fear and its inevitable omnipresence and transferring this quality to children allows them to act with courage and bravery. More importantly, they keep going forward despite it.
In a nutshell, securing a fearless environment, encouraging risk-taking and experimentation, and evaluating effort and purpose refine children and help them grow into confident, resilient, and natural leaders.
The same can be projected on football, academies, and coaches.
Our profile in this piece embodied what was aforementioned in his childhood and adolescence. And he still epitomizes the same qualities that are apparent in his style of playing.
🧐Who is Dean Huijsen
Dean Donny Huijsen Wijsmuller was born on April 14, 2005, in Netherlands’ capital, Amsterdam. Huijsen came from a family in the domain, as his father, Donny Huijsen, was a professional football player with Ajax, AZ Alkmaar, and Maastricht. However, Huijsen’s father's tenure on pitches didn’t last that long, as he hung up his boots early at the age of 25. The Dutch family called the shots to pack up and head toward southern Spain with a five-year-old Dean.
Like all the parents whose professional careers were short for a reason and who wanted to witness their children achieve what they aspired to when they were at a similar age, Huijsen’s father took his son to Costa Unida CF de Marbella in order to invest in his child’s talent at an early age. There, the under-10s team’s coach, Adam Szpilczynski, spotted Huijsen’s raw talent, hardly convincing him to change his position after he was taking his father’s steps in the striker position.
“He liked playing as a striker when he joined the club, mirroring his father, but Dean was also blessed with different attributes. He was so intelligent and good at reading the play with his anticipation and ability to win 50-50 balls. We therefore started playing him at centre-back after some tough negotiations! He then began to develop and see that things were falling into place. He’d always stay behind after training, and he’d train with his father on his days off.” ~Adam Szpilczynski
Like any child, curiosity, willingness to learn, and asking questions instinctively came out of his personality. Nonetheless, acting as a leader and with respect toward his coaches was out of the ordinary. That left the seniors taken aback by his level-headed, grown-up, and unorthodox traits of a player at such a very young age. Huijsen’s talent led him to compete with age groups older than his own, which positively caught the attention and became a mainstay for every coach as he climbed the ladder.
In 2015, Malaga CF scouted Dean Huijsen and immediately brought him in. He was just ten years old, and one more time, he lived up to the expectations, impressing everyone who came close to him. Isaac Jiménez, his former youth coach, recalled, “What impressed me the most was his drive to improve and fierce competitive spirit.” In fact, it didn’t take him long to drive his coach to come to the conclusion that Huijsen is a diamond destined for the top.
“He finished playing 7-a-side football at 12 and moved on to 11-a-side. After two seasons marked with tangible improvement, I remember speaking to fellow coach Jose Castillejo, who asked me who I thought might make the professional grade from the generation of 2005. I mulled it over for a few seconds and said, ‘Dean, because he ticks every box to give it a real shot.’” ~Isaac Jiménez
Dean Huijsen spent six years with Malaga CF before Juventus knocked on the door to seal a deal with the Spanish club and take him to Turin. The old lady initially signed him for the U-17 team. Nonetheless, he instantly progressed through the ranks, sealing a spot with the U-19. Ahead of the 2022–23 season, he reminisced about his days as a striker, banking six goals in 14 games as a center-back. That earned him an opportunity to feature with Juventus’ first team in two friendlies in December 2022.
“He’s raw, but fearless. If he keeps his head on straight and continues to grow tactically, he can become a top-level defender.” ~Massimiliano Allegri
His fierce, relentless competitive soul and his performances that were older than his age opened the door for him to join the Juventus Next Gen team, the old lady’ reserve team. Massimiliano Allegri was another coach in a chain of many who recognized Dean Huijsen's talent. Therefore, he immediately stood out from the crowd, making his breakthrough to the first team. On October 22, 2023, Allegri brought Dean Huijsen in to replace Federico Gatti at the 78th minute in San Siro against AC Milan. Back then, Huijsen was a sixteen-year-old player to make his debut while Juventus were just one goal ahead in one of the most feared stages in Europe.
These minutes that Huijsen played with the old lady were the first and last that saw him feature in a game with the 36-time Scudetto winners. Nonetheless, it was a blessing in disguise as José Mourinho endorsed him, stating that the ten minutes he played were more than enough to showcase what he had to bring to the table for AS Roma.
“Dean Huijsen has 10 minutes of football in the Serie A, but he's one of the biggest prospects in football. He will be a very great player in the future.” ~ José Mourinho
A few days later, the Portuguese coach parted ways with Giallorossi, and former player Daniel De Rossi took over. Impressing coaches became instinctive and a habit for Dean Huijsen. The Italian coach fielded the Spanish defender in 14 games, scoring 2 goals. One of them was extracted from Lionel Messi’s book.
Dean Huijsen returned to Juventus from his loan spell with Roma, holding hopes to feature regularly with the first team. However, the board decided to offload him for financial and strategic reasons.
Dean Huijsen’s old acquaintance, Thiago Pinto, who served as Roma’s sporting director until February 2024, landed in England to operate as Bournemouth's managing director of professional football. Thiago Pinto exploited Juventus’ need to sell players in order to secure Dean Huijsen’s deal. The Cherries sealed his services for £15 million.
A Dutch feeling more Spanish
“If Spain does not call me, I will continue to be Spanish. If in ten years you don't call me, I want to continue being Spanish. I don't want to play for another country.” ~Dean Huijsen
As aforementioned, Huijsen’s family moved to Spain when Dean Huijsen was five years old. His upbringing and immersion in Spanish culture gave birth to a strong and hard-to-break bond of belonging to Spain.
“I told my father when I was 15 or 16 that he wanted to play with Spain, but I did not have a passport and he told me to play with Holland and, meanwhile, it was good that people saw me and that I was learning.” ~Dean Huijsen
Despite representing the Netherlands U16, U17, and U18 youth levels and captaining the U19s, Dean Huijsen’s heart was always tied to Spain. He swapped his international allegiance to “La Piel de Toro” after receiving Spanish citizenship in February 2024. Since then, he has featured seven times for La Roja’s under-21 side.
Dean Huijsen’s unwavering commitment to Spain and brilliant performances with Bournemouth earned him an official international call from Spain's coach, Luis de la Fuente. Destiny led him to play his first international game against his birthplace country in March 2025, wherein he received a hostile reaction from the Dutch fans. However, Huijsen’s press-resistant qualities rose to the occasion, remaining steadfast, focused, and determined.
"I was expecting it. Sometimes I can receive some annoying texts on social media about that, but I just focus on my game. It didn’t really have an impact on me, to be honest, I only did my thing. I could hear some noises in the background, but that’s just another part of football." ~Dean Huijsen
In this profile:
Dean Huijsen’s overview and statistical production;
How is he out of possession, and how does he operate with the ball;
Dean Huijsen’s bull and bear cases.
📖 Player Overview
There was a reason behind European big clubs in general and Premier League top-tier teams in particular flocking in mass to convince and win Dean Huijsen’s services. Real Madrid entered the race and sealed the deal, adding the 20-year-old to their defensive line. In fact, there was a mutual admiration between Los Blancos and Dean Huijsen, as the fifteen-time UCL winners were infatuated by his Bravado-filled character, his talent, and his performances that were older than his apparent age. On his side, he never ceased to praise the enormity and greatness of Real Madrid, deeming their legendary center-back his idol.
“My idol is Sergio Ramos, he’s a reference. For me, the best center-back in history, He has everything, he’s a legend.” ~Dean Huijsen
It is too early to compare Dean Huijsen with someone of the caliber of Sergio Ramos. Nonetheless, both are ball-playing center-backs with a strong passing range that enables them to chip switches, dink long balls behind the backlines, slice through defenses with line-breaking passes or carries, and connect short passes under pressure.
Dean Huijsen is also ambipedal, and like his idol, he is press-resistant. He combines calmness and composure with a high level of technical skill, which enhances his decision-making and actions with the ball. Dean Huijsen and Sergio Ramos are versatile, as the former can operate in any position in the defense in a system of a back three. Moreover, his ambidexterity allows him to be comfortable playing left or right center-back in a backline of four.
The 20-year-old is following in his idol's footsteps by adopting an aggressive defensive style. Proactivity is Huijsen’s go-to method to step out, intercept, challenge, and closely mark his opponents. His slender frame and long legs serve him well in defense, allowing him to cover a wide area or excel in short bursts and recovery runs.
He stands tall at 195 cm, which allows him to tower over opponents and dominate them in the air. Also, Dean Huijsen has shown a similar knack as Sergio Ramos in being a threat from set pieces.
Usually, Dean Huijsen operates as a left center-back.
He initiates attacks and, with Bournemouth, was a crucial cog in the Cherries’ buildup. He racked up big numbers of passes per game, sometimes nearing 90+ passes.
His ambidexterity allows him to access more angles, expands his vision, and makes him hard to predict. As a result, he is hard to press. Press him from the left, and he will go right. Close him off from the right, and he will move toward the left. He always plots an escape way from pressure by disguising his intentions to deceive his marker.
He is always forward-thinking, always looking to slide line-breaking passes to facilitate the progression or to take care of things on his own by nudging the ball and carrying it into traffic, breaking down opponents’ lines and forcing them to retreat.
In advanced buildup, he usually takes a central position or leans toward the left side. From both positions, he does his job “creating play from deep,” relying on his neat switches, progressive passes that take his team closer to the opponents’ goal, or long chips into wide spaces or behind defensive lines targeting the fullbacks or wingers.
Here he is duping Liam Delap, accessing his right side to switch the ball toward the flanks. He spots the positional superiority on the right and unlocks the wide combination between the winger and the right-back.
Defensively, Dean Huijsen is a commanding center-back with a sharp sense of anticipation and good situation reading. He regularly exerts control in duels, be it defensive or offensive. He leans toward being aggressive, sometimes overcommitting, driving referees to book him more often.
His style of defending allows him to rack up good numbers that put him among the best Premier League center-backs for the 2024-25 season.
➡️ physical aspect
Dean Huijsen's high running and sprinting statistics align with the eye test and showcase his front-footed and proactive character, which makes him very suited to a team with a high defensive line. In fact, Bournemouth's playing style revolves around intensity when pressing and puts an enormous demand on the center-backs to step up and back up the press. Moreover, Dean Huijsen looks sharp and stinging when he counterpresses. His 43 high-speed runs per 90 and 27.97 per 90 out of possession indicate that he is highly active in challenging situations.
Dean Huijsen also mixes between volume of runs and intensity (high speed and sprints). That is derived from the fact that he has to cover ground laterally behind Milos Kerkez, who is tasked with advancing high either to participate in the high press or be involved in attacks. His 15 sprints per 90 and 9.87 sprints per 90 out of possession speak of his willingness to engage in short, aggressive bursts and his explosiveness, which gives him the edge in duels.
Dean Huijsen's high running distance indicates his superior level of endurance and higher volume of paced activity, which is helpful to maintain Bournemouth's defensive shape and supporting transitions. He also is not an all-out sprinting center-back, as he adopts a balanced approach in this regard to support his team in transitional phases.
📊 Dean Huijsen’s production
His attacking numbers put him among the best center-backs in the Premier League. He surpassed his non-penalty expected goals as he took advantage of his height and aerial ability to tower over his opponents and capitalize on his team’s setplays.
He is among the 95th percentile of center-backs in shot-creating actions, the last two actions directly leading to a shot. That is because he always takes the initiative to strike forward, and his swashbuckling progressive actions make him one of the best “play-making center-backs.” In addition, it is attributable to how Andoni Iraola set Bournemouth to play.
The last point of the previous paragraph is clearly apparent in his passing and possession statistics. He ranks among the 85th percentile of center-backs in terms of switches, as the Cherries relied a lot on finding wide players in space to cross the ball. Also, Dean Huijsen never ceases to clip long balls behind defenses or break down opponents' lines by slicing progressive passes.
His miscontrols (compared to center-backs) track when he is under pressure, as his first touch can fail him. Also, he is not risk-averse, having the tendency to drive into crowded areas.
His front-footed and proactive character contributes to him racking up high defensive numbers. Still, there is room for improvement in aerial duels, which can be done by exploiting his height more and adding some muscles to his skinny frame.
Here is a statistical comparison of Dean Huijsen and Real Madrid center-backs, Antonio Rüdiger and Raúl Asencio, and one of the best Premier League center-backs, William Saliba and Virgil Van Dijk.
His front-footed mindset is highlighted in his pressure actions, interceptions, possession gains, recoveries, and opponent’s half recoveries.
He always looks to battle for the ball on the ground or in the air (more details later), but he needs to do more.
He commits 1.05 fouls per 90 driving referees to book him more often (1.05 yellow cards per 90).
His 1.78 “own half losses per 90” is pretty high. However, it’s worth noting that he attempts to clip long balls over the top frequently. So, if he blasted one in his own team’s half, it counts as a possession loss.
He rarely plays the ball backward or laterally, as he always looks to go forward, which is plain in his 22.35 attempted forward passes per 90.
His passing statistics showcase his passing quality. Not only that, but it demonstrates how much he brings to the table in terms of progression.
His 3.75 “loose ball duels per 90” is acceptable among the center-backs in the Premier League. If we project it to Real Madrid, he is a floor-raiser (a loose ball duel is a duel when neither of the players involved has a clear advantage of reaching/touching the ball first).
📜Out of possession
👉 Anticipation and positioning
Against players who tended to drop deeper to participate in their teams’ buildup or progression phase, Dean Huijsen is alert and instantly switched on to keep tabs on the opponent, moving into deeper areas. He always maintains an optimal distance, darting in small steps with high frequency without overcommitting. Moreover, his eyes are always scanning what is happening, which impacts on a large scale his decisions and subsequent actions. That makes him hit two birds with one stone, as it sets him up in a good position to pounce on should the ball go to the opposition, who drops off or retreats to his spot in the other scenario.
Here, Dean Huijsen keeps an ideal distance with the dropping Trossard, adopting a side-on stance in order to jump onto Arsenal’s false nine or to spin back quickly if the ball goes the other way. Thomas Partey brings the first scenario into reality. As a result, Huijsen’s position allows him to close off the angle on Trossard. Not only that, but he pounced on him from his strong foot, putting him in an uncomfortable situation. That saw Bournemouth easily regain possession.
In his first international starting game, it didn’t take too long for Dean Huijsen to show his true essence. He kept checking his shoulders to be in sync with Memphis Depay's back-and-forth movements and keeping track of the ball. Thus, once Geertruida released the inside diagonal pass, he sprang on, intercepting it and setting off a counterattack.
Not only did he fulfill his defensive mission by the book, but he raced out with the counterattacking crew as if he were a striker. He suddenly became the most advanced player, collecting Olmo’s pass and releasing Nico Williams behind the Netherlands’ backline.
Here, he runs onto Thuram, assailing him and exploiting the French striker's subpar control to head the ball into an area where Roma’s close players could collect the second ball.
Sometimes, vacating his spot and getting too tight against an opponent leaves him vulnerable, and consequently, it yields repercussions. Take this sequence. Van Hecke finds the dropping Depay, who shields his ball and spins past Dean Huijsen, leaving him in his wake.
His anticipation goes wrong and leaves his back exposed for Reijnders to dart into. Nonetheless, it is normal for him to misread situations, occasionally because of his age.
“He knows what he’s doing, he’s under control. Sometimes he will make mistakes like all the others, but there is always a reason for the things he does. And for someone that is 19, it’s really strange to find this at this level.” ~Andoni Iraola on Dean Huijsen attributes.
👉 Pressing and Counterpressing
According to Opta, Bournemouth accumulated 9.9 passes per defensive action. Furthermore, based on Markstats’ website, the Cherries’ opponents have been able to complete 78.47% of successful passes outside their final third in the 2024-25 season. Bournemouth, with Andoni Iraola, delivered the most aggressive and intense high press throughout the 2024–25 season.
That certainly cannot be achieved without everyone's full commitment. Dean Huijsen is one of the main pillars of Bournemouth's biting out-of-possession strategy. Firstly, his positional awareness, constant scanning, and threat anticipation allow him to pick the right moment based on the situation to pounce on opponents. A heavy touch or loose balls don’t slip out of his sight. His ability to detect pressing triggers doesn’t hint at his young age.
His neat sense of anticipation, pressing trigger detection, and intensity in executing the action rank him second in possession gains per 90 minutes in the middle and final third and place him among the top 10 Premier League center-backs with the most pressure actions (0.2 per 90 minutes) in the same areas.
Here is Dango Ouattara forcing Robert Sánchez to go left, and Antoine Semenyo pouncing on Acheampong into going backward. Chelsea would have broken down Bournemouth's high press via Cucurella had not Dean Huijsen backed the team up. Initially, he tracked Enzo Fernandes’ deeper movement without moving his eyes away from the play. Hence, his optimal position and long frame enable him to change direction instantly and slide to tackle the ball outside.
Huijsen’s long legs allow him to make up for his miscalculations in case he misses his target and his opponent deceives him with a body feint or good ball control to access free spaces. So, his front-footedness may not be accurate, but his long reach gives him the edge for immediate compensation.
In open spaces, when the left back vacates his spot to jump on, Dean Huijsen orientates his body side-on to be able to cover his teammate’s evacuated position and defend against his man. Usually, he intends to prod and poke at the ball, as he puts his hands on his opponent to unbalance him without committing fouls, and then he puts one of his feet ahead to prod the ball. This style usually requires a good distribution from his peers around the ball to collect it.
Dean Huijsen often arrives from out of frame, backing up the press following the opponent, who tends to drop deeper. His objective is to unsettle his man, forcing him to receive with his back to the goal. He attempts to close down, relying on tight body contact, leaning, and suffocating to strip the ball off his opposition. Sometimes, he overcommits, driving the referee to whistle fouls; however, the target is hit by warding off the opponents’ attacks.
👉 Defending the box: crosses, cutbacks, etc
Bournemouth is one of the best teams in the Premier League at defending crosses (for more details about defending crosses, check this article). Dean Huijsen is usually tasked with covering the near post and the zone in front of the middle of the net.
Huijsen's anticipation, intelligent reading of the situation, and smart positioning give him the upper hand in predicting and forestalling where the cross is going to land.
Adding to that, he is always keen on closing the distance with his man to block off shooting angles in case of low crosses and unlocking the gap between him and the goalkeeper to prevent a scenario where an opponent sneaks or comes from behind.
Also, he consistently adjusts his position, taking optimal and small steps to be able to secure a close position and reach the ball for a clearance. It is worth mentioning that his height (195 cm) gives him the edge to boss the battle in the air.
Dean Huijsen is usually in the right place, arriving, intercepting, recovering, or collecting loose balls at the right moment.
In defensive transition, he usually has to cover the space vacated by the left-back Kerkez, who is tasked with advancing wide. Against pacey opponents, his long legs and strides enable him to recover quickly. He applies a neat technique when decelerating, as he prioritizes his heel to make the first contact with the ground, then the mid-foot, and finally the forefoot. That allows him to brake faster without losing balance and enables him to adjust his body in case of directional change. Also, his long reach gives him the upper hand in dispossessing his opponents.
In the cutback zones, he gets closer to the opponent and times his slides or his legs’ stretching to block off the delivery. It’s worth mentioning that Dean Huijsen’s clearances, blocks, and interceptions are usually directed to safe areas.
👉 Defending wide areas
Bournemouth, with Andoni Iraola, relied heavily on an intense press to suffocate opponents and destabilize their comfort in the initial phases. In possession, the Cherries are a vertical team, aiming to arrive at the final third with the minimum passes. In both phases, Bournemouth’s fullbacks are tasked with pushing high and wide, either to back up the press or create. Therefore, the center-backs have to cover the wide areas left vacated.
Dean Huijsen's proactive mindset and front-footed nature are conducive to him being always alert and ready to shuffle across and cover the wide spaces. Here, Milos Kerkez fails to press Murphy. So, the ball goes wide to Isak. As a reaction, Dean Huijsen instantly closes off all the angles that would enable Isak to prod the ball behind by getting too tight and minimizing, to a degree of nullifying Newcastle’s striker's operational field.
In this example, against Brighton, Milos Kerkez's attention is drawn toward the ball. Hence, Dean Huijsen is left one-on-one against Yankuba Minteh. However, once the latter missed his first touch, Dean Huijsen pounced on, getting too narrow, wrapping Minteh up, and using his long legs to nudge the ball and dispossess Brighton’s winger.
Even against the deadliest opponents in transition, Dean Huijsen's anticipation serves him well in clearing away the danger and preventing troubles. His long frame, coupled with timed sliding tackles, nips all the threat in the bud in case the distance between him and his opponent is not enough to get tight.
👉 Aerial duels
Preparation and positioning
Starting position: Dean Huijsen's height (195 cm) gives him the edge, making him a dominant figure in the air. He often starts goal-side of his opponent, exploiting his long reach to his advantage, while maintaining an optimal distance with his man, keeping him in his sight. Huijsen is a front-footed player. So, he always looks to challenge aggressively.
Body Orientation and reading the flight: Dean Huijsen operates side-on to secure balance. It also enables him to quickly change direction and spin to track the ball’s trajectory. Moreover, he incredibly anticipates thanks to his scanning skills, which allow him to be informed of his surroundings and correctly predict where the ball will land.
Approach to the duel
Timing the jump: Dean Huijsen's well-anticipating qualities give him the edge to time his jumps and meet the ball at its peak. Not only that, but it permits him to boost his aerial presence by utilizing vertical jumps without over-relying on excessive leaping.
Momentum and run-up: Huijsen recalls controlled runs-up, taking steps to generate power in the jump. His intensity, physicality, and proactivity make him outmuscle his opponent despite his skinny frame.
Body positioning: He makes use of his frame efficiently, leaning into opponents and using his arms in the process to deliver small nudges and unbalance, destabilize his man, and then drive him to mistime his jump.
Execution of the jump
Jump technique and arm usage: a strong plant foot and perfect arm usage allow Dean Huijsen to generate momentum while jumping and enable him to tower over opponents without mentioning his height, which gives him the advantage by nature. In addition, he uses his arms to nudge his opponent without committing a foul. That gives him enough space to operate and unbalance his man at the same time.
Decision-making in the air
Clearance vs. control: Dean Huijsen usually leans toward clearing the ball away with his head, directing it to safe zones (wide channels). His scanning technique is his Linchpin, as it enables him to plan where he will head the ball, not only just for the sake of clearance, but to detect his teammates’ whereabouts to initiate transitions when possible, or to guide it into an area to fight for second balls and retain possession.
Dean Huijsen accumulated 61.4% of aerial duels won. That makes him average among the Premier League center-backs with at least 1710 minutes played. However, the aerial duel metric in isolation isn’t enough to sort out a fair judgment of Dean Huijsen's aerial duels’ outcome because it ignores the subsequent actions of Huijsen’s clearances.
However, if recoveries post-the aerial duel are to be taken into consideration, Dean Huijsen progresses through the ranks (top 15% of the Premier League’s center-backs) with 0.89 recoveries per 90 minutes after his aerial duel. That means, as aforementioned, that Huijsen directs his headed clearances towards qualitative spaces to allow his teammates to pounce on and fight for second balls, retain possession, or initiate a transition.
In other words, Dean Huijsen’s neat anticipation and scanning give him the edge to deliver controlled clearances for better and optimal outcomes, as his aerial duels won produce 0.07 recovered balls that are shot-ending.
In Possession
👉 Smart positioning
Usually in deep buildup, Dean Huijsen operates wide, with the goalkeeper stepping between him and the other side center-back. Sometimes he tends to step up as a situational pivot. That takes place after multiple scans, checking his shoulders to read the opponent’s press and interpret the outcome of his next action.
When the opposition presses with two front players, he joins the pivot, dragging his man with him inside and freeing the wide channel for the left-back to drop back and receive in space. When the receiver is immediately shut down, Dean Huijsen works his way back to his initial position to collect the pass and chip a long ball forward.
Here he is dummying his movement, narrowing inside, and pointing to the goalkeeper that Milos Kerkez is dropping deep into space where he can receive and clip the ball over the top.
Not only did his inside movement enable the left-back to dart deep and collect the ball unpressurized, but it also frees him when one of the opposition front players decides to jump onto the goalkeeper. Therefore, a third-man combination suffices to access the left side, passing by Dean Huijsen.
Here, he draws Marcus Thuram inside to soak up pressure on Angelino. As a result, Barella is forced to cover a large distance before arriving at the ballholder.
👉 Line-breaking and progressive passes
Ambidexterity plays a crucial role in how Dean Huijsen easily finds free options between the lines, and his passes break opponents’ defensive compactness. According to Opta, he operated 94.1% of 2422 minutes played as a left center-back. As an ambipedal cog, Dean Huijsen has access to more angles.
He can receive the ball from his right side, letting it run across his body, and then gliding a pass through an opponent's block to a teammate between the lines. In case he receives with his back toward the touchlines, his right foot serves him well to swing a pass for a runner behind the opposition’s defensive line.
This is how he assisted Lamine Yamal’s goal against the Netherlands. It’s worth mentioning that this was Dean Huijsen's first international participation with Spain as a starting player. Not only that, but it was against his native country, and the atmosphere was hostile. However, he was the definition of grace under pressure.
He detected Pedri’s deeper movement to drag De Jong up, and Lamine Yamal’s runs in behind. Then, he took the initiative in lofting the ball over the top and releasing the Spain winger in a perfect situation to score.
As aforesaid, his ambipedality tips the scales in his favor, so he can access more angles in a short period. Take this example against the Hammers. If he were a left-footed center-back, he would have to adjust his body more toward the right side to open up the angle that would enable him to find Dango Ouattara, similar to what he did with his right foot.
However, being ambidextrous means he can just put his effort into prodding that in-out line-breaking pass onto Ouattara. That saw Bournemouth generate a two-versus-one on the flank and provide the ball holder time to whip the early cross toward the far post.
His soothing, forward-thinking character unlocks gates through opponents’ defensive integrity. Check this out: how his pausa invites Lautaro Martinez in a way that Dean Huijsen wants him to keep the vertical passing lane accessible. And then he slices Inter’s defense open with his line-breaking pass. Not only that, but it allows the Giallorossi to execute an up-back-through passing pattern to access the final third of Inter.
In the Premier League, there are few defenders whose progressive passes cover large distances more than Huijsen’s. Bournemouth is a direct team, and Dean Huijsen usually is the one responsible for finding players between the lines or behind defensive lines. He is the player with the most passes attempted among Bournemouth players per game (60.2 attempted passes per game, at least 19 games played), and he is the one with the most passes traveling into the final third among his peers with the Cherries (6.67 passes per game).
👉 Long balls
Dean Huijsen is among the 97th percentile of center-backs, with 11.27 attempted long balls per game, according to Fbref. Also, he is ranked in the 93rd percentile with 6.71 completed passes per game. His completion rate of 59.5% is not promising, which is an area he has to improve.
Bournemouth is one of the most direct vertical teams in the 2024-25 season of the Premier League.
They relied heavily on long balls to arrive at the final third or the opponent's penalty box. They are second to Everton with 74.2 attempted long balls per game. In addition, Dean Huijsen is the second player after goalkeeper Arrizabalaga—players with at least 19 games played—in Bournemouth who has tried to play long balls (11.3 per game). Huijsen’s long deliveries are switches of play or passes behind the opposition’s defense.
The Spanish center-back is versatile in this aspect, as he can clip his long passes in any direction he wants. Also, his ambidexterity plays a crucial role in breaking down opponents’ lines, counting on such a type of pass.
His long chips are hit with a remarkable amount of drop and bend, which is something efficient when trying to loft the ball over the top into space behind…
…or as a gateway from an initial press, or when a teammate wants to receive behind his marker.
The issue arises when there is minimal space to operate in and when the opposition shrinks their distances, as his looping passes may trigger the opponent to counterpress and win the second ball. As a consequence, his team may concede a transition.
👉 Switches of play
Scanning allows players to visualize a picture in their minds, making subsequent actions easier. Good scanning means good situation reading, which significantly contributes to adequate decision-making. The rest is a matter of perfecting the execution. Moreover, for a player to attain excellence, he has to build a synergistic relationship with the team. Both serve each other.
This is the case for Bournemouth and Dean Huijsen. Here, against Newcastle United, Ilia Zabarnyi retreats to attract Isak. In fact, Huijsen's body orientation contributes to deceiving the Swedish striker and generates space inside by sending fake cues. The Spanish center-back already knows that nobody from Newcastle's second line can commit to jumping on him. As a result, he launches the diagonal pass with a perfect weight and height into space, putting the winger in a one-on-one situation.
When he operates on the right and is under pressure, he can comfortably rely on his left foot to find the player on the opposite side, instead of playing the ball back and allowing the opposition to reload the press.
Dean Huijsen is ranked in the 85th percentile of center-backs who attempt switches of play (0.56 per game). Usually, his switching passes target players in wide areas, embodying Bournemouth and Andoni Iraola's direct style.
He tends to hit the underside of the ball, generating more height. That saw his switches of play or long balls in general delivered with a drop, tending to bend rather than drive through to a teammate. But it serves the goal of the team as his switches take the play further up the pitch into space where the isolated player can directly play the cross or combine with a teammate, taking advantage of the time the opposition needs to shuffle across.
👉 Carrying and dribbling
Words cannot describe Dean Huijsen’s bravery and courage to take the ball and carry it for long distances. His ambidexterity gains him parts of a second to access free spaces and break down the first line of the opposition’s press.
In advanced buildup, he usually exploits the numerical superiority of his team’s backline to carry the ball around that first line of the block. As he progresses, he can enter more free zones, taking advantage of the left-back and left winger in pinning their markers wide and the midfielders tying the opposition midfielders inside. As a result, he can stroll as the opposition lines get stretched laterally.
Here he is lurking, reading the situation and noticing Kerkez and Semenyo stretching the inside channel for him to gallop the length of the pitch. Not only that, but he dares to do the stepover as if he is a proper winger or an attacking midfielder to penetrate the box.
Against low blocks and teams committing only one player on the front line, Dean Huijsen could be detrimental to any compact shapes. With Bournemouth, the center-backs split very wide, which served Huijsen well, as he already had space around to spark forward. And against passive blocks, he would scamper onward, breaking down the lines and pushing the opposition backward.
Here he is again spotting free zones in front of Brentford center-backs to access down the left-inside channel. As he receives with his left foot, he drives forward, noticing Mbeumo is caught between two minds, whether to keep retreating or take a good stance to jump onto Kerkez if Huijsen were to pick him out. Nonetheless, the Spanish center-back makes use of the situation, entering the free space and setting up to shoot from the edge of the box.
The same gets replicated in the same game. He exploits the space around Brentford's second line. In the meantime, Milos Kerkez draws Bryan Mbeumo’s attention, pulling him wide, and Antoine Semenyo keeps pushing Brentford's defense backward. That saw the left-inside channel enter Huijsen’s command. His forward-thinking guides at the edge of the box to deliver the low cross toward the far post for Evanilson.
When Dean Huijsen identifies free spaces to move into via carries, especially in the buildup as he is going to break down opponents’ lines and contribute to his team’s progression, he adjusts his body with his back toward the touchline (side on). He intends to dupe his marker by sending fake cues with his body orientation as if he plans to play laterally. When the optimal situation is set, he nudges the ball into space, carrying it onward.
Look at him here. He stands on the ball to lure Memphis Depay and invite him to press. Then, he pretends to play backward to drive the Dutch striker into adjusting his body toward his right side. In the meantime, his eyes are on Zubimendi, waiting for the latter to drag his man a bit upward. Once that happened, he instantly changed his direction and carried the ball into space, forcing the Netherlands to retreat and setting Cucurella free behind the defense.
➡️ Setplays
🎯 Attacking Setpieces
As aforesaid, Dean Huijsen’s height makes him a target to find in offensive setpieces. In corners, he often operates around the penalty spot or between the penalty area and the six-yard box. He attacks corners with a diagonal or curved run, outmuscling his markers in the process.
When the delivery is directed toward the far post, he sneaks behind his markers to dart toward the back post, leap in the air with his long frame, offering him leverage to head the ball first.
Here, he is exploiting Tottenham's zonal markers, being fully concentrated on the ball, and their man-markers getting drawn by the Cherries players at the edge of the six-yard box, allowing him to run freely toward the far post and head the ball home.
Not only does he act as a target to score, but he also neatly controls his neck to direct his header into dangerous areas for second attempts.
🛡️ Defensive Setpieces
Dean Huijsen typically defends zonally, operating in central areas at the edge of the six-yard box or around the front post. Again, this is the zillionth time we recall how much his long frame tips the scale in his favor. But it is what it is. He is assigned to clear balls, maintain compactness, and communicate well with his teammates.
His anticipative nature and proactive style are also crystal clear in defensive setplays. He is always calculating where the ball is going to land in order to be the first one to collect it and cut off its path. Furthermore, his headed clearances are usually directed into safe areas where his teammates can easily reach them.
Adding to that, he showcased a good ability to screen runners on near-post flick-ons or inswinging corners.
🔥 Takeaways
Let’s evaluate the potential future of Dean Huijsen with Real Madrid setting up a bull and bear scenario.
🐂 Bull Case
The most obvious tailwind scenario is that Dean Huijsen is one of the best ball-playing center-backs. He will bring composure, calmness, and respite under heavy waves of pressure. Also, Real Madrid has just signed a rare profile who is comfortable playing with both feet. That will add a big amount of unpredictability to Los Blancos in deep and advanced buildup.
Central progression was what made Bayer Leverkusen so unique under Xabi Alonso’s coaching. Therefore, having a center-back like Dean Huijsen will certainly improve Real Madrid's buildup patterns, and as a result, they will be able to walk through intense pressing systems. That’s because of how intrepid the twenty-year-old is in inviting and baiting pressure to open passing lanes and slice open opponents’ blocks with his line-breaking and progressive passes.
In addition, Real Madrid already possesses forward players who instinctively like to run behind defensive lines, including Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé, and Rodrygo. Hence, Dean Huijsen will find joy in chipping his long delivery when progressing on the ground is not an option. Also, it will be profitable for Jude Bellingham, as the Englishman always looks to run late in behind.
Another aspect to bring to this case is Dean Huijsen’s switches of play. These types of passes are likely to find Real Madrid’s forward players in wide areas and put them in isolated situations. Not only that, but his switches will unlock wide combinations to generate qualitative crossing situations or enable access to the cut-back zones.
Defensively, Real Madrid’s defensive lapses cost them a lot. Opponents broke down Los Blancos defense as if they were walking in a park. The problem started on the front lines, where Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior were lethargically putting in effort in the press. In the backline, the center-backs were late in stepping out and suffocating opponents who looked to drop between the lines and link play.
With the aggressive, front-footed personality of Dean Huijsen, it will be hard for the opposition to drop off, thread passes, and set free runners behind. As aforementioned, he usually gets tight against strikers, driving them into uncomfortable situations. His modus operandi revolves around poking and prodding at the ball, putting his hands across their backs to unbalance them, and then nudging the ball. This technique requires a high degree of alertness from the midfield to collect Huijsen’s balls.
Xabi Alonso will probably implement a good out-of-possession system. In fact, it is a must. Dean Huijsen will be a crucial cog in this regard, vacuuming opponents. Real Madrid were subpar in keeping close distances to counterpress once they lost the ball. Los Blancos have to take advantage of this quality, as it will serve in and out of possession phases. With the ball, Real Madrid will have a great opportunity to rack up many turnovers on the one hand. On the other hand, it will be conducive to regaining the ball and exerting some control, slowing down the tempo of the game.
In defensive transitions, you can rest assured of what he is capable of when it comes to covering behind the fullbacks.
Finally, Real Madrid must take advantage of Dean Huijsen’s height and aerial ability to net more goals in offensive setpieces and clear the danger in defensive setplays.
🐻 Bear Case
Although Dean Huijsen is a proactive center-back with a good sense of anticipation, this may be his biggest bear case. Vacating his spot to get too tight against players can leave his back vulnerable, especially against strikers who can hold the play up well, resisting Huijsen’s disturbing actions. He can get spun past by his opponents, and as a consequence, the evacuated space will be exposed.
Additionally, a simple layoff from the player he jumped on will be enough to bypass him. Thus, a midfielder has to commit and drop to cover Huijsen’s vacated spot.
His technique in one-on-one situations is good in general. However, sometimes he doesn’t keep an optimal distance from his man to react to sudden directional changes.
With the ball, he tends to carry it inside traffic and drive at pressure with pace. This may lead to possession loss and expose his team in transitions. Also, it affects his decision-making and the accuracy of his passes. Speaking of passing, his long deliveries are hit with a significant drop and bend, which can be helpful in case he is targeting a wide player in a static position or behind defenses. Nonetheless, he has to add driven long passes to his repertoire, as they give defenders less time to adjust and shuffle. In case of switches, it enables the team to exploit the underloaded side of the pitch for the same reason.
All in all, Real Madrid added a great talent with a strong mentality and leadership personality despite his young age. It is an investment for the short and long term. Now, it is up to Dean Huijsen to level up and meet expectations that are on another level compared to his previous experiences.
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Also, I’m indebted to MyGamePlan for the quality of the work and the data insight they provide.
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