Summary

Marin Petkov is a 20 year old winger who currently plays for his boyhood club, Levski Sofia. Petkov worked his way through the academy and signed his first professional contract in January 2020. Since then he has gone on to make over 100 appearances in a Levski Sofia shirt, in addition to representing Bulgaria at senior international level.

Petkov typically lines up on the right wing of a 4-2-3-1 system for Levski Sofia. He likes to make inverted runs into central areas which allows him to use his favoured left foot. Whilst willing to occasionally shoot with his right, he prefers to almost exclusively use his left. He can also play as an out-and-out winger on the left side.

Physically, he has a slim build but still manages to generate power through his legs and upper body, this allows him to do well in the shoulder to shoulder duels on the ground. Whilst not overly tall, he does not shy away from aerial duels and is able to utilise the power his legs generate a good jumping reach.

He demonstrates strong leadership stills on the pitch, communicating with his teammates and possesses a good work rate throughout the 90 minutes.

Seasonal percentile rankings can be seen below:

Attacking Phase In Possession

• He is quick in his movements, able to receive the ball, control it with his first touch and turn away from his opponent in one swift movement. He is reasonably agile with an excellent burst of acceleration which he frequently puts to good use.
• He is able to receive the ball in tight spaces and bring it under control, his physical strength allows him to hold off the opponent while he creates enough space to release a pass. He often moves onto his toes to receive the ball, this means he has the ability to move it quickly once under control but does mean that he loses balance and a stronger opponent could knock him off the ball in this situation.
• Petkov’s unwillingness to use his right foot when carrying the ball can see him run into trouble. When progressing into crowded areas, he doesn’t shift the ball away from the opponent and makes it too easy for said opponent to read his movement due to his exclusive use of his left foot. This is further evident when he misses shooting opportunities due to his determination to work the ball onto his left foot.
• He is a very direct player who likes to run at his opponent, this often attracts several opposition players and creates space for teammates. He is very confident with the ball at his feet and 1v1 with an opponent. Petkov uses a burst of rapid acceleration to progress the ball away from his opponent. When running at full speed he is incredibly forceful and can easily run beyond his opponents.
• Although he gets into some excellent crossing positions, especially when playing as a winger, Petkov is slow to execute a cross. He often waits too long and then the opportunity is gone. It would be good to see him become more decisive in these situations.
• When in the penalty area though, Petkov appears to be much more decisive. He is calm and composed in 1v1 situations against the goalkeeper and likes to take early shots with the potential to catch the ‘keeper off guard. His shots are powerful and mostly accurate, the ones that are off target tend not to be too far away. He is also willing to shoot with his right foot when in the penalty area and when he doesn’t have time to try and shift the ball to his left.
• Petkov’s short passing is typically accurate and he looks to link play together through some intelligent flicks and through passes. He plays well weighted balls into the box for the forward to run onto and hit first time.

Attacking Phase Out of Possession

• Shows an excellent burst of acceleration to make late runs into the penalty area when the team is looking to play a cross in from the opposite side.
• Petkov opens up his body to receive the ball from a teammate. His positioning often sees him hug the touchline, meaning he creates space for himself to turn into when he receives a pass.
• His off-the-ball movement is very intuitive and is often put to good use in the attacking phase as he can easily drag opposition players out of their defensive structure. He can be a little too eager with these runs though and sometimes moves too early, before his teammates are able to profit from his willingness to drag opponents away.
• He will also drop between the lines to offer himself as an available passing option and his capability to move into pockets of space is very useful for quick one-two’s and short, sharp link-up play.
• Additionally, Petkov looks to make runs in behind the opposition’s defensive line, looking for a pass over the top, adding another dimension to Levski’s attacking play. He will begin his movement just in front of the fullback and arch his run in between the fullback and central defender.
• When in the penalty area, Petkov demonstrates his ability to create space for himself via subtle but quick movements that allow him to move away from the opposition defender.

Defensive Phase On Ball

• He is very tenacious in the duels. The most effective method of regaining possession is when he uses his upper body strength to get in between the player and the ball to recover possession and change direction quickly to initiate the transition into the attacking phase.
• When executing a tackle, he is often well placed and has reasonably long legs which allows him to make good contact with the ball to recover possession.
• In aerial duels, although he generates a good jumping reach, he rarely wins the duel in a direct 1v1 jump. He puts his opponent under pressure but is not very effective beyond this.
• He struggles to assert himself against opponents who are visibly stronger than him and his physical frame means he can be knocked off balance when challenging in a loose ball duel.

Defensive Phase Off Ball

• His acceleration allows him to track his opponent with relative ease. Petkov is very proactive defensively and shows intelligence when tracking runners, he makes good decisions regarding when to engage in a defensive action and when to stand off.
• He is a very intelligent player with regard to his reading of the game. He is continuously scanning the play and always aware of what is going on around him. This means Petkov can position himself well to close off passing lanes and make interceptions when the opponent is building an attack.
• Petkov’s reading of the game is further evident when providing cover for his fullback. He drops into the defensive line comfortably and remains alert and aware to any danger posed by the opposition whilst his teammate returns to his position. He will drop very deep, often forming a back five, carrying out most of his defensive actions in the wide area.

Transitions

Offensive Transition:

• His speed allows him to cover ground quickly, he prefers to make runs through the middle with and without the ball.
• Without the ball, he will look to arrive late to the penalty area to receive a cutback from a teammate.
• With the ball at his feet he can be a little more conservative, he does progress the team up the pitch but will often stop short of aggressively taking on his opponent, even when there is the opportunity to do so in the transition period. Instead, he looks for support from teammates. His unwillingness to use his weaker foot in these situations can also cause him to slow down and check back on himself to retain possession.

Defensive Transition:

• He has the speed and tenacity to counterpress when his team loses possession. He demonstrates this throughout the 90 minutes and he would easily fit into a high pressing team in the future.
• His speed means he can track runners effectively and quickly make recovery runs back into his own half and put the opponent under pressure. Plus, he often runs at full and can efficiently execute a ball recovery before the opponent has chance to play a pass.
• Petkov can sometimes be caught ball watching, especially when the opponents play a long ball. He doesn’t start moving until it is too late and is not always aware of his positioning compared to his opponent.

Set Pieces

• He is a primary set piece taker for his team. Corners are often well struck, with maximum height, inviting his teammates to leap highest and head the ball goalwards.
• Direct free kicks within shooting distance are powerfully struck, sometimes lacking in accuracy.
• His deliveries generally carry a lot of power, which is not lost even when they have a significant amount of height. He invites teammates to aerially challenge for the ball and his deliveries are often well placed.

Development Areas

• There is a vast difference in his decision making when under pressure and when not. With little time to think, his movements and decisions are often instinctive and he often makes the right choice. However when afforded more time to think, Petkov can sometimes overthink and take too long to make a decision which then sees the passing, crossing or shooting opportunity be lost.
• He is naturally drawn to operating in the half-space and central areas which does allow overlaps from the fullbacks and allows the midfielders to move out wide. However, it can also mean that he is working in a crowded area of the pitch and not able to utilise his skillset most efficiently. Petkov is very effective when he has space ahead, his speed and ball carrying abilities mean he can progress the team up the pitch and bypass opponents rapidly.