The 2021/22 Ligue 1 season was a campaign to forget for Olympique Lyonnais. The French giants finished eighth in the league, picking up just 61 points – finishing 25 points behind champions Paris Saint-Germain – their lowest points haul since the 2013/14 campaign (the 2019-20 season is an exception with it curtailed by Covid-19).
A club who are arguably supposed to be PSG’s biggest challengers for the Ligue 1 gong, flattered to deceive and constantly meddled with perennial underachievement as former coach Peter Bosz struggled to get the best out of a rather talented crop.
However Les Gones fared a little better in their European aspirations, topping their group before being eliminated by West Ham United in the quarter-finals. Though the season proved underwhelming on all fronts, the club did strike gold in their talent pool area, and that’s the emergence and come up of one of Europe’s most prized young full back assets, Malo Gusto.
Throughout the past decade or so, Lyon have always been the place to be to find young and fledgling young talents, and their historic academy has thrown up some of the world’s most renowned footballers. Karim Benzema, Samuel Umtiti, Anthony Martial, Maxwel Cornet, Alexandre Lacazette, Hatem Ben Arfa, Nabil Fekir, Corentin Tolisso. Few other youth recruiters in the modern game can boast such a glittering legacy.
French wonderkid Malo Gusto is the latest shiny new product out of the Les Gones production line, and could well become one of the most complete of them all. The 19-year-old is already an accomplished and guaranteed regular at Lyon, and could well provide France with the permanent solution to their recurring right-back conundrum.
One common factor and theme surrounding Lyon and their pool of young gifted academy products is that they end up on to bigger and better things, and the rumours surrounding Gusto’s future has already started. Both Manchester United and Barcelona have been credited with an interest in the talented full-back, and considering his flawless attributes and qualities, it won’t be long before he is gracing one of Europe’s most elite clubs.
Profiling Malo Gusto
Born in Décines-Charpieu in May 2003 – now the home of the their stadium in the Lyon Metropolis – Gusto grew up Villefontaine, Isère, his father forced him into the field of Rugby but the young Gusto chose to pursue his dream football instead, whilst studying for his baccalauréat technologique.
He started out playing for AS Villefontaine, a club based in a commune, Isere department, southeast France, spending three years at the club’s academy before moving to Football Club Bourgoin-Jallieu, a club plying their trade in the fifth tier of French football.
The move to the club would pay much dividends for the youngster in which the club signed a partnership agreement with Lyon, and it is through that partnership where Gusto was identified and picked up by the French giants – following a similar route to fellow academy product Amine Gouiri.
There he formed the same generation as Florent da Silva, Yaya Soumaré and Rayan Cherki, eventually signing his first professional contract with the French club in December 2021. At that point he had already made a few appearance on the team sheet for Ligue 1 games under Rudi Garcia’s management, whilst already having shown his talent in the Youth League and National 2, with the reserve.
Gusto eventually made his Lyon first team bow in January 2021, replacing former midfielder and teammate Bruno Guimaraes in the 90th minute of a 5-0 win over their Derby du Rhône rivals Saint-Etienne. Having made another short Ligue 1 appearance at the end of the season, the young defender signed a new contract with Lyon in June, tying him to the club until 2024.
During the summer of 2021, Peter Bosz had been named head coach, with which Gusto soon appeared as one of Lyon most promising new prospects, along with the likes of Castello Lukeba, enjoying a tremendous and fruitful first real pre-season for the first team.
Starting the 2021–22 season as the official replacement of France international Léo Dubois – as several fullbacks were departing the club, including Mattia De Sciglio, Melvin Bard and Maxwel Cornet – Gusto started his first game during Lyon’s opening match against Brest on the 7th of August becoming the youngest defender to start a Ligue 1 game for OL since Samuel Umtiti.
Despite being quickly thrust into the limelight and first team picture earlier than expected, Gusto too in such demands and rigors of first team action like a duck to water, and with the maturity and development that belies his years and experience.
What is Gusto’s style of play?
Being a crucial part of an attack is a necessary requirement for modern day fullbacks and in Gusto, Lyon possess a true attacking component, a player who shows much completeness, well-rounded attributes and a maturity that many of his positional counterparts could only dream of.
What is intriguing about the 19-year-old is that he actually started out as an attacking midfielder, but was, by chance, converted to right-back in his earlier teens. “At the start it was to compensate for injuries in the age category above,” Gusto told the club’s website. “The coach put me in at right-back and I had a good match, since then my position hasn’t changed.”
It is a position that the player admitted he didn’t really want to play in: “At the beginning it was complicated for me, and for my father too. He has always seen me on the offensive side and he now saw me staying back,” Gusto explained. “But it’s still football, if you study the role well, you’ll progress quickly.”
And that he has. If you’ve come to experience Gusto’s game, you’d realise that he wouldn’t look out of place playing behind a striker. However, the full-back role is one he has studied extensively, because at just the tender age of 19, he already looks the part.
Like all regular and functional full-backs, Gusto in comparison lacks the the slightly angular, functional technique of a lot of career full-backs and instead plays with the swagger and forward thinking verve of an attacking midfielder. While he is incredibly adept at becoming a marauding and persistent presence when overlapping and attacking the box, he performs such actions with a confidence and an aura that stands him out amongst his peers.
Being taller than the archetypal full-back at 5’9 (Jordi Alba, for example, is 5’6) and broader too, Gusto carries an understated and unique physicality, and still has some way to mature. However, his scraggly pony-tail and goatee beard already make Gusto look far older than 18.
It was only his first proper taste of first team action last year – making 37 appearances across Ligue 1 and the UEFA Europa League – but the 19-year-old looks very assured and at home amongst the elite. Gusto’s own description of his style as an “offensive, hard-hitting, powerful, fast, technical player” has become apparent with every passing match he features in.
At such a young age, Gusto is already an influential piece of Lyon’s attacking play due to his adept qualities in possession but more importantly his uniqueness and technical acumen when creating chances. He is a modern-day full-back who loves to venture into attacking areas and supply his teammates. His four assists in the league last term was the seventh-best amongst defenders.
Becoming an instrumental and active component approaching the final third through progressive passing or carries is his true calling card.
According to FBRef, Gusto ranks incredibly high amongst his positional peers over the past year, especially for ball progression, and helping his side win the ball back high. He’s a reliable and fantastic outlet in possession, capable of aiding his side’s possession style, distributing the ball well whilst also maintaining it even when under pressure.
The French wonderkid ranks in the top 5% of full-backs for passes attempted per 90, and passes completed per90 and passes received per 90, highlighting just how crucial he is to Peter Bosz’ progressive style. He is also adept at keeping the ball when being pressured by his opponents, ranking in the 74th percentile for passes under pressure. When receiving passes, he shapes himself up well to receive it and distribute it swiftly and adeptly owing to his excellent technical and tactical understanding.
More importantly, for most teenage full-backs, they are at times hesitant and rushed when entering the final third which is understandable given age, maturity and experience but in Malo Gusto, you’d be hard pressed to find such struggles when in the attacking areas. He is accomplished and assured in picking out his intender targets in the penalty area. The French wonderkid ranks in the top 13% of full backs for passes into the penalty area, in the top 6% for crosses into the penalty area and in the top 5% for pass targets (number of times a player was the target of an attempted pass).
Owing to his unique and broad stature mixed with his tremendous gifts on the ball, he is a scary sight when marauding forward with the ball, and that is why he is amongst the best full-backs when progressing the ball into the penalty area through ball carries or dribbles. As stated previously, he is influential in the attacking third, shown through his 88th percentile (top 12%) ranking in touches in the attacking third and 71st percentile ranking for touches in the attacking penalty area which makes for great reading considering he is a full-back but it shows just how vital they are within Bosz’ gameplan.
Nonetheless, it’s how Gusto approaches such situations that is just as impressive. His 57.97 carries per 90 minutes is amongst the top 5% of full-backs in Europe’s top five leagues. He also ranks in the top 4% for progressive carrying distance per 90, top 1% for total carrying distance per 90, top 3% for progressive carries and in the top 5% for carries into the final third per 90 highlighting that he is incredibly and perfectly capable of approaching the opponent’s penalty area with great regularity and aplomb.
In addition, he also loves to help the team win the ball back once losing possession. Fbref stats show that he makes 6.26 successful pressures per 90 minutes which is among the top three per cent among fullbacks, but also he ranks well for pressures in the attacking third per90 (top 13%) meaning he fits very well with Peter Bosz’ aggressive pressing style.
Despite his attacking roots, Gusto has adapted well to the defensive side of the game and is similarly pro-active around his own penalty area as when marauding forward. He’s not afraid to make a lunging intervention or impose himself on the opposition.
He’s held his own against some of Europe’s most accomplished forwards in PSG’s superstar duo in Neymar and Kylian Mbappe and continues to be a sturdy presence in his defensive work. So far in the 2022/23 campaign, he’s recorded 1.7 interceptions, 2.7 tackles 1.0 possession won per game whilst winning 58% of his total duels. Amongst his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, he ranks well for his defensive metrics, ranking in the 82nd percentile for full backs for interceptions per 90 (2.29), 83rd percentile for tackles + interceptions per 90 (4.91) and in the 90th percentile for tackles won per 90 (1.78).
Despite these impressive numbers, it is something Gusto will have to improve considerably especially if he is to eventually make the step up to a more competitive and swash-buckling league. That tackle first, ask questions later style of defending relies heavily on timing and, as one barely passable last ditch challenge last season on Strasbourg striker Kevin Gameiro underlined, it could get him in real trouble if not fully refined. A deceptive turn of pace and a burgeoning ability to read play, however, will greatly aid his game but the player concedes: “I know I still have to work on my defensive positioning.”
That self-reflection and realisation again goes to show how much he has matured during his first year playing professional first team football. It also shows his indomitable spirit. He has been performing incredibly well in a season where Lyon struggled on all fronts and lost several players to transfers, so if Peter Bosz is to improve on that front, and provide his fledgling full-back with more quality to work off and with, then there is no reason why Gusto can’t further refine and develop his game over the new campaign.
What does the future hold for Gusto?
The 19-year-old’s talent and sky-high potential are obvious but he needs Lyon, unlike with Bard, to be generous with their trust and time. A contract extension last year to 2024 suggests that is the club’s plan, but to avoid big clubs getting him on the cheap, they may need to start talks with the wonderkid to extend his stay even further.
Gusto’s physique, attacking verve, all-action defending and focused attitude, as well as the fact that all those attributes have a long way to develop, make the teenager a rare talent. He will truly be a highly marketable but sustainable component to have for any of the top calibre sides, most especially in Manchester United and Barcelona who both are on the look out for right-backs who can compliment their exciting attacking components as well as a player they can hone, develop and possess for the next 5-10 years. Gusto fits the bill perfectly.
Though, another year or two at Lyon will do him the world of good. There’s no need for him to rush, especially with Les Gones hell-bent on improving on their disappointing league finish last season. Gusto will be a pivotal component in that rebuild, and it is already underway with Peter Bosz’s side unbeaten – at the time of writing – in their first three games so far.
With France’s right-back area a problem position too, do not be surprised to see Gusto become the long-term solution in the post World Cup era. He is tailor made for it.
anthonyscouts.co.uk 