Sometimes it’s hard to believe Yuri Alberto is only 23. A product of Santos' famous academy, the Brazilian made his first team debut at the end of the 2017 football season.
He never established himself in Peixe's first team set up, but still managed to make 27 appearances and score three goals before agreeing to a move to another Brazilian giant, Internacional, where he had his awaited breakthrough.
The striker’s rise at Beira-Rio led Russian club Zenit to invest €25 million to secure his signing in January 2022. But, with the escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Yuri’s time in European football was brief, as he returned to Brazil five months later to sign for Corinthians.
Since then, he has been experiencing ups and downs with Timão. Although he has settled into the club and established himself in the starting lineup, the 23-year-old still struggles to win over the fans' support.
However, going through the best phase of his career so far, Alberto has become Corinthians' great hope as they fight to avoid relegation in the Brasileirão after having their Sudamericana title hopes crushed, having lost to Racing Club in the semi-finals.
The Divide on Yuri Alberto
The forward started 2024 under heavy criticism. He went goalless in the first four games of the season and was also involved in a crisis with Corinthians’ then-coach Mano Menezes.
Around the same time, the Brazilian club received a loan offer from Premier League's Wolverhampton for the 23-year-old.
However, in spite of Yuri's delicate moment, the club chose to reject the offer and a few days later the forward scored his first goal of the season in a 3-1 loss to Novorizontino in the Campeonato Paulista. Since then, he has scored an impressive 23 goals, totaling 24 in 51 appearances this season.
He also has weighed in with six assists, which leads to an average of 0.59 goal contributions per game in 2024. Looking at it through the optics of total minutes played, that’s an average of one direct goal involvement every 125 minutes.
On the other hand, the forward has missed 14 big chances in all competitions this season and that’s what puts Alberto in the eye of the hurricane. Even more, when Corinthians is fighting for survival.
The Bounce Back
Yuri saw his position in the starting lineup threatened at various points this season. However, as Corinthians landed the signing of Memphis Depay the manager, Ramón Díaz, changed the system to play with two forwards. As a result, the team started picking up key victories, and their number 9 also benefited from the shift in tactics.
In a system with two forwards, typically one of the forwards has the freedom to drop deeper, occupying the half-space in between the lines, to help articulate the game, either by receiving the ball or by creating space. Meanwhile, the other forward tends to stay in the area, looking for space to occupy and receive the ball to finish.
Corinthians benefits in this regard due to the versatility of its attacking options, allowing players to fulfill both roles, and Alberto is no exception. The heat map below shows the positioning of the number 9 in Brasileirão games this season.
Alberto's presence is clearly spread across the entire attacking half and a big part of that is because his mobility is supported by his speed, physicality, and spatial awareness.
These attributes make him an important part of Corinthians' game volume in the attacking areas of the pitch. He has an above-average sense of positioning and consciousness of how to position and turn his body effectively even in tight spaces.
While it’s frustrating that he misses many chances, he displays a good finishing range and willingness to shoot. Throughout his career, the number of goals he’s scored has always been close to the expected goals projection, which shows a certain consistency in his finishing.
Moreover, his impact on the game extends far beyond his actions in the box. His skill set allows him to contribute to play build-up as well as makes him responsible for a substantial portion of Corinthians' attacking volume.
By occupying space, Alberto helps his team move forward; either by presenting himself as an option to receive and combine with teammates or to receive and break away, as he did in the build-up to the first goal against Flamengo in the Brasileirão.
With his movement off the ball, he is able to draw defenders and create space for his teammates to support the build-up. As the play advances, Yuri is able to find his teammates in better positions to receive passes in order to shoot — like in the game against Flamengo — or to carry on with the play in more threatening areas.
His speed and physicality stand out even more in his defensive contributions. The forward presents a high work rate in the defensive phases, pressing the opponents during the early stages of their offensive organization and tracking back during defensive transitions.
Despite some inconsistency, he is far from being the doomed player some make him out to be. The striker has matured over these two and a half years at Corinthians. Looking at 2024, he arrives at a crucial moment for Timão in the season in his best form, arguably the best form of his career.
And, as the Brazilian football season nears its end, his performances may prove decisive not only for the fate of the club, but also for the player's future. There are certainly many eyes on his situation as 2024 draws to a close.
For now, it's fair to say that Yuri Alberto goes beyond the negative statistics often associated with him. It’s clear he needs to refine certain technical and tactical aspects that would enhance his skill set, and he needs the right environment to do so.
Ramon Díaz has managed to implement a playing style that benefits the striker. However, Corinthians is looking into a very atypical 2025, as they won’t be playing in the Libertadores, and the 23-year-old’s future could be lying somewhere else even though he's just found his stride at Itaquera.
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