Under the microscope: How Iuri Medeiros has become a key figure in Braga’s attack

Iuri Medeiros has been one of the most consistent performers for Sporting Braga over the past few years in Liga Portugal. Formerly a Sporting CP youth, the winger has been playing for Braga since 2020 and has evolved into a top-quality player. At the age of 28 years, Medeiros has achieved figures of over 130 Liga Portugal appearances and has scored over 30 goals. He has also had brief spells in Italy, Poland, and Germany.

The Portuguese winger had an impressive last season in the top division with seven goals and six assists, helping his team finish fourth and qualify for the UEFA Europa League. This season, Medeiros has continued with the same consistency, with five goals and three assists under his belt thus far. He has been a key performer for this Braga side, with the team currently well within the league’s top three spots. Let’s now look at some stats that capture Iuri Medeiros’s performances as a Braga player in Liga Portugal 2022/23.

Iuri Medeiros has started in all of Sporting Braga’s 14 league matches this season, averaging 70 minutes per game. The above viz shows the percentile rank of the player’s stats compared to other right-wingers in Liga Portugal. It can be observed that Medeiros ranks highly under attacking and possession indicators like expected goal contribution, shots, accurate passes, and dangerous passes. Whilst in the defending department, he possesses a decent record in winning aerial duels.

Iuri Medeiros attacking stats

Medeiros has found the back of the net five times so far this season, with an xG of 3.73 (excluding penalties). He is clocking 0.44 goals per match, which is consistent with his average xG rate of 0.40. The viz above depicts the right-winger’s shot map from Liga Portugal 2022/23. He has attempted 43 shots with 18 on target. While all his goals have come from inside the penalty area, he has attempted some shots from distance as well. Medeiros takes an average of 3.88 shots per match with an accuracy of 41%.

Another important aspect of Iuri Medeiros’s game is his ability to set up his teammates for goals. Thus far, he has three assists under his belt this season. His average xA rate of 0.32 is currently the highest among similar players in the league. The winger makes 3.7 passes to the final third and 3.17 passes into the penalty box per match. He has created as many as 11 big chances this season and averages 2.1 key passes per 90 minutes. Additionally, Iuri makes 2.12 shot assists per match on average.

In comparison to the 2021/22 season, Iuri Medeiros scored seven goals and provided six assists from 24 league appearances. He was averaging 2.95 shots per game with an accuracy rate of 38%. The winger was scoring 0.41 goals per game with an average xG rate of 0.35. As for his creative side, the winger averaged an xA rate of 0.25 and a similar number of shot assists per match. Currently, the 28-year-old is on course to better his goal contribution tally from last year.

Medeiros with the ball

Dribbling is one strong characteristic of the Portuguese winger. He likes to cut inside on his dominant left foot and can penetrate the opponent’s defensive lines using his agility. He possesses a range of passing skill sets that he uses to find teammates in the attacking spaces. The above viz shows the penetrating carries made by Iuri Medeiros this season. The experienced winger is proficient at making penetrating carries into the penalty box; 44 such instances have been seen this season.

Playing as the right winger, Medeiros likes to drift wide to stretch the play as well as cut inside from wide positions to attempt a shot or create chances. The viz above highlights the winger actions performed by the player when in possession of the ball. Sometimes he likes to take on players; other times he puts crosses into dangerous areas. Medeiros attempts 3.44 dribbles per match with 56.4% accuracy and 1.67 crosses with 36.8% accuracy. Furthermore, Tiago averages 2.82 touches in the penalty area and makes 1.23 progressive runs per match.

Iuri Medeiros has emerged as a key figure for Sporting Braga in the last couple of seasons. He is a technically strong player, and the combination of his goal-scoring threat and his ability to provide assists make him a competent winger. Braga will be hoping for the same consistent performances from the 28-year-old as they look to make this season more successful than the last one.