Piątkowski (right-footed) usually plays as the right centre-back in a back-three, with the freedom to press high, try to recover the ball in the opposition half and venture forward in possession. His heatmap shows how much ground he covers both in attack and defence because of his unique playing style.
Standing at 191 cm, Piątkowski is a very strong and well-built centre-back who uses his body very well to limit the strikers’ movements. Despite his size, he’s quick and feels comfortable playing in a high line and trying to anticipate instead of retreating to his box.
His first instinct when his team loses the ball is going forward and trying to recover it as quickly as possible. Playing in a back-three allows him to leave his theoretical position and take more risks and he’s very good at it. His relatively low success rate in defensive duels comes from this high risk-reward defending style as he gets forward very aggressively and tries to anticipate before the rival’s attack even starts. He’s also excellent in the air because of his physicality.
When in possession, Piątkowski likes to get forward and play in the opposition half. He’s very comfortable and confident running with the ball, he advances until he attracts a rival and then chooses a good passing option to continue advancing. After passing, he likes to run forward, either overlapping the winger or through central positions to create numerical advantages or get into the box and be a possible target for crosses. He creates a lot in the final third when he gets forward considering he’s a centre-back. When the rivals press high, he can put long passes over the defensive line and into the final third.
His technique is enough to take advantage of his determination and power going forward but he isn’t the most refined passer or dribbler in tight spaces so he needs to start his runs from deep in order to have enough space to create danger. He relies on his physicality and his determination to attack free spaces from deep positions. He would be very useful in dominating sides that usually play against low blocks as his runs force the rivals to make decisions and move from their positions, creating spaces for the rest of his teammates.
Piątkowski is an intriguing player. Centre-backs are getting more and more complex and he has shown he can change games if given the appropriate context. It will be interesting to see whether RB Salzburg play him in the same role and position he’s been playing at or try to adapt him into a more classical role.
