The top comment on the YouTube video: "19-Year Old Justin Janssen Bossing The Midfield!" reads: "It's amazing to see your grandson playing football like Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona!! Grandpa and Grandma are incredibly proud!!" To Mr. and Mrs. Janssen, we could not agree more.
Justin Janssen plays like an inconsiderate tarot reader. This is a man who knows your future and knows it's bleak, but he could not spare a single thought for your harmed feelings. Leave your cards on the table, go and press him. He'll leave you beside yourself and behind him.
Danish Superliga staple Nordsjælland have made a habit of producing big-name players, most notably Ghanaian star Mohammed Kudus, accompanied by Danish Brentford duet Mikkel Damsgaard and Mathias Jensen. Their last fielded XI had an average age of 23.8 and featured five u19 players, one of them being Janssen, who clearly has the potential to be the next Nordsjællander to reach the top of the game. A 19-year-old press-resistant defensive midfielder, in a heavy and fast Danish Superliga, directing build-up like he's been doing it for a decade, will definitely be clicking some pens in the coming transfer window.
The closest comparison the game has produced is Demetrio Albertini. Il Metronomo, they called him. The midfielder who conducted Milan's attack in the early 90s without ever appearing to run. Albertini was considered anachronistic even in his own era. By the time the pressing game arrived he was already being erased. The argument for Janssen is that the game has come back around, and Janssen is Albertini with the tactical context finally catching up to the profile.
Janssen is completely and utterly untouchable in first-phase build-up. On multiple occasions have I seen him deadstop the ball with his sole and imperturbably weave past a few opponents inside his own box. Cruyff turns in traffic, la croquetas, nutmegs, the full works — all in the comfort of his own half.
The teenager routinely makes vets look like they've got the spatial awareness of an action movie goon. He knows exactly when to come for the ball and when to drop into space. He never picks the wrong channel while on or off the ball. His capacity to tease and drag defenders into the wrong areas is mesmerizing to watch. Whether you manmark him or stay in your zone, it's the wrong option.
His passing talent is absurd to the level of comical. The ever-correct instinct of what pass to make and when to make it, the pure serenity when under pressure. Janssen likes to open up his own space via one-two and first-time a zippy 60 yarder to his winger of choice with that formidable left foot of his. He has the talent to amaze us but he rarely has to use it — every play he makes was first seen by him. He breaks the line before it's a line.
The numbers create a paradox that, when analyzed, show Janssen's positional mastery. His 1.27 progressive passes and 5.78 forward passes per 90 are clear-cut signs of a midfielder who dominates in the first phase of attack. At first glance, however, you would think he disappears once the ball leaves build-up. He's tracked at 0.43 carries per 90, producing just 0.01 expected threat via ball carrying. He also attempts less than 1 dribble per 90 with bottom-tier ball carrying frequency.
These bad numbers make it easy to see the positional talent we have at hand. He sits in the 100th percentile for accurate long balls and passes in the attacking half per 90, posting 4.71 and 36.57 respectively. He generates 0.04 expected assists through 1.08 key passes per 90, which is more than his role would ever suggest. He completes 0.87 through passes and 10.41 passes into the final third with an 80.1% forward pass completion rate.
This statistical dichotomy has one clear explanation. Justin Janssen took one of the oldest football truths — "the ball moves faster than the man" — and completely internalized it. How does a player with close to no carrying output remain at the top of forward passing metrics? He lets the ball move for him.