Full name: Daryl Janmaat
Date of birth: July 22nd 1989
Place of birth: Leidschendam, Netherlands
Height: 185cm
Main position: Right-back
Secondary position: Centre-back
Preferred foot: Right
Contract until: June 30th 2020
Key attributes: Crossing; Overlaps; Cutting in from wide; Threaded passes
Time Before Tyne
Having spent 12 years at Feyenoord as a school boy from the age of six, Janmaat’s senior breakthrough came as a 19 year old at ADO Den Haag in the Dutch second tier, where he made 33 appearances and scored three goals in his one and only season with the club, before being snapped up by Eredivisie side SC Heerenveen.
Daryl spent the next four seasons at Heerenveen, where his attacking prowess down the right-hand side caught the eye of the Dutch international set up. He made his U-21 debut in 2009, and went on to make 11 appearances at this level. After amassing 99 apps and eight goals for Heerenveen, he left the club at the end of his contract to re-join his boyhood side Feyenoord in 2012.
His move to one of the nations’ top sides helped develop his game further. Janmaat made his senior debut for the Netherlands in 2012, and began to cement his place in the squad after turning out consistent performances in domestic competition.
He went on to make 74 appearances in two years with Feyenoord, but it was during his final season in Dutch football where he started to emerge on the European stage and was being tracked by both Manchester United and Arsenal. Recording a career single-season high five assists in the 2013/14 season, Janmaat was rapidly earning a reputation as one of Europe’s most creative fullbacks.
Janmaat’s consistency followed him to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup, which caught the eye of Newcastle, who signed the 25 year-old for £5m. He finished his final season with Feyenoord with an 81% pass completion and 85% tackle success rate – both higher than the man he went on to replace at Newcastle, Mathieu Debuchy.
Strengths
Newcastle like to use their fullbacks in a very attacking way. Setting up in a 4-2-3-1 the majority of the time, the wide players of the attacking three enjoy working in the inside channels, opening up space for the attacking fullback, which suits Janmaat’s game ideally. His last year at Feyenoord, he create 36 goal-scoring chances from right-back – a league high. This has continued at Newcastle, where his forays down the right-hand side have become a staple of Newcastle’s attacking play this season.
Accomplished on both feet, Janmaat links up well with Remy Cabella on the right, where their neat interplay does create opportunities for Daryl to make penetrative runs inside and into the box, where he can finish or find a piercing through ball across the face of goal, which is represented in his production. Janmaat has six assists so far this season, which is not only a team high, but is also a league high for right-backs.
Defensively, Janmaat is a sound player, despite being very attacking-minded. He averages 2.6 tackles per game from right-back, the fifth best in the Premier League, and 2.3 interceptions per game, a league high at his position.
Weaknesses
His attacking nature leaves him susceptible to being caught out of position, which happens on a somewhat regular basis, but this can also be put down to the inability of Newcastle’s midfield to retain possession effectively. Having being moved around the back four into centre back because of injuries have impacted his play – playing an unnatural position would do that to a player.
While being a shade of 6 feet tall, Janmaat isn’t the tallest around, and can be had in the air, winning only 40% of his aerial duels. When going up against target men strikers however, you’re not expected to win the majority of aerial challenges.
Conclusion
Daryl Janmaat is still relatively young at the age of 25, and still has time on his side to grow and develop into a top right-back. In an attacking sense, he’s as good as it gets in the Premier League, he’s a creator, he’s always on the front foot and he’s the driving force behind many Newcastle attacks.
He’s shown that after each step up in football he’s taken, he raises his game. The stage has never been too big for Daryl. His consistency is remarkable, and can be depended upon for years to come to be a 7/10 player minimum.
Work is needed on his defensive game for him to become a top right back in European football, but that can be done on the training pitch. Surrounding him with better quality defenders will help, as knowing you have a quality centre back covering you while you march forward would be a huge help for him, but he has the natural ability to be one of the best fullbacks the Premier League has to offer.
