By: Jeroen (@J__TP5)
Player profile:
- Name: Daniel Rojas
- Date of birth: 22-02-2000
- Nationality: Bolivia
- Position: DM, CM, RM
- Contract expires: not available
- Current club: Oriente Petrolero
- Previous clubs: Club Calleja, Universidad Concepción
- Current international: Bolivia under 20
Daniel Rojas is a 19-year-old central midfielder from Bolivia who currently plays for Oriente Petrolero. He is a dynamic midfielder who is quite complete for his age and I would like to see him play in the Liga NOS or Eredivisie soon.
Defending
The Bolivian midfielder normally plays as a right central midfielder, but he has also played as a right-midfielder this season. Oriente Petrolero played both in a 5-3-2 formation and a 4-5-1 formation. When Oriente Petrolero are not in possession, Rojas stays on the right central side of the pitch and he likes to help out Widen Saucedo (right-back) in defence. The midfielder is quite sharp in defence and uses his strength and awareness to recover possession.
In the Copa Sudamericana, Oriente Petrolero played a low defensive line and they were defensive-minded. In possession, the Bolivian club played quite direct and they put some men forward including Daniel Rojas. The midfielder plays in a different role in the Bolivian league though, as he sometimes plays as a right-midfielder.
As a right central midfielder, Daniel Rojas acts quickly in transition from attack to defence and he always is back in position on time to defend. He scans his back often to make sure that he is aware of his surroundings. As a right-midfielder he does the same things. The only difference is that he positions himself closer to the sideline then he does as a right central midfielder.
During the times that Widen Saucedo (right-back), Norberto Palmieri (right central defender) or Daniel Franco (central defender) were out of position, the 19-year-old midfielder took over their positions to make sure that the defensive organisation kept intact.
As already mentioned before, Daniel Rojas is sharp in defence and he makes sure that his opponent does not have time to think about his next action. By doing this, Rojas gives away some free kicks, but he intercepts passes and recovers possession sometimes as well.
Attacking
Daniel Rojas has an above average technique and has good awareness for space. He moves between the lines well and can give a very good pass. However, his handling speed when he is not put under pressure is not fast enough which results in the loss of possession sometimes.
Playing as a right central midfielder, Rojas likes to get forward in transition from defence to attack. He does well to look for space and he often is aware of his surroundings as well because he most of the times scans his back when he receives the ball.
Rojas can play a good pass, but sometimes there is miscommunication between Rojas and the strikers which means that he plays a through pass when the striker comes short and vice versa. When he plays it short to the striker, he likes to play a one-two and thus receive the ball back immediately.
When playing in the closed spaces, Rojas uses his technique and good dribbling to play himself out the pressure. He can do some quick step-overs and he is very quick on the turn. Rojas is quite strong on the ball as well and he uses his body very well to protect the ball.
Physical attributes
Daniel Rojas is not very strong in aerial duels. He is not the biggest of players, he is around 1.80m, and he does not time his jump right which means that he loses a lot of aerial duels. The Bolivian midfielder is quite fast on the first few meters due to his good acceleration and his pace is above average as well. He has decent stamina and as already mentioned he is quite strong on the ball.
Potential: Daniel Rojas has the potential to play in the Superliga or Série A.
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