Scouting Jan Paul van Hecke

Profiling a defender — 1v1 ability, proactive vs. reactive defending, anticipation, posture, channel defending, ball-playing and carrying, leadership and humanity

Jun 18, 2025

I had three ways to open this scouting report: the first with some storytelling, the second with the words “I love stroopwafels,” and the third with my filmy side.

While the second is undeniably true, I went with the third. So here’s Jan Paul van Hecke x You Really Got Me:

📚 Contents

Defending

Passing

Mentality

Credits

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👉 Anticipation

Danny Welbeck and Lewis Dunk agree that Jan Paul van Hecke watches more football than anyone else in Brighton’s squad, and I think he reads the game with the same passion he watches it with.

His anticipation and spatial awareness are elite. He can foresee what the attacker is trying to do (🔮) and starts closing him down accordingly.

If he’s left 1v1 with an opposing winger (which he often is because what sums up a day in the life of van Hecke better than being left to defend an island?), he tries to close the space early, slows down and jockeys with his back to goal, and waits to see what happens.

This is basic 1v1 defending, and he does it pretty well. But that’s all before the winger actually does anything. And often, you just can’t stop wingers.

Which brings me to my next point.

👉 Proactive vs. Reactive Defending

Being proactive is about prevention. You anticipate problems before they arise and deal with them. Being reactive is about responding to actions as (or after) they happen.

And defending is what you do when you don’t want a ball kicked into your goal.

A lot of van Hecke’s game is proactive. Since he understands what the attacker is trying to do, he’s able to close him off, which reduces the options the attacker has.

But his athleticism lets him down here. First, van Hecke looks a lot jankier than he actually is—a 6’2” scrawny frame will do that to you—so some of this is just aesthetic bias. Still, while he’s good at turning and progressing the ball in all directions, he can get caught out 1v1, especially against a quick(er) winger.

Second, he might know the change of direction is coming, but he’ll often struggle to keep up with it. That’s why, in 1v1 situations, he’ll sometimes jump his own defensive line and go for a lunging tackle to prevent the winger from going past him.

He’s pretty good at these tackles, so that cuts down some worry. But this is not something you’d want to depend on day after day, especially if maintaining a stable blood pressure is something you care about.

If he knows he can’t close off a defender, he won’t backtrack (as he should, while the rest of his teammates maraud back to support), but instead he’ll (aggressively) try and win the ball back.

This is proactive, in a way (a good thing) but it requires an athletic CB partner to complement that tendency, and that’s something Brighton sorely lacked in 2024/25.

👉 A Balancing Act

van Hecke isn’t the quickest, which makes his reading of the game even more important. What this means is, when he’s running alongside an opposing attacker, he should be able to hold his own, fend the attacker off, and clear the ball.

While he does the latter in isolation (an excellent and underrated trait for any good CB as life isn’t all about building out from the back and ideological philosophies), he does struggle with the former.

His body weight tends to fall beyond his centre of gravity, knocking him off balance early. And while he has a strong, stiff arm that makes it tough for attackers to go past him, a quick enough turn can throw him off and lead to a clear run at goal.

I think a decent part of this instability comes down to playing in a very high line—made worse by the lack of athletic CB partners—so while it’s a concern, it’s a small one.

👉 Posture

Barring the scenario above, van Hecke uses his body excellently to mitigate any athletic deficiencies. He maintains a lateral posture in 1v1s (one foot in front of the other, almost like a boxer), which most defenders don’t do. It doesn’t look forced, and you can see him do it consistently.

This helps him in a couple of ways:
— It opens up his body, allowing him to react quickly to changes in direction
— It reduces the chances of being caught flat-footed

This open frame is especially important given how the high line he’s expected to defend. It effectively opens up the entire pitch, allowing van Hecke to see and intercept a searching ball in behind which then prevents an attacker from going 1v1 with the keeper.

👉 Defending Channels

If we take a major critique of van Hecke’s game to be his tendency to lunge into channels, then a back three is exactly what mitigates that issue. He could lunge into a tackle, miss the ball entirely, and still be backed up by a midfielder dropping deep and/or a sweeping CCB, which a luxury he lacks out of possession in Brighton’s flying fullback setup.

Essentially, he’s already a top-tier channel defender:
— Good reading of space to stick to his man in wide areas
— Long legs to cover open areas quickly (not short, rapid movements)
— Front-foot defending that helps him carry in transition

His ability to defend wide is what allows Brighton’s fullbacks to push as high up the pitch as they do. So yes, a back three would suit van Hecke very nicely (ahem, Inter Milan).

👉 Ball-Carrying and Multitasking

The Farmer’s Carry is a strength and conditioning exercise where you carry heavy weights in each hand and take a walk. That’s cool, but have you heard of the van Hecke Carry™?

As a defender, it’s easy to switch off and fall into a “one-thing-at-a-time” mindset. While that sounds lovely, it’s not very practical.

But not van Hecke, nee, nee meneer (Dutch is a funny ol’ language). He’s hyper-aware of his positioning—helped by his open body stance, which lets him scan the entire pitch at once—so he’s able to spot open space and pick out a pass from a mile away.

What really sets him apart, though, is that his carrying isn’t as one-dimensional as a CB’s usually is. He’s happy to carry the ball inside, combine with midfielders, and/or switch play to an isolated Minteh or Mitoma—both fast and dribbly, and both natural outlets for ball progression.

Speaking of which: van Hecke’s ability to hit a long, switching pass is ridiculous (just look at the backlift + open stance).

At the same time though, van Hecke is equally happy to drive the ball out wide in search of a line-breaker (hello, back three excellence).

Mastering both is invaluable—opposing attackers get lost trying to press him, which just opens up space elsewhere (overloads). Plus, even though van Hecke is committal in possession (he’ll dribble up to the opposing box), he’s reliable and does well in tight spaces. He’s good at shielding the ball at his feet and can still pick a pass if he can’t hold onto it.

Basically, he’s not going to give the ball away. Your attackers can do that instead.

👉 Passing Mechanics

van Hecke is one of the best passers in world football. Life really is that simple.

Firstly, as I mentioned above, van Hecke always positions himself front-on with the ball at his feet—facing play with an open body. This allows him to get a sense of his surroundings, keep all passing angles open (like a protractor), and leaves him well-placed if Brighton are caught in transition.

Technically, his passes are perfect. His quick, zipped line-breakers are played with an exaggerated follow-through, lowering the chances of the ball bobbing up when received by the intended target, therefore reducing the risk of losing possession. This works excellently with someone like João Pedro, who thrives on ball-to-feet passes he can use to link up play.

Tactics and Scouting

Scouting João Pedro

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The exact opposite principle applies to long balls and popped passes. He leans back with a high backlift (the latter not being ideal for popped passes), which helps reduce the chances of the ball bouncing away from its intended receiver.

This worked excellently for Brighton (and will continue to) because of how brilliant (and simple) it is:

— Switch the ball to one of your wingers, let them create separation, run in behind, and suddenly you’ve got a chance in transition

— Lump a ball onto your CF’s head, win the second ball, quick passes, goal

Essentially, Jan Paul van Hecke is a quarterback.

👉 Humanity

This is quite atypical for a scouting report, but given that CBs are the stalwarts of any good team, I think being a decent human being actually matters. Do whatever you want on the pitch—tread that line between gamesmanship and violence—but off it, act like a leader.

And Jan Paul van Hecke IS a leader. Just look at Lewis Dunk looking at him like a proud dad.

Listen, this is just a great speech. Thanking the staff is a small thing in the grand scheme of things, but it goes a long way and barely anyone does it. JPvH is the sort of character who can catalyse a dressing room, and someday, he WILL be club captain.

👉 Leadership

Looking in from the outside, I think it’s pretty clear that everyone at Brighton loves van Hecke. His passion for the club, for the sport, is obvious every single time he steps onto the pitch.

He always backs his teammates, isn’t afraid to be vocal, and speaks well.

If you can get into Pep Guardiola and Erling Haaland’s head, you have to assume you’re doing something right. van Hecke’s Dutch NT teammates even started looking for Haaland in his pocket—but I digress:

This may not seem all that relevant, but you’d want your franchise centre back to take on the big, bulky, towering, terrorising CFs. That’s the job.

This contained aggression aside, van Hecke comes across as a very level-headed person, which is exactly what you need when you're leading such a young side. He usually wins the ball back high up the pitch and, with zero emotion on his face, carries it forward and lays it off. You’ll rarely see him lose his head (unless he’s in a gameshow with a slightly suspect buzzer).

He’s been sent off once during his time at Brighton (second yellow), in a game where no one managed to keep their head straight—including van Hecke, of course, who’d just been karate chopped by Eddie Nketiah.

But it was also in this game that he ran the fastest I've ever seen him run, so pick your poison:

“Jan Paul is a player who takes responsibility and naturally embraces that leadership role…[he’s] a player that others look up to… not just because of his performances on the pitch, but also the way he conducts himself off it” — Fabian Hürzeler

But yeah, I’m going to end this inherently subjective section by calling Jan Paul van Hecke a warrior. Because that’s what he is. He plays through injuries, discomfort, excessive stress on his body—and still gives it his all.

👉 Conclusion

I’m going to say Jan Paul van Hecke is, conservatively, a top 5 ball-playing defender in the world.

But defensively, I have my concerns. Lunging into aggressive tackles could well be systemic—it fits the bill of what Brighton are looking for in this intense, high-line, counterpressing setup, but could also be overly rash. His standing tackles are fine (when they do happen), and his anticipation is pretty great, so that’s half the battle fought. The other half is using his body, but for that, van Hecke has time (he’s only 24).

Essentially, say hello to baby Virgil van Dijk.

I’ll say this: van Hecke is, on the whole, a very refined footballer. Maybe (conservatively) he’s a year away from being a starter for a UCL side, but his progress has been exponential, and all his developmental facets seem scalable, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he thrives when thrown into the deep end. Plus, his body has also held up VERY well under pretty intense muscular fatigue, so he should be able to handle four competitions without much trouble.

I think van Hecke would be perfect for Inter. But as I write this, links to Newcastle have started to pop up, and that move wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Still, if you said it’s a little premature, I’d agree with you.

But in a year or so, it’ll be van Hecke’s time to shine on the biggest stage, and shine he will. He’s a late bloomer, sure, but a star in the making nonetheless.

🎥 Credits

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