One of the standout performers of the Scottish Premiership 2022/23 is Josh Campbell, who currently plays for Hibernian as a central midfielder. The 22-year-old recently penned a four-and-a-half-year deal that will keep him at Easter Road until the summer of 2027. The young midfielder has become an integral part of the Hibees’ set-up under the management of Lee Johnson. He has made 29 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring eight goals and providing five assists. Campbell has been at Hibernian since the age of eight, and his debut came in the Betfred Cup in 2019. Since then, he has gone on to feature regularly for the first team, making 66 appearances in total, including domestic competitions and the UEFA Conference League. Below are some stats that capture Josh Campbell’s performances from the current season.
Josh Campbell has featured 25 times in the Scottish Premiership this season, starting in 21 matches. He is a versatile midfielder who can operate in a defensive and advanced role. The above viz shows the percentile rank of the player’s stats compared to other attacking midfielders in the Scottish Premiership. It can be observed that Campbell is performing well under certain attacking and possession indicators. He has a high rank for goal contribution per 90 and also does well in terms of passes per 90 and delivering them accurately. But the player contributes the most when out of possession, as highlighted by his high rank in defensive indicators like defensive duels, aerial duels, and positioning.
Gameplay in attack
Josh Campbell has mainly featured as an attacking midfielder for Hibernian. The above viz illustrates the player’s heat map from the Scottish Premiership for 2022–23. It can be observed that the young midfielder shows high intensity in the final and middle thirds. Most of the movement he makes is in the opposition’s half, particularly towards the left flank. Currently, Campbell averages 33.76 passes per match with 77.4% accuracy and receives 20.46 passes from teammates. He also averages 1.89 touches in the opposition’s penalty area and suffers 1.23 fouls per match.
With seven league goals this season, Josh Campbell is one of the top performers for Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership. His best performance this season came against Aberdeen, where he scored his first-ever hat trick. Overall, he scores at the rate of 0.31 goals per match while averaging 0.18 xG per 90 minutes. From the player’s shot map above, we can observe 32 attempted shots, with an equal proportion coming from inside the penalty area as well as outside. Three of his goals have come from the six-yard box, and one from the edge of the penalty box. Currently, the Scotsman takes 1.45 shots per match with 36.4% accuracy and has also scored one penalty.
In addition to contributing by scoring important goals, the 22-year-old can create scoring chances for others. So far this season, he has provided four assists for Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership with a total xA value of 1.83. From the viz above, it can be observed that his shot assists have come through crosses, progressive passes, and layoffs. On average, the Scotland U21 player generates 0.9 shot assists per match and also makes 4.89 passes to the final third and 1.67 passes to the opposition’s penalty area.
Another vital aspect of Josh Campbell’s gameplay is his ability to progress the ball through attacking actions like dribbles and progressive runs. From the viz above, we can see that the midfielder attempts most of his dribbling actions in the final third and also a few of them in his own half. He also attempts a few progressive runs in wide positions as he moves up the pitch. Currently, the player averages 1.41 dribbles per match with a 53.1% success rate and also makes 0.75 progressive runs per match. Additionally, he delivers 1.5 crosses per match with an accuracy rate of 17.6%.
Defensive attributes
Josh Campbell has all the qualities of a good box-to-box midfielder, and tackling is one of his key strengths. Apart from his contributions while advancing forward, he also makes a significant contribution when the team is out of possession. The viz above shows the player’s average defensive territory from this season. He positions himself near the half-line in the opposition’s half, covering a lot of ground, as evidenced by the numerous defensive actions and interceptions he performs all over the pitch.
Campbell has also committed a few fouls and currently gives up 0.79 fouls per match. The 22-year-old averages 18.4 duels per 90, along with a 50% win rate. He averages 3.12 interceptions per match, putting high pressure on the opposition’s midfield region and the final third while also tracking back into his own penalty box. Furthermore, the player contests 6.03 defensive duels and 3.56 aerial duels per match.
Another way Campbell brings his contribution to the team is by recovering the ball in the attacking half. On average, the 22-year-old makes nearly 8.85 recoveries per 90 minutes. He has made 54.7% of these recoveries in the attacking half, including six inside the opposition penalty box, four of which have resulted in shots.
Over the past couple of seasons, Josh Campbell has developed into an important player for Hibernian. He has the qualities of an ideal box-to-box midfielder with a strong set of defensive attributes but also makes important contributions while moving forward in the attacking phase. Hibernian will expect the same consistency from their 22-year-old midfielder for the rest of the campaign as they look to secure a top-three finish.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
