Ratings
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, rewatch
- D – Below average, don’t follow up
Player profile:
- Nationality: French
- Age: 19
- Date of birth: 03/05/2000
- Current Club: RC Strasbourg
- Career: Marseille (Y), JO St Gabriel (Y), Air Bel (Y), RC Strasbourg
- Position: Central Defender
- Secondary Position: Right Back
- Preferred foot: Right
Simakan had a very solid defensive performance, that was let down slightly by his decision making and quality when in possession, as RC Strasbourg drew 2-2 with AS Monaco.
When defending, the 19 year old showed great promise, making some clean tackles and using his height and strength well to win aerial balls. The 6’2″ central defender for the most part dominated his aerial battles, using his height and positioning well and for the most part he tracked the attacking runs competently, whilst having a decent turn of pace when required. On occasion he failed to track the attacking player but he made up for this with some clever last ditch defending that saw him use his body well to get between man and ball. The 19 year old was not afraid to step out of the defensive line to stand up his opponent and show them backwards and this worked effectively at times.
However, it was in possession that Simakan struggled in this game, either being too slow to release the ball or being overambitious when passing. The defender had a good range of vision when looking forward, but his execution lacked, with only one or two of several long passes actually finding the target, meanwhile, he also struggled at times with shorter passes, firing the ball out of play on a few occasions. He delayed too long and was caught in possession at least once, and received a cheap yellow card for his attempted recovery. He had good close control but his end product in possession lacked in this game.
On the whole, Simakan was the most effective of the three centre backs for his side, but his perfromance was somewhat marred by his lack of quality on the ball.
Rating: B1 / A2
Player profile:
- Nationality: French
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 27/10/1997
- Current Club: RC Strasbourg
- Career: Brest, RC Strasbourg
- Position: Defensive Midfield
- Secondary Position: Central Midfield
- Preferred foot: Right
Ibrahima Sissoko had a mixed game playing as a central midfielder for RC Strasbourg. The 6’4″ frenchman was impressive at times defensively but had a poor game in possession. Sissoko has a very strong build and used this well in the tackle to win or retain the ball. He won some aerial duels and was a good physical presence at the heart of the Strasbourg midfield. The 22 year old seemed quite lethargic at times and rarely pressed high and was guilty of standing too far off the opponent at times.
With the ball, Sissoko was not very creative, mainly playing short sideways or backwards passes, and he seemed to lack confidence in possession. Sissoko overhit a few long passes and was overly hesitant when going backwards with some shakey balls back to the goalkeeper or defenders that put them under pressure. He did hit some nice passes out wide but for the most part struggled and was rarely involved in creative build up play for his team.
Overall, it was a game in which Sissoko failed to have a big impact, doing his job defensively but lacking conviction in possession.
Rating: B2
Player profile:
- Nationality: South African
- Age: 24
- Date of birth: 28/01/1996
- Current Club: RC Strasbourg
- Career: Lille, Valenciennes (L), RC Strasbourg
- Position: Striker
- Preferred foot: Right
Lebo Mothiba had a quiet game as striker before being withdrawn at half time, but he looked promising at times when he was involved. The South African had a high level of work rate, chasing down several loose balls for his team and on occasion managing to win a set piece or create a chance when it didn’t seem likely. He was quick off the mark and showed good perseverance despite struggling to impact proceedings.
At 5’11” he was able to challenge aerially and has a strong build which he used to hold up the ball for his side. His off the ball movement was inconsistent but at times seemed threatening and he delivered dangerous balls on the couple of occasions that he was in a position to. Mothiba’s close control was decent aside from a couple of loose touches but he was rarely able to get into a position to have a shot and this meant he failed to directly threaten the Monaco goal.
On the whole, a game in which Mothiba struggled to have any real impact despite working hard for his side.
Rating: C / B2