Frankfurt lost 3-1 against Gladbach in a match where they started very slowly and never really got going afterwards. Frankfurt began the match in a 4-1-4-1 formation but switched to 3-4-1-2 at half-time as they looked to inject some pace into the attack. Gladbach lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation and were strong going forward, scoring twice inside the opening 7 minutes. They were comfortable from there, extending their lead to 3-0 in the second-half before Frankfurt scored a consolation goal late on.
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: 20
- Date of birth: 20/08/1999
- Current Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
- Career: Auxerre, Eintracht Frankfurt
- Position: Centre Back
- Secondary Position: Left Back
- Preferred foot: Left
N’Dicka started at left-back before moving to left centre-back at half-time and struggled defensively throughout up against the movement of Alassane Pléa. The whole back four was very disorganised in the opening stages, leaving far too much space between the full-backs and the centre-backs which was exploited by the Gladbach forwards for the two early goals. His physical profile is better suited to centre-back than left-back as this allows him to utilise his athleticism and height to better effect.
N’Dicka is tall and strong which makes him a good one-on-one defender, his large frame allows him to close down angles well and he has good acceleration which makes him difficult to get past. However, he lacks positional awareness and made a number of rash decisions, one being a clumsy push in the back to give away a penalty for the third goal. He struggled to read the game and anticipate danger zones, often being reactive rather than proactive which meant he struggled to get his body position right when defending in and around the box.
He has good technical ability, comfortable when receiving the ball and able to beat his opponent or evade pressure with decent close control. We were not able to see much of his passing range as the team struggled in the build-up phases and the full backs found it difficult to impact the game. He did get into a few decent crossing positions but struggled to find enough elevation to beat the first man.
There seemed to be some confusion in the Frankfurt game plan when in possession, with the full-backs pushing high up the pitch and wide towards the touchline suggesting they would play direct long balls up to Bas Dost. However, the centre backs were receiving the ball from the goalkeeper and looking for short passes which were not available given the full backs position. As a result Frankfurt struggled to progress the ball up the pitch and N’Dicka failed to contribute effectively going forward.
Rating: B2
N’Dicka is a very promising player but this was not a good performance from him. He does possess a good combination of physical and technical attributes and could be a very strong centre-back option but struggled at left-back, lacking awareness and unable to contain the Gladbach frontline.
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Japanese
- Age: 23
- Date of birth: 05/08/1996
- Current Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
- Career: Sagan Tosu, Eintracht Frankfurt, Sint-Triudense (L)
- Position: Attacking midfield
- Secondary Position: Right-wing
- Preferred foot: Right
Kamada started the game on the right side of midfield but spent most of the first-half drifting inside and looking to get on the ball in central areas before moving to 10 in the second-half. This suited his good close control and creativity as he did not look like a natural winger, lacking the pace and direct dribbling ability to affect the game from out wide.
He was most effective when dropping between the lines and receiving the ball on the turn, there he was able to move the ball into the channels to create crossing opportunities or look for a pass into the strikers’ feet and move into the box for the return. His free-roam position provided Frankfurt’s best creative threat but his passing in the final third was inaccurate and he failed to threaten the Gladbach goal from a few promising shooting positions.
He was also on set-piece duties which were ineffective despite the considerable height Frankfurt possess in their squad. His sleight build gives him good agility but he was too easily outmuscled or dispossessed and he needs to be stronger in 50/50 challenges. In a game where Frankfurt struggled to construct attacking moves, Kamada worked hard to provide the link between the midfield and attacking third but Sommer remained largely untested in the Gladbach goal.
Rating: B1
One of Frankfurt’s best players but lacked the quality to seriously trouble the Gladbach defence. To take his game to the next level he needs to contribute more effectively when receiving the ball in dangerous positions in and around the box.
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Swiss
- Age: 23
- Date of birth: 06/02/1997
- Current Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
- Career: Borussia Mönchengladbach, Young Boys, Eintracht Frankfurt
- Position: Central Midfield
- Preferred foot: Right
Sow was playing as a box-to-box midfielder and was unlucky to be substituted at half-time as Frankfurt sacrificed a midfielder for another striker in their search for goals. He pressed the Gladbach midfield well and was accurate with his passing, although needs to work on his vision and range to allow him to progress the ball from deep.
He was strong and aggressive but needs to learn how to channel it and when to contain rather than enter a duel as he gave away too many needless fouls in the first half. He possesses good mobility and ball carrying abilities but needed to use them more effectively and recognise the need for someone to drop deep and collect the ball from the centre backs who were struggling to progress it through the midfield areas. He worked hard off the ball defensively but also needed to work harder in an offensive role to give options in the transition from defence to attack.
Rating: B2
Sow looked like a well rounded player without being overly impressive in any particular area. Worked hard for Frankfurt in the first half, needs to be more creative in his passing and learn to use his aggression more effectively.