Playing in a 3-4-3, Bosz’s Leverkusen beat fellow top 4 contenders 3-1. An impressive display where both sides had their share of chances but Leverkusen were able to come out on top. Havertz and Tapsoba stole the headlines with impressive displays with some of the Bundesliga’s best young talents on show in this fixture. This was a big win for Leverkusen which saw them go into 4th and a point above Gladbach. Havertz scored a brace with Bender getting a late goal to see out the win after Marcus Thuram got one back for Gladbach with a powerful strike.
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 in this match
Kai Havertz
Player Profile:
- Nationality: German
- Age: 20
- Date of birth: 11/06/1999
- Club: Bayer Leverkusen
- Career: Bayer Leverkusen
- Position: Attacking Midfield
- Secondary Position: Striker
- Preferred foot: Left
Playing up front for Leverkusen, Havertz had freedom to roam. Although up front he’s Leverkusen’s best passer and they wanted to get him on the ball as much as possible. Playing as a false 9 he dropped very deep at times, able to spread play and then make dangerous forward runs into the box. It did mean that they lacked a presence in the box at times though and they could have used more support centrally.
His movement was dangerous as shown with his first goal with a good run in behind followed by a very calm finish. He made well timed runs into the box and received the ball between the lines well, able to turn and play. If he wasn’t the one creating chances, he was in good positions and intelligent in the final third. He also drew fouls and although he made some clever pressing runs he lacked intensity at times.
Havertz is 6’2″ with quite a slim build and lacked physicality in aerial duels at times. He was elegant and calm on the ball, good in tight spaces and able to drive with close control but not that much speed on the counter. However, he lacked support at times make use of the quick attacks.
Rating – A1
Edmond Tapsoba
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Burkinese
- Age: 21
- Date of birth: 02/02/1999
- Club: Bayer Leverkusen
- Career: Salitas (Y), US Ouagadougou (Y), Leixões SC (Y), Vitória Guimarães SC, Bayer Leverkusen
- Position: Centre Half
- Preferred foot: Right
The 6’4″ Burkina Faso international had a good display with a mature performance where he showed his physical dominance. He was often engaged in physical battles with Thuram, who he dealt with well throughout the match. He got very tight and made it difficult for him to receive the ball.
He was calm on the ball, showing patience to draw in the press before moving the ball to a teammate in space. He made good passing choices and was able to progress the ball, controlling the ball and making short passes with both feet. A few of his passes could’ve have been smoother but were good overall. He play a few good clipped passes into midfield with nice technique and easy for teammates to control.
He read play very well and used a decent burst of acceleration to make interceptions and close down his man quickly. He showed good pace over medium distances with long strides but doesn’t have the best agility and change of direction. He gets very tight to his man, now allowing space and uses his body and physicality to limit the attacker and slow the attack and win the ball. However, a few times he needed better awareness in and around the box and was ball watching at times. He lost concentration when the ball was on the far side and when his man moved to his outside, needing to scan more. He was also strong in the air and showed good defensive positioning to cover teammates.
Rating – A2
Moussa Diaby
Player Profile:
- Nationality: French
- Age: 20
- Date of birth: 07/07/1999
- Club: Bayer Leverkusen
- Career: PSG, Crotone (L), Bayer Leverkusen
- Position: Left Wing
- Secondary position: Right Wing
- Preferred foot: Left
Playing on the left wing, I thought Diaby had a good performance but was quiet at times and most dangerous when he came off of his wing. As Havertz dropped into space, Diaby would often look to move centrally and was able to roam. He’s athletic with great speed, fast feet and a good burst of pace. He looked to drive at the defence and knock the ball past defenders and into space, although this would have been done better at times and the touches needed to be better weighted at times and was a bit predictable and lost the ball several times.
He made good runs behind the line, especially when Havertz dropped he was able to feed Diaby some dangerous passes. He had two shots saved from dangerous positions in the box and was good on the counter and got into good positions. He was direct and wanted to carry the ball. His passing was simple and short, mostly backwards and lacked creativity to push his team up the field.
Rating – B1
Daley Sinkgraven
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Dutch
- Age: 24
- Date of birth: 04/07/1995
- Club: Bayer Leverkusen
- Career: SC Heerenveen (Y), SC Heerenveen, AFC Ajax, Bayer Leverkusen
- Position: Left Back
- Preferred foot: Left
Sinkgraven had a quiet game at left back. Although he had a lot of touches on the ball, his passing in the buildup was largely back wards and he struggled to play into the midfield from the wing, losing the ball several times. He was able to play balls down the line for Diaby well though and a nice layoff inside to his centre mid under pressure.
He worked hard going forward and picked his moments to push forward, offering over or underlapping runs for Diaby but didn’t get into the final third that often. He attempted two crosses which were blocked. He was calm on the ball and used feints to create space but was fairly static. He carried the ball once on the counter well, cutting inside and beating two players but then the pass was cut out.
Defensively he was solid and wasn’t challenged too much. He has a slim build and lacked aggression. He was a passive defender with good positioning and jockeyed well, able to slow the attack.
Rating – B2