This is a guest article from Andy Watson.
On a key night for both sides Frankfurt started fairly brightly in their 1-3-4-3 formation with the forwards impressive in their mobility. However, as the first half continued the extra midfielder that Bremen deployed meant that they were able to wrestle control of the match from Frankfurt. That said, neither side created any chances of note in the first half.
The second half was much better from Frankfurt. They gave their central defenders more encouragement to move into the central third and this helped to arrest the difficulties of the first period. Frankfurt went ahead in the match early in the second half and were impressively dominant from that point onwards, creating some good chances and preventing Bremen from building any momentum. This resulted in a comfortable win that should steer Frankfurt clear of any danger in the Bundesliga this season.
Ratings
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at that level
- B2 – Potential to be a good player at that level
- C – Average for the level, rewatch
- D – Below average in this match
Mijat Gacinovic
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Serbia/Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Age: 25
- Date of Birth: 08/02/95
- Current Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
- Career: Vojvodina (Y), Eintracht Frankfurt
- Position: Attacking Midfield
- Secondary position: Striker / Right Wing
- Preferred Foot: Right
The Serbian demonstrated a beautiful first touch on a couple of occasions as he drifted around his central striker looking for dangerous spaces. Gacinovic was slightly on the periphery of the match, especially in the first half as Frankfurt struggled for possession. However, he did try to help out defensively, filling in for Kostic on a couple of occasions at left wing back, which shows his commitment to the team cause.
Gacinovic is an excellent technician without having searing pace. He can move with the ball quickly though and with his technical quality can produce a key moment for his team. In the second half this was demonstrated when he dribbled through the centre of the Bremen defence at pace but slightly missing the target wide with his shot when under pressure.
The key concern for Gacinovic is whether his physicality would stand up enough to challenge of playing for the top sides.
Rating – B2
Andre Silva
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Portuguese
- Age: 24
- Date of Birth: 06/11/1995
- Current Club: Eintracht Frankfurt, on loan from AC Milan
- Career: Porto (Y), Porto, AC Milan, Sevilla (L), Eintracht Frankfurt (L)
- Position: Striker
- Preferred Foot: Right
Silva is an impressively physical presence as a central striker. He was consistently able to hold defenders off and use his excellent control to kill the ball and provide a platform for his team. Once or twice the Portuguese was able to lay the ball off first time to a supporting forward.
Not content to simply hold the ball up centrally, Silva was able to use the channels well. He ran the inside right channel to latch onto a pass that led to a strong shot on target in the first half. Later he ran powerfully down the left flank to get his team a useful free-kick. This verified that he has the pace to get away from some defenders if required.
Physically and technically his all-round play was good. This was rounded off by a good back-post header directed low and powerfully into the net for a good goal. Again, Silva’s movement was good and demonstrated the correct instincts of someone able to score goals at the highest level. His confidence is high and his interaction with his teammates was always very positive despite not always getting the service he would have liked.
Rating – B1
Daichi Kamada
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Japanese
- Age: 23
- Date of Birth: 05/08/1996
- Current Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
- Career: Sagan Tosu, Eintracht Frankfurt, Sint-Truiden (L)
- Position: Striker
- Secondary Position: Attacking Midfield
- Preferred Foot: Right
Despite not being at the forefront of the game Kamada was still impressive when he was involved. Ostensibly playing on the left of the front three, but slightly more withdrawn, Kamada was given licence to roam around when in possession but he was diligent enough to stick to his defensive duties out of possession.
Kamada makes good runs into goalscoring positions, however, in this match, he was unable to get a good chance to demonstrate any finishing ability. Technically he is good, though one of his touches was surprisingly poor when there was no pressure on him. The Japanese moves well with the ball, keeping his head up to assess his options quite a lot of the time. This helped him provide a very good weight of pass to set up a chance for Kostic to provide a dangerous cross in the second half.
Kamada is a lean athlete who clearly gives a lot of effort to the cause and isn’t afraid to get involved in physical battles. He has become accustomed to the Bundesliga and there is every chance that he will continue to be effective at this level. However, there are enough doubts around his technique and physicality to question whether he could move higher.
Rating – B1
Almamy Toure
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Mali (France U21 international)
- Age: 24
- Date of Birth: 28/04/1996
- Current Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
- Career: Monaco, Eintracht Frankfurt
- Position: Right Back
- Preferred Foot: Right
As you may expect from a modern full-back Diaby is a very athletic player. He isn’t tall but he showed good pace and is dynamic with his movements to cover defensively or burst forward into the box.
Technically it was a mixed bag in this match. His first touch was impressive on a few occasions but there were a couple of sloppy passes that halted the momentum of Frankfurt attacks by playing the ball slightly behind a onrushing teammate. Diaby didn’t show much in the way of dribbling or crossing either, Kostic was the player Frankfurt tended to choose to provide width and progression into the final third so it is clear that he has some development to do for this position in the team.
His positional sense was good and he managed to be a threat in the opposition box by arriving at the back post for at least two Kostic crosses from the opposite flank. This meant that he was able to fulfil the role of wing-back really well and he looks to be an interesting prospect in that role.
Rating – B2
Target Scouting 