In this Championship Round match, Austrian Bundesliga leaders RB Salzburg ran out 3-1 winners against third placed LASK. Salzburg played a 4-2-2-2 against LASK’s 3-4-3 and played a fairly direct brand of football. They looked to get in behind LASK at every opportunity, playing lots of balls behind the defence. They rarely held possession to build an attacking move, they looked to move the ball forward quickly. Despite having a minority share of possession Salzburg were relatively comfortable in the game, they did give up a number of shots but they didn’t tend to threaten the goal.
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
Patson Daka
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Zambian
- Age: 21
- Date of Birth: 19/10/1998
- Current Club: RB Salzburg
- Career: Kafue Celtic, Power Dynamos (L), Liefering (L), RB Salzburg
- Position: Striker
- Secondary Position: Winger
- Preferred Foot: Right
Daka played this game as one of Salzburg’s two strikers. His constant running in behind proved to be a threat to LASK throughout the game. At 6’1″ tall Daka was able to be competitive for balls in the air. He has a good build and he was strong, able to push defenders off him to keep the ball or win it back and it made him difficult to dispossess at times. He showed good acceleration and pace and he used it well to stretch the defence by running in behind.
Daka put the LASK defence under pressure with his pace by initially pressing well from the front, he didn’t give defenders much time on the ball, he also worked hard to track back on occasions and was able to help his team out defensively by winning the ball or by denying the opposition space around the area. His speed helped him to create good attacking situations by drawing fouls, winning corners or throw ins in attacking areas by closing defenders down.
When playing shorter passes he was accurate and used them well to create space for himself and teammates. He linked up well with Mwepa with some good one touch passing to which led to the opening goal. He attempted some more expansive passes but these had limited success but were directed into good areas. He showed quick feet to manipulate the ball away from and around defenders a few times and was able to release the ball or work shooting chances with good timing. He was able to find space in the box with and without the ball; a good first touch created a good shooting chance on his left foot which he should have done better with. For his goal he was able to take up position between the two centre backs before making a quick move towards the ball to get away from them. He reacted and adjusted well to a touch off the defender and finished well from close range.
He made good attacking runs that gave the man in possession support while also creating good angles for potential passes. He was confident on the ball and often looked to knock the ball past his opponent into space to run onto, he also showed his flair and creativity on the ball with some attempted skills to beat an opponent.
Rating – A1
Dominik Szoboszlai
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Hungarian
- Age: 19
- Date of Birth: 25/10/2000
- Current Club: RB Salzburg
- Career: MTK Budapest(Y), Videoton(Y), RB Salzburg(Y), Liefering(L), RB Salzburg.
- Position: Centre Midfield
- Secondary Position: Attacking Midfield
- Preferred Foot: Right
Szoboszlai played as an attacking midfielder in this game, and often found himself in some advanced forward areas. He ran full backs well in this game, he was able to find space in wide areas and was capable of creating good attacking situations for his team when he was on the ball.
Szoboszlai was responsible for a lot of the set piece delivery in this game. He had dangerous delivery from wide areas for the whole game. His corners were played into good areas with pace which allowed his teammates to attack the back and he was also able to pick out individuals with more precise corners. One of his corners brought about the third goal, whipped with pace the the back post area at a good height it was headed in by Vallci. Szoboszlai also created the second goal with an open play cross from the wing. He made a good tun on the inside of the full back to collect a ball played down the line, his pace afforded him some space out wide where he cut back onto his right and crossed another pacey ball low to the near post. It was difficult to defend and Daka was able to finish it off.
He made a number of good runs into space from outside to in to get away from the full back. One led to the the first goal, he found himself in a lot of space between the full back and centre back positions and reacted fastest to a deflected ball over the top, he was composed enough to touch it round the keeper before finishing into an empty net. His pace and running in behind caused a number of problems for the defenders. He took up good attacking position and was able to find space in attacking areas by pulling off the back of his defenders.
He pressed the opposition well and was able to make some good tackles to win the ball back for his team, he didn’t shy away from challenges and went into tackles with controlled aggression. Out of possession he played deeper and more centrally and filled space well to deny LASK some passing options into their forward players. On the ball he liked to attempt to dribble past opponents and showed he had the ability to do so, he had quick feet in tight spaces and was able to play passes to get his teammates away into space. His passes weren’t always accurate but this was in part due to the way Salzburg looked to get in behind so regularly which meant a number of his passes were played forward and would be cut out by defenders. Szoboszlai was key for Salzburg and was involved in all three goals.
Rating – A1
Enock Mwepu
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Zambian
- Age: 22
- Date of Birth: 01/01/1998
- Current Club: RB Salzburg
- Career: Kafue Celtic, FC Liefering, RB Salzburg
- Position: Centre Midfield
- Preferred Foot: Right
Mwepu started as Salzburg’s other deeper midfielder in this game. Although he took on a more advanced role for a lot of the game, he often found himself pressing high on the edge of the area and getting forward into the box. As well as being on the ball in attacking areas wide on the right.
At 6’1″ tall Mwepu was strong in the air and in tackles, he has a strong athletic build and he used his body to his advantage. He was involved quite a lot on the ball and demonstrated good awareness of what was going on around him. He played some neat link up with Daka which lead to the first goal after his deflected pass found it’s way to Szoboszlai and he played some other intelligent first time passes in and around the area to create opportunities for his team.
He was pressed opposition well and in tandem with teammates to win the ball back high up the pitch and deny LASK space to play in which forced them to go long often. Later in the game, especially with the score at 2-1, Mwepu took on more defensive responsibility and did so well. He made some important interceptions in his own area and was able to win headers to relieve pressure before pushing forward. He worked hard off the ball and covered ground quickly in both attacking and defensive transitions.
He was comfortable receiving the ball and he was confident enough to dribble past opponents, he showed good technical ability and wasn’t afraid to attempt a shot. One volley from range came narrowly missed to the keepers right hand side. He was able to play some good progressive passes into attackers feet and through the lines to push attacking moves forward quickly.
Rating – A2
Karim Adeyemi
Player Profile:
- Nationality: German
- Age: 18
- Date of Birth: 18/01/2002
- Current Club: RB Salzburg
- Career: Bayern Munich(Y), Unterhaching (Y), RB Salzburg, FC Liefering (L), RB Salzburg.
- Position: Striker
- Preferred Foot: Left
Adeyemi came on as a replacement for Hee Chan Hwang in the 67th minute and his threat was apparent immediately. Within minutes of coming on his explosive pace and acceleration was clear to see and he was able to get in behind the defence with relative ease.
He got a chance soon after coming on, he got away from the defender after a pass from Daka and he dragged a left footed shot wide with only the keeper to beat which he should’ve done better with. But Adeyemi’s speed was on show from the start of his appearance he was able to knock the ball past his opponents and beat them easily, he also showed some good close control on the ball with bits of skill involved to beat defenders in tighter spaces. He made good attacking runs and was difficult to pick up for defenders which meant he was able to find space in dangerous areas in the box.
The passes he played were short and simple as he held the ball up, they allowed him to pass and spin off a defender and accelerate past them. He was clever with the ball and played in a way that suited his strengths and didn’t play in a way that was beyond him. He didn’t avoid challenges, he got stuck in and was able to come out on top with the ball sometimes.
Adeyemi wasn’t involved in the game a great deal but he showed why he is so highly rated and his attacking intelligence and attributes were on show as soon as he came onto the pitch,
Rating – A2
Maximilian Wober
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Austrian
- Age: 22
- Date of Birth: 4/2/1998
- Current Club: RB Salzburg
- Career: Rapid Wien, Ajax, Sevilla, RB Salzburg
- Position: Centre Back
- Preferred Foot: Left
Wober played as Salzburg’s left sided centre back. Wober was dominant in the air in this game, at 6’2″ he was able to win the vast majority of his aerial duels. He made a few important interventions during the game, he was able to cut out some dangerous moves with his long legs and was able to win some tackles as well to halt attacking moves for LASK.
When Wober was an option for passes from his goalkeeper or other defenders he took up positions too close to the player with the ball and his teammates often chose other pass options instead of him. At other times he seemed to hide from the ball and was reluctant to receive it sometimes. When he was on the ball, he moved it with simple short passes generally and tried to release the ball as quickly as possible. His longer passes were hit with mixed accuracy and he struggled on his right foot at times.
It appeared that Wober’s communication with his teammates was lacking at times, on a couple of occasions he was involved in some defensive mix ups in situations he should have taken charge in. He also struggled with the timing of some defensive actions, he would sometimes press opposition at the wrong times and then on other occasions he didn’t engage the attacker, backing off them and allowing them to shoot. He did press the opposition well at times but that sometimes led to him being caught out of position as they played around him.
He was solid with most of his defensive actions when the ball was in his vicinity but wasn’t the mist helpful player in off the ball defensive situations or when his team were in possession.
Rating – B2
Mohamed Camara
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Malian
- Age: 20
- Date of Birth: 20/1/2000
- Current Club: RB Salzburg
- Career: AS Real Bamako, FC Liefering, TSV Hartberg (L), RB Salzburg
- Position: Centre Midfield
- Preferred Foot: Right
Camara played this game as a defensive midfielder before being replaced in the 67th minute. Standing at 5’9″ Camara was impressive in the air, he was able to win all his aerial duels and put in an impressive defensive performance.
Camara was the midfielder who played with the most discipline out of the Salzburg four, he remained the deepest during the game providing good cove across the width of the pitch as his defensive midfield partner was often more advanced. He provided important cover in the left back area as well as centrally as the full back pushed high up the pitch. Camara held a good defensive position while he was on the pitch as he was able to make a number of interceptions and was difficult for attackers to get past.
Camara played an aggressive pressing game and was important for allowing Salzburg to press so high up the pitch. He started the game well, winning the ball high up on the right side with a good slide tackle which started the move for the opening goal. He was quick into tackles but did sometimes mistime them. He made good passing options for his goal keeper and defenders by coming deep in central areas to provide an option between the centre backs when they split.
He wasn’t afraid to attempt some more expansive passes although he struggled to complete them at times, he did well to keep moves progressing with shorter passes to teammates in better positions. On the ball his first touch sometimes got away from him which meant he did lose possession a few times in the game sometimes in some dangerous areas, however he was sometimes quick enough to recover and challenge for the subsequent lose ball.
Rating – B1
Target Scouting 