Hertha Berlin – Match Report vs Eintracht Braunschweig 11/09/20

As German football returned in the form of the DFB-Pokal Cup, Hertha Berlin didn’t make the start to the new season they would have hoped for. They lost 5-4 to Eintract Braunschweig, who are newly promoted to Bundesliga 2. It was a dramatic game with plenty of goals and although Hertha were obviously the more talented side they allowed too many chances and made a lot of errors. They conceded an own goal from a corner, a rebound from a penalty, a direct free kick in the 2nd minute and then two good finishes to seal the win. Hertha kept fighting, bringing the score to 2-2, 3-3 and 5-4 but weren’t able to catch them and went out of the cup.

They set up in a very fluid system. It was a 4-3-3 which often looked like a back five with players drifting into different spaces and rotating a lot. But error proneness, a lack of sharpness and speed in defence cost them even if going forwards they did well.

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

Matheus Cunha

Player Profile:

• Nationality: Brazilian
• Age: 21
• Date of birth: 27/05/1999
• Current club: Hertha Berlin
• Career: Coritiba (Y), FC Sion, RB Leipzig, Hertha Berlin
• Position: Striker
• Secondary position: Right Wing
• Preferred foot: Right

With a goal and two assists, Cunha had a great game and lead the attack. Playing up front, Cunha played a false 9 role and was able to drift and drop into midfield. He was dangerous at dropping deep and then making darting, late runs into the box when the ball went wide. He also made some decent layoffs and received the ball well between the lines, able to face up and drive at goal. He’s 6’0″ with a decent build and showed good strength in this game and is a good athlete with good bursts and changes of speed. He’s a strong runner and good at driving into space on the counter.

He’s very comfortable on the ball and a very well rounded player, which is why he suits the false 9 role. He was great with the ball, he’s quite right footed but uses different parts of his feet well to keep good control of the ball, with quick reactions to manoeuvre the ball. He was extremely dangerous in wide areas of the box, he was great at creating a yard of space and getting to the byline with a burst of pace. He was composed and elegant on the ball, not having to rush and dominated his attacking 1v1s. He was able to pick his head up and look for cutbacks or with his powerful right foot shoot from tight angles. He got the assist for the 3rd goal with a good ball across goal. He was also a good set piece taker, getting the assist for the first goal from a corner.

He has a powerful right foot and took several good shots, able to take some dangerous curling shots from just outside the box which tested the keeper or hit the far post. His goal came from a good run into the left side of the box and a tidy finish across goal, again showing good composure.

Rating – A1

Overall, an excellent performance against lower league opposition but a very well rounded and confident display from the Brazilian striker.

Dodi Lukebakio

Player Profile:

• Nationality: Belgian
• Age: 22
• Date of birth: 24/09/97
• Current club: Hertha Berlin
• Career: Anderlecht, Toulouse (L), Charleroi (L), Watford, Fortuna Dusseldorf (L), Hertha Berlin
• Position: Right Wing
• Secondary position: Striker
• Preferred foot: Left

Lukebakio played on the right wing and had a strong but quiet game. He wasn’t always that involved in the game but was very effective when the ball came to him and got into dangerous positions, scoring two. His first was off a corner and his second was a good finish from the right into the far post where he showed good composure and ability to create a yard of space.

The 6’2 winger is well built with good speed and work rate, working hard to press high. He had good feet in tight spaces, able to protect the ball and face up well. For his size he has impressively quick feet and with a good burst of speed was dangerous in attack. He received the ball well and was strong in possession, able to hold up play from the wing which gives Hertha interesting options.

He received the ball in odd positions, often dropping deep and receiving in the right half space in front of the defence. From here he put in two great diagonal balls into the box for the far winger to control and another floated early cross to the back post. He was elegant on the ball and comfortable finding space and playing these longer passes which isn’t something you tend to see from a 6’2 winger. He also found good positions within the box when the play was in the final third.

Rating – A2

Maximilian Mittelstädt

Player Profile:

• Nationality: German
• Age: 23
• Date of birth: 18/03/97
• Current club: Hertha Berlin
• Career: Hertha Berlin
• Position: Left Back
• Secondary position: Left Wing
• Preferred foot: Left

The German full back played a flexible role today where he was on the left side of the midfield three but could drift to a left wing back role more at times and played as the left back for the final 15 minutes. He also dropped in buildup at times to be on the left side of a back three and would then push up to follow play into the midfield. He received the ball well on the turn and spread play to the right. His passing was smooth and switched play once but otherwise didn’t test his range.

He pressed out and showed good anticipation a few times and made a few strong tackles on the left wing but when in more central areas, because he was playing an unfamiliar role, he looked a little lost at times. Caught ball watching a few times and slow to react to play.

At 5’11 with a slim build he lacked physicality at times and didn’t play with a high intensity. He was okay athletically with no standout attributes. Overall, an okay but quiet performance in a different role where he didn’t have much impact on the game.

Rating – B2

Lucas Tousart

Player Profile:

• Nationality: French
• Age: 23
• Date of birth: 29/04/97
• Current club: Hertha Berlin
• Career: Valenciennes, Lyon, Hertha Berlin
• Position: Defensive Midfield
• Preferred foot: Right

On his debut for Hertha Berlin, Tousart had a fairly quiet game for Hertha in midfield. He was quite right footed which didn’t cause issues but did limit his play at times. He was positioned in front of the centre backs in buildup but didn’t fight for his positioning and they mainly had to use the wings. He took touches into space and stayed deep when the ball was high up the pitch rather than supporting it much.

He mostly sat deep and spread play to either side but didn’t play anything really expansive or progressive. He played to quite a low tempo in general and didn’t do much defensively and didn’t play with much energy. At 6’1 he had a decent build but lacked aggression and wasn’t very quick.

Rating – D