SC Austria Lustenau had no problems with SKN Sankt Pölten at home in the penultimate match of the season in the 2. Liga. Lustenau, who crowned themselves champions a week later, lined up in a 4-3-3 on paper, which looked more like a 4-4-1-1 or even a 4-2-4 out of possession. The hosts were very effective if the first half and scored three times in the span of twenty minutes, winning the game 3-0.
Ratings:
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be a strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, rewatch
- D – Below average in this match
Muhammed-Cham Saracevic
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Austrian/Bosnian
- Age: 21
- Date of birth: 26/09/2000
- Current club: SC Austria Lustenau (On loan from Clermont Foot 63)
- Career: Hannover 96 (Y), VFL Wolfsburg (Y), Admira Wacker, Clermont Foot 63, Vendsyssel FF (Loan), SC Austria Lustenau (Loan)
- Position: Attacking Midfield
- Secondary Position: Centre Midfield, Striker, Left Winger, Right Winger
- Preferred foot: Left
With 15 goals and 14 assists, Muhammed Cham has been a crucial player for Austria Lustenau this season. The 21-year-old played as attacking midfielder against St. Pölten but often stepped forward next to Tabakovic as a second striker when pressing. Cham had quite a lot of freedom to roam to the wings and often received the ball there, quite deep on St. Pölten’s half. In the 28th minute, Cham received the ball on the edge of the box from Lustenau’s right-winger Anderson. He then cut inside and put a great goal-bound cross in, which striker Tabakovic headed in.
Overall I feel that Muhammed Cham really wasn’t at his best this game and he has enough areas to improve. There were a few moments where he took too much time on the ball, which resulted in a loss of possession. On different occasions, he looked a bit too nonchalant or overcomplicated things, by trying near impossible long passes or taking on too many opponents at once. There was enough to be excited about watching the 21-year-old though. Cham was very active around the pitch asking for the ball a lot and when he had it Lustenau often got dangerous.
The loanee of Clermont Foot 63 was probably the most technical player on the pitch and it could always get dangerous for St. Pölten when he was on the ball. He often looked for short 1-touch pass combinations with his teammates and his great first-touch allowed him to easily turn away from his opponent or just up the tempo when Lustenau had possession. His dribbling also was solid as he easily skipped past his opponents in small spaces. I didn’t really see him use his right foot at all, which could make him a little predictable though. When he got past his opponent around the box though, his final pass lacked some quality this game. There were quite some moments, besides his assist, where he had a good opportunity to create a chance for his teammate but couldn’t get the ball to them.
Physically Cham could still make some steps. The Austrian stands at 5’11” according to the data I could find, but I suspect he is a bit taller. He looked very fast on the first meters and was also very fast when changing directions. He looked like he had a fairly lean build though and could probably benefit from gaining some more muscle mass.
Rating – A1
After the last match of the season Muhammed Cham was named ‘Best player of the season’ in the Austrian 2. Liga. I hope Austria Lustenau can loan him one more year so that he can play on the highest tier of Austrian football. After that, I can definitely see him being a great player for Clermont in the French Ligue 1.
Cem Türkmen
Player Profile:
- Nationality: German/Turkish
- Age: 20
- Date of birth: 29/03/2002
- Current club: SC Austria Lustenau (On loan from Clermont Foot 63)
- Career: Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Clermont Foot 63, SC Austria Lustenau (Loan)
- Position: Centre Midfield
- Preferred foot: Right
Cem Türkmen played as the left-sided central midfielder next to Brandon Baiye and played a fantastic match. Türkmen may not be as flashy as Muhammed Cham is but he was vital for his side. The 20-year-old German very hard in and out of possession and looked very composed with the ball at his feet.
With Cham almost as second striker and two wingers playing quite high up the pitch, you would expect Türkmen to have little freedom going forward, but the youngster covered a lot of ground also going forward. When pressing Türkmen would often push up deep on St. Pöltens half, playing in front of Brandon Baiye instead of next to him, and with success. Especially in the first half St. Pölten had a very hard time with their build-up play, because of Lustenau’s good high press. Standing at 5’10” Türkmen definitely isn’t the tallest player but he looked good in his physical duels. It looked like he has great upper body strength, which in combination with the high intensity he put into his duels, made him do very well.
His hard work was really impressive but on the ball he surprised me maybe even more. Türkmen barely made any mistakes with the ball at his feet and looked so composed. He mostly played quite simple but wasn’t afraid to take on an opponent in the midfield if he didn’t see any other way out. The 20-year-old also showed some good passing range with a few lovely long switches but needs to get a little more consistent with those passes.
Rating – A1
Just like Cham I hope Türkmen can stay with Austria Lustenau for a second season. The German midfielder wasn’t a starter for Lustenau all season, but if he plays like this he should do fine in the Austrian Bundesliga.