Jacek Zieliński’s KS Cracovia replicates its victory in the first round of Ekstraklasa and confirms itself as a formation to keep an eye on in the polish top division. The victim today was Korona Kielce who could do nothing against the hosts. In a pouring rain afternoon, at the Stadion Cracovii, Cracovia won easily 2-0. Grzegorz Szymusik’s own goal and Mathias Hebo Rasmussen’s final seal were decisive in propelling the striped team to full points. Cracovia, with a defensive 5-2-2-1, conceded nothing to the guests who saw the wings of their 4-2-3-1 clipped since the first moments of the match.
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
Jakub Myszor
Player profile:
- Nationality: Polish
- Age: 20
- Date of Birth: 7/6/2002
- Current Club: KS Cracovia
- Career: KS Cracovia
- Position: Right Winger
- Secondary Position: Left Winger/Attacking Midfield
- Preferred Foot: Both
Jakub Myszor played 70′ minutes as an attacking midfielder behind centre-forward Patryk Makuch in the 5-2-2-1 put on display by Cracovia. The Polish footballer was not always brilliant during the match, but he showed that he is an important weapon for Cracovia and a very interesting player for the Polish football scene.
Myszor amazed me in two important aspects: the ability to play with both feet and the smooth and quick ball control. The latter characteristic allows him to attack depth with ease and be quite difficult to defend in the open field. Despite the fact that Myszor is “only” 175 centimetres tall and has a non-mastic build, the Cracovia footballer has proven to be well suited to high-intensity physical football.
Without the ball, Myszor performed brilliantly, perfectly interpreting the high pressing demanded by his coach. The nursery product was key with his teammates in leaving no breathing room for Korona Kielce’s manoeuvre and allowing the hosts to break away on the counter-attack with some ease. In addition, Myszor was particularly adept at exploiting Makuch’s dirty work: the forward would duck down to receive the ball and distribute it to the outside or midfielders so that Myszor and Rakoczy could attack the space left by Korona’s defence.
Another characteristic that jumps out is the ability to play inside the field with ease. The ability to choose an option with both his right and left foot allows him to play the role of advanced playmaker with some ease. I was frankly disappointed with his decision-making: on a couple of occasions in the first half Myszor misjudged an easy pass and caused Cracovia manoeuvre to be interrupted. The decision-making also results better in the conclusion of the attaching moves: Myszor got caught up in two very tempting counterattacks for stalling too much in making the conclusion or the final pass from inside the penalty area.
Rating – B2
Jakub Myzsor certainly did not catch the eye today, especially because of the two chances wasted on counterattack. Despite this, one cannot overlook this player’s ability to take the sideline or cut across the field with ease. He turns out, in my view, to be a talent to keep under observation who needs to play with regularity this Ekstraklasa season in order to improve his decision-making.
Mathias Hebo Rasmussen
Player profile:
- Nationality: Danish
- Age: 26
- Date of Birth: 2/8/1995
- Current Club: KS Cracovia
- Career: Nordsjaelland/Lyngby BK/Silkeborg IF/Vejle BK
- Position: Midfield
- Secondary Position: Defensive Midfield/Attacking Midfield
- Preferred Foot: Right
Hebo Rasmussen played the entire game as a central midfielder alongside Florian Loshaj. The Danish footballer not only secured the three points for Cracovia with the last goal, but provided a MVP performance that allowed Krakow to dominate for large parts of the match.
This is not the first time I have seen Hebo Rasmussen play, and I have always been fascinated by his geometry and the dynamism he brings into the field every match. Hebo is an excellent reasoner who plays with ease under pressure and is adept at taking risks within the game. His statuesque physique – 190 centimeters – allows him to easily protect the ball and not force the play.
He is not a footballer who shines without the ball in terms of attacking the space, as in the build-up phase he prefers to always have the ball between his feet so that he can take off again with a filter pass or a precise long throw. Hebo is a footballer who fully matches vertical football which enhances his building-up characteristics.
In terms of vision, Rasmussen is particularly adept at picking out his partner and putting him in a position to receive the ball without pressure. What is impressive is his consistent correctness in his choice of play: this characteristic makes the Danish midfielder a standout in the Polish top division.
The defensive contribution is considerable, although it is not his primary characteristic. Hebo has a good ability to win tackles, and his choice in dictating the pressing is often correct. In addition, Rasmussen is very good at compensating for areas left uncovered by his teammates to ensure that his team maintains an outlined setup and does not lose in terms of compactness.
Rating – A1
Rasmussen is a player who turns out to be able to play in a more competitive league than Ekstraklasa and move up the ladder, as his game vision and technical skills require higher competition. Despite the fact that he is 26 years old and therefore Hebo is no longer a “young” footballer, the Dane could be an important option for teams fighting to get into the European cups in the Eredivisie or Portugal.
Target Scouting 