Viktoria Köln visited MSV Duisburg and the 3. Liga squads battled to a 1-1 draw in a tale of two halves. In the first half, Köln came out in their wide 4-3-3 firing in shots on target left and right, putting Duisburg under immense pressure. Going into the second, Köln got a little too comfortable up 1-0, and momentum swung for Duisburg who took advantage and got their leveler after their own barrage of shots. Köln seemed to have run out of energy (possibly from their hustle press) and gotten somewhat complacent, while Duisburg stored their energy and made some tactical changes. This exploited Köln’s tendency to allow second half goals that dates back to last season. This is something that manager Olaf Janssen must iron out if Köln want to rise above mid-table.
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
Jamil Siebert
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Germany
- Age: 20
- Date of birth: 02/04/2002
- Club: Fortuna Düsseldorf
- Career: Düsseldorfer SC 99 (Y), Viktoria Köln (Loan)
- Position: Centre Back
- Preferred foot: Right
Jamil Siebert is a 193 cm tall centre back on loan from Fortuna Düsseldorf that started this match and scored Köln’s lone goal. He has a long frame and a mature build for his age. With this build, Siebert was well aware that he should be getting physical with his marker. Although the physicality was undeniably there, the positioning to take advantage of it failed him at times when he could not just rely on his athletic gifts. One of such times was on the levelling goal where he got boxed in the box for a headed goal on a cross. It almost happened a second time, but the box was a lot more crowded, and Ben Alexander Voll made a nice save. Along with size, Siebert was also gifted with impressive pace for a centre back. Due to his huge frame, his acceleration is not the best, but when he gets up to speed there is good speed on him that he used to recover in transition constantly. The biggest example was early in the match when he closed down with a great angle against the boundary but missed the tackle. Immediately, Siebert used that great recovery speed again to catch up in the box and use his shoulder to throw off the pass. He did not just show impressive physical traits but relentless hustle, too, as Siebert could have easily given up on that play.
Although Siebert showcased all the necessary physical traits, his defensive skillset was not flawless. His general positioning on the backline was good and he tracked back quickly as to not leave holes in the defense, but there were moments where Siebert was ball-watching and not completely switched on. In other moments, he was vigilant and looking over his shoulder—he seemed like a young player a step away from having the focus needed for the next level. Focus and positioning were mainly where the drawbacks end for him, though. Siebert is so active defensively and is relentless in 1v1s. He takes great angles, leaving little space to make clean passes or crosses. Siebert was also good at timing interceptions and tackles. They were all clean and on ball when he went in for them and did not foul once, even though not all duels were completely won. He switched it up with mostly stand and some slide tackles, too. On one slide tackle he suffered a leg injury, but he soldiered on and seemed unbothered after some drama on the ground. Siebert would also get aggressive and press up at times but would not get caught out, as his sense of positioning kept him from fouling/over-pursuing, and the result was frustrating the opponent’s buildup or slowing down transition play. Siebert also cleared the ball plenty in this match and always got it to safety, at least temporarily. He was usually clearing from his box and used his head and both feet, distributing clearances in a variety of techniques. His headers were inconsistent, though, as he had a couple weak ones and if he encountered someone similar in size it made it difficult. To go along with the weak aerial duels, he still had dominant wins, too, including his goal and some long clearances. Siebert must continue to work with his size and technique to create a more consistent threat in areas where you would expect him to be better.
When discussing Siebert’s offensive game, I must talk about his goal first. It was a beautiful header from a corner receiving at the front post and heading toward the back—and he got his head over the defense to make the goal so easy for himself. That is the type of flash I needed to see to believe he will keep improving his aerial technique and body control. As a distributor, Siebert was cool under pressure and not only delivered mainly accurate short passes in his own half but displayed some vision to play intermediate passes up the right wing to advance play. Another display of his vision was on a ball carry into the box after an interception where he played a chipped pass for a near assist on a tap in that got deflected. Siebert also had a long aerial pass that he hit accurately but his teammate could not win the aerial duel. He displayed a comfortability with both feet, but he clearly preferred his right. One instance of his left being utilized well was an accurate cross from the left into the middle of the box for a dangerous shot opportunity and near assist. It was an impressive pass for a center back, but there was not an opponent near him at all when he delivered that cross. Siebert managed to draw some fouls, too, one on a high press that he avoided, another when he was dribbling in midfield, and after he won a duel moving toward the box—which set up a dangerous set piece.
Rating – A2
Siebert is still a work in progress at centre back based on this performance, but he did well at this level and displayed some traits that will help him grow past 3. Liga football very soon. Stacking performances like this one paired with continued growth will be a recipe for Siebert playing first team football with Düsseldorf next season. 2. Bundesliga may even be the league he should be playing in already.