Unterhaching hosted Augsburg II in their 1-0 Regionalliga Bayern match day 22 victory. They played a high-pressing three at the back system that flexed from a 3-4-3 to 3-5-2 formation. Unterhaching’s decisive goal came on an indirect free kick from goalkeeper René Vollath that dropped into the opposition box for a Mathias Fetsch shot and score. This win allowed Unterhaching to stay alone at the top of the table, three points ahead of Würzburger Kickers.
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
Maurice Krattenmacher
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Germany
- Age: 17
- Date of birth: 11/08/2005
- Club: SpVgg Unterhaching
- Career: Bayern Munich (Y)
- Position: Left Winger
- Secondary Positions: Second Striker, Right Winger
- Preferred foot: Right
Krattenmacher is an attacker that first caught my eye during Germany’s run in the U17 Euros. He had some outstanding performances in attacking midfield, so I am not surprised to see him with 4 goals and 4 assists in senior football at Regionalliga level this season. Krattenmacher is an average height winger at 176 cm and has very quick pace, rounding most of the defense with ease on multiple occasions. His physicality needs to improve based on this performance, but there is plenty of time at only 17-years-old. Krattenmacher is also an explosive athlete with quick reaction time and a dominant right foot.
Krattenmacher stretched the defense well with his pacy runs, no matter where he lined up. He started off as a second striker that rotated to the right wing a lot and as the match went on, he played more and more left winger. On ball, Krattenmacher had above average technical ability but had good control and was always looking to draw a foul. As a distributor, he played a lot of short passes with his right and had pinpoint accuracy and perfect weight to get it past multiple defenders on multiple instances. On one through ball, he collected an aerial ball and controlled it in central midfield to play it down the right wing.
When Krattenmacher passed, he usually immediately rotated into space or made a run through. His intelligence to do so and have good off ball positioning did not go unnoticed. On one run, he inverted onto the ball, took a couple touches, and powered a shot wide top right from the top of the box. He also missed a couple open volley attempts in the box—so his finishing was not the best in this match. On the loan goal of the match, he may be able to claim the assist over his goalkeeper, as he seemed to take an aerial touch before it fell to Fetsch for the shot. On another aerial attempt, he won a header that bounced out of bounds down the wing.
On the press, Krattenmacher was a key player, pressing with his speed and aggression. He pressed multiple times to get his marker off the ball and was very effective. His relentless energy reflected his high work rate, and he even tracked all the way into defense at times, especially when playing left winger. This led to a couple of blocks/interceptions using his quick reactions.
Rating – A1
Krattenmacher clearly has the traits of a Bayern Munich trainee and has high potential, already putting in good performances for a top side in the fourth tier. Bayern Munich are familiar with Krattenmacher, and he would fit their style—slotting right into the second team if signed. Unterhaching has been a good starting place to showcase his talent early, but his he has the talent to reach beyond this. Trying his hand at 3. Liga or even 2. Bundesliga football in 2023-24 is a challenge within his abilities.
Christoph Ehlich
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Germany
- Age: 23
- Date of birth: 02/02/1999
- Club: SpVgg Unterhaching
- Career: SpVgg Unterhaching
- Position: Left Back
- Secondary Position: Right Back
- Preferred foot: Right
Christoph Ehlich is an Unterhaching youth academy graduate who spent this match mainly as an inverted left wingback. The German full back has seven assists in Regionalliga Bayern action this season. He rotated over to his natural right side at times, but he stuck to an uncomfortable spot on the left. Ehlich is listed at 170 cm, but he seemed taller and has a slender build. He has decent pace but did not hustle too hard, getting caught out on some recoveries.
Ehlich was a decent on ball defender on the left wing. His body positioning was above average, and he used it well to cut off angles on crosses. Ehlich’s instincts and timing were on display, though, making several timely slide and stand tackles mainly against the boundary but at the top of the box, too. His instincts also helped him in his quickness to cover especially in the box.
Off ball, his positioning was not the most consistent and he was caught out ball-watching or not sticking to his line at times. Ehlich’s lack of hustle to recover also afforded the attack too much space, especially in his area. His awareness was definitely in question in this match and caused his mistakes.
On the attack, Ehlich showed some skill with ball when dribbling but had the ball taken off him multiple times in attempts to find space. He did not do much special when distributing either, trying to work into more comfortable spaces from the left side with his right proved difficult for him especially as his side also had a Krattenmacher for most of the match, and he prefers to invert, too. Given more space to work in the tactics
Rating – B2
I do see some promise in his game, at least above Regionalliga, but Ehlich still needs time to develop based on this performance. He displayed some good raw traits as a defender but was not always switched on. On offense, I would like to see him in a more practical position for his style. Viewing Ehlich’s potential as a creator in a more natural spot for him is essential in completing his evaluation.