Tim Civeja is a 23-year-old central midfielder for 1. FC Saarbrücken in 3. Liga. The German-born Albanian represents Albania at the U-21 level with 5 caps. Primarily coming off the bench this season, Civeja still provided 5 goals and 2 assists in 31 appearances. He was booked 3 times, too, and appeared as a substitute in both legs of the relegation playoff.
Civeja is above average height for the position at 1.8 m, with a stocky, physically mature frame that competes well in duels. This upper body stockiness comes in handy when going shoulder-to-shoulder in duels or when shielding the ball. Although he mixes in his left foot, he is right foot dominant. Civeja is a high motor player as a box-to-box midfielder, putting in lots of effort in both attacking and defensive phases. Though, he must prove his long-term endurance with lots more cameos than full 90s in such a physically demanding role.
The Albanian is a set piece specialist, specifically on corners. Civeja is consistently accurate using his right foot with both in- and out-swinging deliveries, creating primarily headed chances with precision and genuine danger. At times, he lofts his deliveries a bit too much and is inaccurate, but when he drives them, he has most of his success. His precision creation from corners makes him a valuable impact sub.
On the ball, Civeja is quite comfortable, making quick, accurate ground passes even when facing pressure. Although not perfect in final ball execution, he displays vision with his willingness to play line-breaking passes. At times, he forces those passes into tightly marked teammates when better options to retain possession were available. He must continue to develop his balance of risk and retention. While Civeja creates plenty of shooting opportunities for himself, especially as a midfielder, he strikes too many low percentage shots from distance lacking power and end product. What gets him into those positions is his willingness as a box-to-box runner both in the buildup and counter. His support runs have intelligent timing on them, primarily underlapping but having flexibility to provide width when needed with overlaps. On the attack, Civeja is strong on ball but must refine his decision making to remain effective in a bigger role or higher level.
Defensively, his high work rate and pressing from his midfield line standout. Especially as he mainly comes off the bench, Civeja brings lots of energy while being relentless in nature. He is quite active when tasked with high pressing, often cutting out passing lanes or stepping into duels to disrupt the buildup. He is physically willing into duels, not shying away from contact, but to a detriment at times leading to more unnecessary fouls than tactical ones. Although his initial defensive positioning is decent in 1v1s, his recovery speed and lateral agility are questionable after being beaten on the dribble. Civeja can be shaken by quick changes of direction, resulting in allowing too much space for crosses. As a defender, he is not very refined, but his effort levels somewhat make up for it.
Civeja is a set piece specialist from central midfield that thrives in the press with his notably high work rate suiting him for a box-to-box role. Though he is close to entering his prime at 23, he must still prove his ability to play more consistent minutes over a full season. If so, Civeja has the talent to reprise his role as an impact sub in 2. Bundesliga, hinting at his potential quality versus Eintracht Braunschweig in the relegation playoff.
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