FC Basel is the second most successful club in Switzerland, with 20 Swiss Super League titles. Eight of those titles were won consecutively from 2009/10 to 2016/17, establishing a period of domestic dominance for RotBlau. The club has also qualified for some form of European football every season since 1999.

However, Basel are yet to win another league title since 2017. Close rivals Young Boys established themselves as the dominant force in Switzerland, winning four league titles on the bounce. Basel didn’t fall away entirely, though; they registered four second-place finishes and one third-place between 2017/18 and 2021/22.

Last season was a poor one by Basel’s standards, culminating in a fifth-place finish in the league. However, they did reach the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League, losing to Serie A side Fiorentina on aggregate. Club legend Alexander Frei was relieved of his managerial duties in February, which meant Sporting Director Heiko Vogel took over until the end of the season.

Whilst the twenty-time Swiss champions may not have recently hit the heights they might expect, they have quietly gone about some exciting recruitment. Focusing on young players, new manager Timo Schultz can improve and build around the club and look to the future.

This tactical analysis will take the form of a scout report where we will examine some of FC Basel’s best young prospects. We will look at how they fit into Schultz’s tactics and highlight each player’s key attributes.

Thierno Barry

The first player we will look at in this analysis piece is 20-year-old striker Thierno Barry. The young French forward began his career at Toulon before moving to Sochaux in 2021, where he spent a season with their B team, scoring ten goals in 22 appearances, before moving to SK Beveren in Belgium’s second tier in 2022.

Barry enjoyed a break-out season in Belgium, scoring 20 goals in 31 appearances. We can see from the data visual that he scored 18 non-penalty goals from an xG of 19.44, which is a slight underperformance but still impressive, considering he is such a young player. FC Basel were suitably impressed enough to shell out €3m on the youngster over the summer.

The first thing that becomes apparent about Barry is his height; standing at 195 cm, he often towers above his opponent. Unsurprisingly, he often has the edge in aerial duels, averaging 9.67 per 90 last season; SK Beveren looked to use him as a striker in a front two alongside Dieumerci Mbokani or on the left of a front three.

Barry possesses some excellent off-the-ball movement, which allows him to create space for himself. In the scenario depicted above, we can see how he can adjust his run to get into the box, anticipating the cross coming in from out wide. He then demonstrates excellent jumping reach and timing, which sees him leap off the ground and head the ball into the net.

Despite his height, Thierno Barry is more than just a target man. He is a skilful young player with some excellent qualities for a striker. The image above showcases one of Barry’s ‘trademark’ shots, if you will. He controls the ball, taking it away from the defender, and then using his speed and agility, adjusts his body orientation to high a curling shot beyond the goalkeeper.

Barry has already demonstrated this at FC Basel, as shown below. He enjoys these types of shots where the defender’s positioning could interfere with the goalkeeper’s line of sight and give him a higher percentage chance of scoring.

Thierno Barry is also a handy ball carrier. During his time in Belgium, he averaged 4.71 dribbles per 90, often drifting out to the wide areas to collect the ball. He is very direct and likes to run at his opponent when 1v1, using his speed, agility and body orientation to beat his man.

From the data viz below, we can see that Barry made 88 penetrating carries for SK Beveren. His directness puts immense pressure on the opposing defence. When he runs at defenders, it forces them to make quick decisions, challenging their ability to maintain their formation and positioning.

Furthermore, Barry can be a valuable asset during counter-attacks. When his team wins back possession, he is the player they can turn to when looking to transition from defence to offence quickly. His ball-carrying abilities mean that he is a hugely valuable player going forward.

Timo Schultz appears to be deploying the young Frenchman as the lone striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation or wide on the left to cut in on his favoured right foot. Leading the line for FC Basel is a huge responsibility for such a young player, and Barry’s time at St Jakob-Park didn’t get off to the best start as he was sent off on his debut.

However, the 20-year-old is very talented and, if given time, will undoubtedly start to shine in the Swiss Super League.

Juan Carlos Gauto

The next player we will look at is 19-year-old Argentine Juan Carlos Gauto, who moved to Basel in the summer from Huracán. Gauto is a tricky winger who can play on either flank, perhaps the ideal candidate to carve out goalscoring opportunities for Thierno Barry.

Gauto is a very dynamic player who looks to get forward whenever possible. As we can see here, he is able to utilise his speed during transitions from defence to attack, which means he is a constant threat on the counter.

He remains calm in 1v1 situations, whether against an opposition defender or goalkeeper. In this situation, he just holds his shot for a split second, which forces the goalkeeper to go to ground, so Gauto lifts his shot over the ‘keeper.

He is incredibly confident on the ball and likes to showcase his ball-carrying skills by progressing the play up the pitch. During the 2023 season with Huracán, he averaged 6.1 dribbles per 90 and 3.19 progressive runs per 90. The data viz below indicates that he mostly played on the left at Huracán and would look to cut inside onto his right foot.

Gauto’s ball-carrying abilities and progressive style can draw multiple defenders towards him, which, in turn, creates openings in other areas of the field. This opens up passing lanes and allows his team to capitalise on the spaces left behind the defence, often leading to goal-scoring situations.

It is not just his ability to run with the ball that is impressive — he consistently looks to bring others into play. Gauto averaged 4.35 crosses per 90 at Huracán, which FC Basel will most likely look to utilise, especially with the height advantage of Thierno Barry playing up front.

Moreover, having highlighted how Gauto’s speed is incredibly effective in the attacking phase of play, it is also used defensively. Huracán adopted a high-pressing strategy with a PPDA of 7.7 during the 2023 season.

We can see from the data visualisation that they completed 733 counterpressing recoveries in all competitions, and 456 were in the attacking third.

This meant that Huracán were able to limit their opponent’s ability to transition from defence to attack and could create goalscoring opportunities as a result of them recovering possession in the opponent’s half.

In this instance, we can see how Gauto’s speed prevents the opposition from transitioning out of the defensive phase. He has the agility and physical prowess to press and close down the opposition effectively. Utilising his acceleration, he immediately presses the opponent and forces them into making hurried decisions or errors.

Additionally, he is willing to quickly track back and provide defensive support when his team loses possession. His ability to cover ground rapidly is essential for preventing fast counter-attacks by the opposition.

He also has a good level of footballing intelligence when defending 1v1 against an opponent, often preventing them from delivering dangerous crosses or moving deep into the defensive zone. This wide defensive presence helps maintain the team’s overall defensive shape and limits the opposition’s attacking options.

Gauto could very well prove to be something of a transfer coup for FC Basel. His attacking prowess will most likely be significant this season, but his defensive contributions will also be instrumental. His work ethic and commitment allow Basel to press high and play with a high intensity.

Finn van Breemen

The next player we are going to look at is 20-year-old central defender Finn van Breemen. The Dutchman moved to Basel from ADO Den Haag over the summer for a fee of €1m. A product of the Den Haag academy, Breemen enjoyed a breakout season during the 2022/23 campaign and the Swiss team was impressed enough to bring him to St. Jakob-Park.

Van Breemen is a left-footed centre-back who can also play as a left-back, plus he can play as a defensive midfielder if required. Standing at 193cm, he is very often taller than his opponent, which, of course, gives him an advantage in the aerial duels – of which he won over 70% last season.

Not only is van Breemen tall, but he is swift, too. This provides Basel with some handy defensive cover. In this scenario above, the ball has been played in behind the FC Basel defensive line.

Van Breeman utilises his speed to make an excellent recovery run to not only catch up with the attacker plus he has the composure and intelligence to get his body between the attacker and the ball, then calmly passes the ball out of play.

This is a prime example of how his pace can be valuable in one-on-one defensive duels. This ability to defend against fast opponents can also be pivotal in crucial defensive situations, such as last-ditch tackles or intercepting through balls.

The young centre-back’s speed can effectively neutralise opposition counter-attacks. When the team loses possession, van Breemen’s speed lets him quickly retreat and recover his defensive position. This ensures he can catch the opposing forwards, preventing them from exploiting the defensive line’s potential vulnerability.

Finn van Breemen is a very progressive player. He consistently looks to play forward and has a beautiful ability to remain calm under pressure. The data visual demonstrates where his progressive passes occurred last season on the pitch. We can see that he not only looked to play the ball out wide to the left, but he could also play into the central midfield areas.

To delve into the numbers, van Breemen averaged 46.78 passes per 90 with an accuracy rating of 85.64% last season. He played 19.92 forward passes per 90 with an accuracy rating of 74.78%.

Additionally, he averaged 7.88 long passes per 90, something which he has already put into effect at FC Basel. As we can see in the image below, van Breemen has the vision to play a looping pass that lands at his teammate’s feet.

The Dutchman is a very astute defender who often showcases his excellent reading of the game by ensuring he is in the right position to make vital interceptions or block shots. The data viz shows that during the 22/23 campaign, van Breemen blocked 17 shots in total, which were worth an xG of 1.08.

Moreover, van Breemen usually stays incredibly close to the player he has been tasked to mark. He will often follow that player like a shadow around the pitch. This makes it incredibly difficult for the opponent to create any sort of space to carve out a goal-scoring opportunity. We can see this in action with the image below.

However, one issue with van Breemen sticking so closely to his opponent is that he can be caught out of position. If the opposition player can turn and accelerate away, the 20-year-old is forced to rely on his speed to make a vital recovery run.

While van Breemen is still a young defender, he can get away with this, but he could improve on it as he gets more experience.

Van Breemen is rough around the edges, but FC Basel have invested in the future by signing him. He is already an excellent defender and will only get better with the more first-team experience he gets.

Renato Veiga

The next player we are going to look at is Portuguese midfielder Renato Veiga. A product of Sporting’s academy, Veiga is primarily a defensive or central midfielder; however, due to his 190 cm frame, he can also play as a centre-back. Plus, the youngster spent the second half of last season on loan at Bundesliga side Augsburg, where he mostly played as a left-back.

For the purposes of this scout report, we will analyse Veiga as a defensive midfielder since that is where Timo Schultz is utilising him for FC Basel. The 20-year-old possesses some wonderful vision. We can see in this example above that he can play a difficult pass to pick out his teammate who is making a run into the penalty area despite more accessible passing options available.

Due to his ability to play progressive passes, Veiga can act as a deep-lying playmaker. He has the potential to become an essential link between the defence and the attack, which could be very useful in transition.

Moreover, his passing ability adds variety to Basel’s attacking options. When opponents press high up the pitch, Veiga can look to exploit the spaces behind the opposing midfield and defensive lines by delivering long passes.

Furthermore, Veiga can be a valuable asset during set-piece situations. His height makes him an aerial threat at corners, both offensively and defensively. Plus, he enjoys taking a shot from outside the area.

The youngster has already scored an impressive free kick during his time at Basel, and the image above depicts a great example of his technique when striking the ball from a distance. He gets his body over the ball and strikes with power, making it difficult for the goalkeeper to save the shot.

Veiga possesses a good burst of acceleration, which allows him to press the opposition quickly when looking to regain possession. His speed and decision-making can lead the team’s efforts to win back possession in advanced positions.

By constantly hassling the opponents and forcing them into making hasty decisions, Veiga can create turnovers in areas where the opposition is vulnerable.

In the example shown, Veiga has a wonderful ability to read what is about to happen and when the opposition midfielder receives the ball, he initiates a press instantaneously.

This prevents the opponents from being able to build an attack and allows FC Basel to recover possession high up the pitch and launch a counterattack.

Veiga is a midfielder with strong defensive positioning, which serves as a vital anchor in his team’s defensive structure.

He has a remarkable ability to read the game, anticipate opponents’ movements, and position himself effectively between the opposing midfield and defence, creating a helpful barrier.

His presence often disrupts the opponent’s attacking flow, making it challenging for them to break through the central areas in the attacking phase.

We can see from the visual that Veiga is willing to track back in order to help the team out defensively. During his time at Sporting B last season, he averaged 3.68 interceptions per 90, 5.82 defensive duels per 90 and 0.78 sliding tackles per 90.

From the latter statistic, we can infer that he is not a player who goes to ground often, which means he is less likely to give away fouls. His physical stature means he can be quite an imposing player who is difficult to beat in the duels.

Finally, we can see here that Veiga is able to ensure he gets into the right positions to make vital interceptions. The 20-year-old shows they can track back during the defensive phase and cut out crosses, which halt opposition attacks before reaching dangerous areas.

His positioning allows him to cut off passing lanes and disrupt the opposition’s attempts to build attacking plays. This not only prevents goals but also facilitates smoother transitions from defence to attack.

Renato Veiga is probably the most promising signing by FC Basel. He has all the hallmarks of an excellent defensive midfielder, and they will most likely sell him for a fee much higher than the €4.6m that they paid for him. He is defensively very solid and displays a wonderful level of intelligence.

Additionally, Timo Schultz may look to move him a little higher up to utilise some of his undervalued play-making qualities.

Conclusion

FC Basel have been quietly building a squad of incredibly talented young players as they seek to reestablish domestic dominance and qualify for the Champions League again.

The club have made brave choices, opting to invest in youth, knowing it may be two or three seasons before they see the players playing at their full potential. Their recruitment has been superb, and each player signed by the club appears to have been selected for the unique attributes they bring and their ability to fit within the team.

In this scout report, we have looked at the players who are most likely to play a pivotal role for Timo Schultz as he looks to bring success back to Basel. This is only the German manager’s second managerial role, so it will be interesting to see how he harnesses the talent in the young squad he has at his disposal.

If Schultz can keep this group together, it is a real possibility that the team can grow and develop together, allowing them to create their own tactical style of play. There might not be an instant success with this group of players, but Basel have put together a squad brimming with potential, a squad that could easily go on to become one of the most talented outside the top five leagues in Europe. It’s early days, but this team is undoubtedly one to watch out for in the future.