There was a noticeable improvement in Freiburg’s style of play and performance over the 2021/22 season, which immediately increased the expectations placed upon them. The team showed consistency and immediately turned into contenders for European football spots, getting close to UEFA Champions League football.
Losing their last two Bundesliga games meant that they could only secure a Europa League group stage spot after finishing sixth in the league, but this couldn’t put a shadow over their progress and ambitions.
Christian Streich’s side started the new season with a convincing 4-0 win over Augsburg but struggled in the second round against Borussia Dortmund. Despite the insecure start to the campaign, the team has shown a glimpse of their potential, making people wonder if they can repeat their achievements from last season.
The team were very particular with their summer transfer moves and secured a few players to improve the squad depth in certain positions and remain competitive enough in all competitions. While the new arrivals are expected to support the team in certain areas, Freiburg did part ways with one of their regular starters in defence. The absence of Nico Schlotterbeck in central defence could be troublesome for the team in the long run.
At the time of writing, Streich’s side have achieved two clean sheets in three games, but their defensive actions haven’t been convincing enough as they conceded quite a high number of shots that could’ve cost them a lot.
In this tactical analysis in the form of scout report, we examine Freiburg’s progress and try to determine whether or not Streich’s tactics can lead them to another impressive Bundesliga season.
How can their new arrivals affect their performance?
The team made sure to bring a few young players with the potential to develop at Freiburg and help them in their efforts to stay consistent in the top tier. With five new additions in different positions, the team will continue the tendency of introducing young players into the starting XI.
They insisted on signing the right winger Ritsu Doan after his successful season with PSV, during which he scored 11 goals and assisted three more. He was brought to Stade Europa-Park as a solution for Kevin Schade’s absence, whose return date from injury is still unknown.
Doan can be a solid replacement, though, thanks to his qualities on and off the ball. The player is a distinguished dribbler who can hold on to the ball successfully and, despite his wide position, likes to cut inside and provide a direct threat.
Last season, he averaged 2.26 shots per 90, mostly thanks to his smart positioning in the half-spaces. He can occasionally support Freiburg with crossing as well, although his efficiency is not satisfying enough, and he is more beneficial for setting his teammates up in and around the box.
Despite his advanced position, Doan can help the team off the ball as well, thanks to his frequent ball recovery efforts and his well-measured interventions.
The attacking midfielder Daniel-Kofi Kyereh is another new addition who is set to help Freiburg in attack. The 26-year-old was part of St. Pauli’s team last term, contributing with 13 goals and 11 assists in all competitions. His movement dispositions opposing defenders thanks to his close control, which allows him to advance the ball and threaten the goal. Apart from shooting on his own, he likes to do layoffs as well and complement the movement of his teammates.
Kyereh’s defensive contribution could also be very valuable for the team and fit their pressing strategy well. His ball recovery often allows the team to keep the ball in the advanced positions and quickly attack again.
Freiburg also signed Merlin Röhl, a 20-year-old central midfielder from Ingolstadt who despite his young age, started regularly for the team in 2. Bundesliga. It is unlikely that the manager will rely on him from the start of the season, as Nicolas Höfler and Maximilian Eggestein have built a solid partnership in midfield, which is important for the team’s success both in and out of possession.
The centre-back, Matthias Ginter, has joined from Borussia Mönchengladbach as well. The experienced player was immediately relied upon by Streich in the RCB position. He has shown consistency in his displays in pre-season and the Bundesliga so far. Ginter’s defensive qualities can make him a key figure in this Freiburg team.
With averaging a 70.6% success rate in his defensive duels and having an irreplaceable aerial presence, he manages to recover the ball frequently and helps the team keep the opposition away from the goal. Ginter is also valuable due to his contribution in possession. He is comfortable with the ball and is expected to help the team in retaining possession and building up from the back.
A centre-forward was also brought in: Michael Gregoritsch comes from Augsburg with a free transfer after scoring nine goals last term. He comes as an additional option in attack after their regular starter in central attack Lucas Höler got injured and is expected to miss a fair part of the season. The Austrian seems to have already settled in, scoring in his debut against his former club and BVB as well.
The attacker likes to threaten the goal both from a distance and close range, although he is most efficient thanks to his positioning in the box. He also often relies on flick-ons in his efforts to advance the ball.
Their actions in possession
Last season, the manager would set the team up in a back three formation, whilst now, he might rely more on variations with four-man defensive lines such as 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2.
No matter how the scheme changes, the team is expected to continue building up from the back, with the wide defenders moving into more advanced positions and joining the defensive midfield line. The changes in the set-up mostly affect their defensive performance relating to the opposition’s style of play, rather than their actions in possession.
With the defenders trying to create overloads in midfield, the defensive midfielder, most frequently Höfler, would often try to invite pressure towards the central defence in an effort to open the passing lanes and allow his teammates to progress the ball.
The team would often utilise the wide areas and create passing combinations there with an aim to advance the ball. Christian Günter’s movement in the left-back position is key for the team in possession. His passing helps the team in releasing pressure, and once he reaches the final third, his frequent crossing attempts with high accuracy support the team in attack as well. His tendency to cut inside and provide a direct threat is key for the team’s attacking efficiency.
The team, though, struggled against Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart who pressed them intensely, which resulted in a much more narrow structure, lower pass frequency and respectively lower pass completion rate. The team have had some difficulties under pressure since the start of the season and had to look at different ways to expose the opposition. That’s why you’d see them use the central channels more frequently and rely on long balls to bypass the press and deliver the ball to the advanced areas.
They’d adjust their pressing strategy based on the opposition, but a slight drop in their PPDA rate has occurred, and they looked more prone to stay deeper in their own half. That would also affect their build-up as they would keep the ball at the back and involve the goalkeeper in the ball retention.
Despite the pressure, the team show an excellent ability to identify gaps and choose the right moment to attack. That’s when they push harder and try to move forward as a unit and overload the opposition half. Their smart movement and cohesion allow them to create a high number of chances despite the lower portion of possession that they have.
In the final third, they don’t only rely on the attacking players for threatening the goal. Instead, they use a lot of movement and commit as many players as possible so they can disposition defenders and open spaces.
That’s why you would see many different players on the scoreboard throughout the season. They rely on quick offensive transitions and often rely on crossing attempts to deliver the ball to the box where they can dominate aerially or have a numerical advantage. Their positioning and off-the-ball movement are what make them clinical in attack.
The team would also use counter-attacking actions as an additional threat. They have multiple pacey players who move off the ball while their teammates advance the ball through short passing.
Defensive traits
Freiburg have achieved a huge improvement defensively last season, although they are more hesitant in their defensive activities compared to their attack.
They often rely on high pressing as the first defensive mechanism. They try to keep their shape in a way to force the opposition to particular areas, where they can control the actions. They often prefer to stay compact so they can push their opponents out wide and rely on the density centrally to keep them away from the goal. They occasionally drop a fifth player to the defence, with Höfler being very active in his ball recovery efforts and being crucial support to the defensive line.
The team also gain an advantage thanks to their aerial presence. With a few players that contribute in the air, Streich’s side often have the opportunity to gain back possession in crucial areas. The players are also very confident in their direct interventions, which results in well-measured actions and a high success rate in their defensive duels (60%).
However, they have been a bit more hesitant since the beginning of the season and have allowed more shots against them than usual. That’s likely a result of the fact that they lose possession more frequently due to the increased pressure.
The team experience struggles with the wing-backs’/full-backs’ defensive positioning as their advanced movement makes it difficult for their teammates to cover depth and close out spaces without leaving gaps elsewhere.
Set piece proficiency
Last season, apart from the overall improvement, Freiburg impressed with one particular part of their game. They have been the most efficient team in the Bundesliga in terms of attacking set-pieces and managed to convert 19 of their chances into goals. Only Bayern Munich were anywhere near their record.
Their success has been a combination of strong positioning, aerial dominance and, of course, the passing abilities of the set piece takers. Günter and Grifo are the ones responsible for the delivery, while the rest of the team relies on runs off the ball in the box and attempts to ping a header into the net. They also often take advantage of rebounds which increases their efficiency.
As our detailed set-piece analysis of Freiburg from April suggests, they have multiple set-piece strategies, and all of them are equally effective as their placement aims to not give the goalkeeper a chance to react.
Conclusion
As our analysis showed, Streich has built a flexible team that are difficult to defend against without neglecting their defensive responsibilities. While it is expected that they will experience struggles against high-intensity teams that will pressurise them into their own half, the team will likely achieve a better record in the games that they manage to set the tempo, though.
The Bundesliga competition this season will be fierce and consistency and concentration will be required for Freiburg to be able to repeat last season’s performance or even improve it.
The quick adjustment of the new additions will also be definitive in their fight for European football but if they manage to fit, they can certainly help the team in achieving that goal.
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