Winger Ansgar Knauff scored the second most goals for Eintracht last season. However, he still didn’t have a permanent place in the team. Will that change in the new season?
Still has room for improvement: Ansgar Knauff, who is listening attentively to Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmöller. IMAGO/Kessler-Sportfotografie
When he has space and starts sprinting, Ansgar Knauff is almost unstoppable. With a top speed of 36.38 km/h, he was the third fastest player in the league last season. On average, he sprints 35.1 times per 90 minutes – only six professionals are better. Also impressive: he only needed 37 shots to score his seven Bundesliga goals, an average of 5.3 per goal. By comparison, Frankfurt’s best scorer Omar Marmoush (twelve goals) needed 6.6 shots per goal.
Despite efficiency, not an undisputed regular player
Knauff’s efficiency is also astonishing because he was not particularly dangerous as a winger before. In the first year and a half after moving from Borussia Dortmund to Eintracht in January 2022, he only scored two goals in the league. His goals against Barcelona and West Ham United on the way to winning the Europa League in 2022 were particularly memorable.
However, he is not an undisputed regular player. Under coach Dino Toppmöller, he was in the starting eleven in 27 of the 47 competitive matches, and came on as a substitute 13 times. He was mostly used in the left or right offensive half-space, and occasionally he also acted as a wing player when Frankfurt played in a 3-4-3. However, like Eric Junior, Dina Ebimbe and Mario Götze, Knauff was pushed around too much on the field, which affected his automatisms. It is therefore difficult to judge what role the former U-21 international will play in the coming season. Especially since the offense is being given fresh blood by striker Igor Matanovic and exceptional technician Can Uzun.
Knauff needs to be calmer on the ball
One thing is clear: Knauff needs to work on becoming calmer on the ball and minimising the number of simple ball losses. Only 64.7 percent of his passes reached a teammate. Across the league, only three professionals who were on the pitch for at least half of their possible playing time performed worse. Knauff ruined many a promising attack with poor ball control and bad passes. In addition, he is not able to use his speed so well against opponents who defend deep and compactly. That is probably one reason why he did not play more often. The three penalties he caused are also a disadvantage. It is therefore not surprising that his kicker rating average of 3.88 is rather mediocre.
It remains hypothetical to what extent Knauff would have performed better without the frequent position changes. A few automatisms would probably have worked better. But it can also be seen as good news that there is still room for improvement – at 22, Knauff is still one of the young players with potential for development. His recent haul of ten points in the league, including three assists, and a goal in the DFB Cup, is already impressive.
2024-06-30 09:26:11
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