Match Report: Brajan Gruda vs Slovenia U21s

Germany opened their Euro U21 campaign with a 3-0 win over Slovenia. Brighton man Brajan Gruda played 63 minutes before being substituted for Frankfurt attacker Ansgar Knauff.

Match Notes In Possession (on the ball):

Brajan Gruda put in a solid performance for Germany.

He operated on his usual right-hand side as Germany set up in a flexible 4-4-2, regularly switching into a 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-4. The pitch overall was quite poor and dry, with both sides struggling to maintain settled possession in the opening proceedings of the game as the ball bobbled along the ground regularly, making control difficult.

With that being said, it wasn’t a big problem for Gruda as his first touch was good in the conditions, and he rarely lost the ball because of it.

Beyond the first touch, he dribbled the ball well, taking on Slovenia defenders with ease to the point where they had to send additional help to limit his influence in the game. His footwork and feints did not allow his defender to settle into a good position to defend him, allowing him to be unpredictable. He received the ball in an open body position facing the opposition’s goal to have a clearer picture of seeing the passing lanes, defenders’ stance, and where the space was to attack.

Gruda did this very well; however, his decision-making at the end of dribbles could have been better; it would have been good to see him being more aggressive by shooting more often instead of holding on to the ball for too long.

Furthermore, it’s worth noting that Gruda managed to pick up fouls through shielding the ball well and exploiting the game state (Slovenia were getting frustrated, which he took advantage of by getting Tjaš Begić booked in the 34th minute for an unnecessary foul).

He also linked up well with Nick Woltemade in a few ‘give and go’ situations when the striker dropped into the right pocket to aid build-up and progression.

Gruda took corners on both sides of the pitch and stood over free kicks too. He had mixed success with the corners, some good deliveries, some not-so-good deliveries.

Match Notes Out of Possession (off the ball):

Away from the ball, Gruda was excellent.

Disciplined in holding shape when necessary, and pressing opponents well when the opportunity arose. When Germany had possession, Gruda stayed wide, as a touchline winger on the right side of the pitch, where he was used as a means of chance creation on occasion; however, his right back was more defensively minded. He offered limited support in an offensive capacity, which reflected in Germany’s build-up as they favoured the left.

When Germany didn’t have possession, he would tuck in to be more compact and narrow when Slovenia had the ball in their own third. When they attacked, especially down his side, he would form part of the backline at times, but more often he would offer defensive support for his right-back. Quite similar to his role at Brighton when out of possession.