Eintracht Frankfurt have been somewhat raided this transfer window, with two of their formidable front three of Jović, Haller, and Ante Rebić reduced to only Rebić now being at the club. Rebić is well known throughout Europe, in no small part thanks to his fantastic performances at the World Cup last Summer. So why has Rebić not been snapped up by anyone else this transfer window, despite numerous links away from the club? While Rebić is no doubt a quality player, there is one burning inconsistency in his game that lets him down regularly and is the reason, I would suspect, that top clubs have not also taken Rebić from Frankfurt just yet, although there is still time. In this tactical analysis, Ill look at his strengths, how he fits into Frankfurts tactics and also address that weakness in his game which, if he was able to improve, would take him to the next level.
1v1 Dribbling
Rebićs biggest strength comes in his dribbling and 1v1 ability. His 1v1 ability is benefited by his excellent physical attributes, in that he is quick and strong and can use his body to protect the ball and advance past opponents with it. As a result of these attributes, Rebić works best when given space to drive into and beat opponents in. We can see a few examples of this below.
After he drives into space down the line, Rebić has a one-on-one with the Hoffenheim defender. Rebić slows down and keeps the ball close to him, but not too close that the defender doesnt commit. Therefore, when the defender goes to commit, as we can see below with the defender making an inwards movement, Rebić uses a quick turn of pace and knocks the ball away from his opponent into the space highlighted. This change of pace is something he uses regularly, as it slows the defender down and allows Rebić to use his excellent acceleration to get past the defender.
Once past, Rebić is excellent at using his strong upper body to protect the ball and make it difficult for the defender to make a challenge without making contact with him. We can see this below, with Rebić getting past the opponent and blocking the path between the defender and the goal. On occasions where there arent many options in the box, Rebić may choose to slow down in front of the defender, forcing the defender to collide with him and win a foul. On this occasion, he spots options in the box and delivers a cross.
Aggression off the ball and role in the press
Last season, Rebićs role in Frankfurt involved him playing mostly as a ten, supporting Haller and Jović from behind. Therefore, his role in the press revolved mostly around either pressing as part of a front three or pressing the oppositions pivot.
A perfect example of Rebićs aggression off the ball as part of the press is seen below, with that front three forming a triangle, with the two strikers pressing the centre-backs and Rebić pressing the midfield player dropping between in a pressing trap. Rebić allows the player to receive the ball with his back to Frankfurt, and as soon as the ball is played he aggressively presses the player and uses his strength to recover the ball.
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