Each of the 16 teams in the Euro 2022 finals has now played at least one match, with the second round of group stage matches well and truly underway. As a result, fans of each nation have had the chance to watch their players and assess whether their team can make it through to the knockout stages. Austria are one of the eight teams who have played twice, and their hopes of progressing are still alive after a win against Northern Ireland on Monday and Norway’s heavy defeat to England, and this tactical analysis will pick out one of their players, Barbara Dunst, who has proven to be irreplaceable for Irene Fuhrmann’s side so far.
The 24-year-old Eintracht Frankfurt player has been used primarily as a winger during the tournament, but what has been increasingly clear is that she is at her best when allowed to move around the pitch and affect the game in different ways. With this in mind, this scout report will look in detail at her passing, movement and positioning, providing an analysis of why each has been critical to Austria’s tactics and style of play, and why she could hold the key to defeating Norway on Friday night.
Positioning
Beginning with her positioning, the basic point to make is that Barbara Dunst likes to drift around the pitch and not remain in one fixed position, which has made her an important player for Austria both in offensive and defensive situations.
Against England and Northern Ireland, Dunst tended to stay close to the wings when her team was attacking, giving them natural width and allowing her extra time and space to control the ball when it came her way, and this was helped by both of their opponents so far defending with a narrow line. However, the other thing that came from her wide position is that she allowed the team to play long diagonal passes too, switching play quickly and exploiting the gaps left available to them, whilst she also had the ability to put pressure on the defenders and force mistakes.
Against Northern Ireland, that last point was particularly prominent, because Kenny Shiels’ side liked to pass out from the back and build their play, which invited high presses from both Norway and Austria. As a result, once goalkeeper Jacqueline Burns hesitated here and played a short pass towards Dunst, the Frankfurt player had the perfect angle to either cross the ball into the goal area or have a shot at goal herself, and she opts for the latter on this occasion.
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