Fortuna Düsseldorf bought Benito Raman one year ago for £1.35 million from Standard Liège after he was already with them on loan during the 2017/18 season. After his two years at Düsseldorf, he now moved this summer to Schalke for a reported fee of £11.70 million.
Considering this, Düsseldorf received from Schalke more than eight times the money which they paid for him just 12 months ago. Furthermore, his market value also increased extremely within the last season. At the beginning of the 2018/19 season, his market value was £2.25 million and now its £10.80 million.
This tactical analysis in the form of a scout report will examine his abilities and show why he became such a valuable player.
Positioning and runs
Düsseldorf usually used a 4-4-2 or a 4-1-4-1 during last season. Raman mostly played as the left or right-winger. The wingers were responsible to provide width when the team was in possession and support the full-backs when the opposition attacked.
As soon as Friedhelm Funkel’s team got on the ball, Raman tried to create a triangle with his full-back and the central midfielder on the according side. This triangle was important for the ball circulation and Raman’s wide positioning created some space in the centre for the central midfielder.
As this analysis will show later, the Belgian has got an incredible acceleration and pace. He used these factors to dribble past defenders in one-on-one situations or to receive passes behind the last line of the opposition’s defence. However, especially the deep runs were really hard to defend for the opposing defenders. In addition, in some moments, his teammate upfront dropped deeper and lured a defender out of his position. This movement created space in which Raman sprinted into to receive the ball.
Besides, the Belgian understands how to avoid being offside when the pass is played. He often used horizontal runs like in the image below and changed his direction just before his teammate played the through ball.
