From the 1960s to the 1980s, the role of the sweeper (or libero) was very popular in football.
One of the most interesting features of the role was that it allowed the defender, typically positioned behind the rest of the back line, to drive vertically into the midfield area with or without possession of the ball.
In recent years, the evolution of football tactics has seen a return to this pattern, with many coaches preferring to play their centre-back forward when in possession of the ball.
The centre-back will play higher than the others, usually on the same line as the midfielder (or sometimes even higher).
Names such as John Stones, Manuel Akanji, and Ricardo Calafiori have emerged from this trend by playing this role.
In Germany, one name is hardly ever mentioned, despite him having played exceptionally well in that role since 2022.
His name is Eric Smith, and he plays for St. Pauli.
It is interesting to analyse Eric Smith’s tactical role.
Thus, this tactical analysis and his scout report will explore his ability to play a hybrid role as a defender in the Bundesliga and his value to the St. Pauli system.
Eric Smith Style Of Play – A Centre-Back Who Plays As A ‘Number 6’ In-Possession
Since Fabian Hürzeler (now, of course, at Brighton & Hove Albion) replaced Timo Schultz at the end of 2022, St. Pauli have played a back-three formation—specifically 3-4-3.
In this system, Smith plays as a central centre-back.
Under Schultz, he played in various positions, from defensive midfielder to centre-back.
While other back-three coaches, such as Manuel Gasperini and Chris Wilder, often use their wide centre-backs to play upfield, leaving the centre-back in place, Hürzeler did the opposite when in charge of St. Pauli.
He prefers his wide centre-backs to stay back or even play tight when the ball is in play and let his central centre-back move forward.
Therefore, in the first phase of the build-up, he only uses two players as the first distributor (these are his two centre-backs, often played by Karol Mets on the left and Hauke Wahl on the right).
Meanwhile, Smith moves to the midfielder area, in the same line as Jackson Irvine (one of the central midfielders), as St. Pauli under Hürzeler often played in a 2-2 (box) shape for the first phase of their build-up.
When playing with a 2-2 shape (i.e., with a total of 4 players), Hürzeler wants to ensure that his first build-up phase isn’t numerically inferior to the opponent’s first press phase.
In the worst-case scenario, the opponents go man-to-man, creating a 4v4 situation.
Hürzeler usually responds by creating a 5v4 situation, in which his full-backs are inverted to stay level with Smith in the second line.
In all scenarios, Smith is always in the second line of the St. Pauli build-up.
If you ask why, the answer lies in his vision and ability.
Hürzeler relied on Smith’s passing ability.
The Swede is quick on the ball and has the pressing resistance to receive the ball and escape with the opposition close at hand.
Of all the St. Pauli starters in the 2. Bundesliga last season, Smith was one of the best players in the team at receiving the ball, one of the best at finishing long balls, and one of the best at passing into the opposition’s third.
Yes, he’s doing that by playing as a centre-back in that specific role.
He was integral to St. Pauli’s promotion campaign under Hürzeler and has continued that form in the Bundesliga under Alexander Blessin this season.
The coach also favours a back-three formation, so Smith continues to play as a central centre-back and is involved in the midfield area (second line) in the early stages of the build-up.
Eric Smith Long-Ball Ability
Under Blessin, St. Pauli usually have this kind of build-up.
When the centre-back receives the ball from the build-up and sees that Smith is man-marked by the opposition, he will usually pass the ball to the full-back, who will then pass the ball back to the centre, where Smith is.
From there, Smith can dictate the next phase of Pauli’s build-up, whether it’s a direct long ball to the front or short combinations.
Smith’s long-ball ability is a real advantage for St. Pauli.
Because he can play long balls vertically or diagonally, he can directly pass the ball to the attacking department when they are not outnumbered by their opponents (as the opponents’ rest attacks are still focused on St. Pauli’s build-up).
This season, even against many of the stronger teams in the Bundesliga, Smith still manages to complete more than 50% of his long balls.
In the whole league, no defender has sent long balls more than him this season and only Joshua Kimmich, the outfield players who do so.
Smith is also still number two in the squad as the player who sent the ball into the opposition’s third and is also in the top three in St. Pauli’s squad in terms of shot-creating action.
He is a valuable asset to St. Pauli when they are in possession.
With his passing ability and range, he is the dictator of St. Pauli‘s attack.
In another sense, Smith can also be the switcher of his team’s attacking or build-up direction.
In this game against Werder Bremen, when St. Pauli’s build-up on the left side was pressed, the centre-back (David Nemeth) sent the ball to Smith.
Smith switched the ball to the right side, which was more open, allowing St. Pauli to advance their attack through that area.
Smith also hasn‘t hesitated to carry the ball forward if he finds there‘s space to do so.
He understands that his team needs to be able to progress the ball forward, and he has many solutions for it.
He has averaged 25.3 carries per 90 minutes this season.
When St. Pauli moved the ball into the opponent‘s third, Smith often continued his run forward and positioned himself as another passing option.
Eric Smith’s heat map indicates that he can be positioned anywhere on the pitch.
His main coverage was more like a midfielder’s heat map than a defender’s.
Eric Smith Set-Pieces & Long Shots Executor
St. Pauli also relies on Smith’s ability to create chances from set pieces and long-range shots.
The 28-year-old has created 13 chances from corners and free kicks so far this season.
None of them has resulted in a goal, but he still contributes 26% of the team’s XG, so the chance should be worth taking.
Secondly, Smith has one goal to his name from shooting the ball from distance.
This came in the match against Borussia Dortmund.
At that moment, Smith reacted quickly to a loose ball outside the Dortmund penalty area and unleashed a rocket of a shot.
So far this season, he has made 10 shots from outside the area, with a total xG of 0.38.
In terms of value, it may not seem like a great decision to shoot in that area, but sometimes St. Pauli needs that speculative action to add more spark to their attack.
Eric Smith Defensive Numbers
It is also important to mention his defensive skills as a defender.
So far this season, Smith is the team’s best tackler against the opponent‘s dribble, with a success rate of 72.2%.
He is also in the top two for tackles and interceptions and in the top three for recoveries.
In terms of duels, he won over 67% of his ground duels and around 57% in the air.
In short, Smith’s quick thinking on the ball translates very well off it.
He is skilled at reading an opponent’s movement or attack, as he is always prepared to win the ball back for his team.
However, he is not a perfect defender.
The former KAA Gent player lacks the pace to catch up to the quicker opponent and cover more ground.
Sometimes, when the opposition finds space behind the St. Pauli defensive line, it’s evident that Smith’s pace wouldn’t allow him to catch them.
Lately, Alexander Blessin, as a coach, has been trying to minimise this exploitation by making St. Pauli play deeper out of possession to close down the space behind them.
To minimise the running battle, Blessin often instructs his centre-backs to play on the front foot, following the opposition attackers when they drop deep and closing down or making a defensive move when the attacker is still facing his own goal.
Conclusion
As this Eric Smith analysis has shown, he has a very interesting profile.
He is an intelligent defender who can also play as a holding midfielder or a deep-lying playmaker, responsible for dictating his team’s attack and helping them create chances.
His skills are valuable in possession in Alexander Blessin’s system, and he has already proved himself in a more intense system such as Fabian Hürzeler’s.
Smith is also a quick thinker at the back, but his pace can be a vulnerable part of his game.
However, the manager’s system could help to ensure that the opposition does not exploit his weakness, as is the case with Blessin.
He is also 28 years old, which makes him less hot on the market.
He still has a contract with St. Pauli and is one of their longest-serving players.
However, he could leave if St. Pauli fail to secure their place in the Bundesliga for the next season.
In recent transfer windows, VfB Stuttgart have been linked with a move for him.
Smith’s name may be heard more often internationally, as he was recently called up to the Swedish national team.
Although his debut was cancelled due to injury, his performances for St. Pauli suggest that he may play in the next World Cup if Sweden qualifies.
