“An absolute powerhouse”: Why “understated” PSG midfielder Sara Däbritz could be on the move this summer – scout report

As with most of the leagues around Europe, the 2021/2022 Division 1 Féminine season is rapidly drawing to a close, with newly-crowned European champions Lyon Féminin sealing a 15^th domestic league title last week and regaining what fierce rivals PSG Féminine took off them last year. However, the end of a season means the beginning of transfer rumours and there is plenty of discussion around the future of PSG’s Germany midfielder Sara Däbritz at the moment, with reports linking her with a switch to Lyon or a return to her former club Bayern Munich Frauen this summer.

Given that she registered 11 goals and 17 assists for them in all competitions this season, PSG will be keen to keep hold of her, and this tactical analysis will look at how she fits into their tactics and what her next team would be getting if she moved on. Generally, she has operated on the left of a midfield three in PSG’s favoured 4-3-3 formation, which they have used 75% of the time, allowing her to contribute with equal effectiveness to defensive and offensive situations, and this scout report will look at how she disrupts opposing play, helps to build phases and contributes in the final third.

Defensive work

Sara Däbritz has been described in reports over the years as a powerhouse, due to the fact that she participates in almost every in-game situation, and this analysis will begin by looking at her defensive work.

As mentioned, one of the most noticeable aspects of her defensive play is that she gets between opponents and prevents them from creating chances, with the combination play between Fleury 91 Féminine’s Cameroon international Jeannette Yango and French defender Sara Kassi being disrupted here. When she has the ball, she always looks to move it as far away from her goal as possible, but in a composed manner, working to ensure that the ball doesn’t come straight back into PSG Féminine’s third and the attack restarts.

It is worth noting that Däbritz making interceptions like this is not rare, with her registering 73 in total this season, at an average of 2.93 per game. Therefore, opposing attackers have to be careful when she is around as any loose passes or moments of hesitancy will be punished.