Monday night live game at 8.15 CET. After his game winner last week, Thomas is now expected to make the starting lineup. Kicker excerpt: “The team that won the first road game last week will probably be changed on two positions: Schuchardt misses and will be replaced by match winner Thomas, who is an ideal fit to this game as counter attacking forward.” With a win Braunschweig would close the gap to rank 14 to 4 points and still one game less. The only way to leave the last rank today would be winning with three goals (or more), then they’d overtake St Pauli. Freiburg of course is the big favourite though – they kept their whole Bundesliga roster of the last season and basically were the giant no.1 favourite to promote again. With a win they’d climb to promotion spot 3.
Pre-game interview with Braunschweig GM Wolfgang Loos on the question about extending contracts with the current team: „The only one I was talking with was Jacob Thomas when extending his contract until 2005. This was an important move as I think this guy can play Bundesliga level. I hope he’ll show this tonight.” Relatively new pic of Thomas (he's having a larger chin-beard meanwhile): http://www.eintracht.com/image/2003/10458623313059.jpg Thomas starts as left mid and the game will also start in a few seconds.
Announcer: "Thomas is a very important player in the tactical scheme of Braunschweig today. With his speed he is expected to care for carrying the ball to the offence in counter attacks."
Olafgb- How big is Thomas? It sounds like he hasn't found his real position yet? Sounds like he is incredibly athletic, with good skills, but mental game needs maturing? Don't guys like this wind up as outside back in defense? I guess I'm confused why a previous forward would lineup in outside mid..
1' Thomas with a counter attack rushing over the left wing to the middle, but his pass from ten meter is defend to a corner kick. Thomas is 5'9" I think, weight about 82 kg. Main thing that stops him are his injuries. He plays a physical game and is very useful for counter attacks, i.e. for a small team against a top team or if you lead and concentrate on the defence. Announcer just said that he is running the 100m in less than 11 seconds.
1-0 13' Bajramovic Deserved lead, Freiburg is obviously better (everything else could not be expected). Braunschweig already had to do the first substitution. Thomas is usually on the left wing, but occasionally changes to the forward position.
Much luck for Braunschweig: free kick deflected into the net, but a player was in a passive offside position what the assistant thought to be active.
HT 1-0 Thomas achieved to get one further corner kick and had one great tackle in the defence. Directly before HT he had a cross to the box, from which a critical scene developed (pk or not? Replay could not clear the situation). He could have had the chance to score in a counter attack when going the direct way, but he wanted to get a better shooting position by moving around a defender, but he failed. In general Braunschweig got better into the game the longer it lasted as Freiburg's number of mistakes is growing minute by minute. At the end, the equaliser seemed to be possible, but lots will depend on how Freiburg is coming out of the locker room.
2:0 Willi 46' Horrible start after the break, the defence seemed to still have been in the locker room with their minds. Looked a bit like offside to me, but they don't offer a good replay. Before the break it indeed had to be a pk for Braunschweig, but in total this just compensates the Freiburg goal they wrongly annulled.
FT 2-0 Braunschweig almost drowned in the first 35 minutes of the second half, Thomas with them. At the end they had some chances, but the score is okay.
olaf, many of us have never seen thomas play. it is therefore very intriguing for us to hear a coach say that he thinks he can play bundesliga level. we understand that he's fast and physical. what about his ball control skills, and his tactical skills?
I'd express it that way: if he was able to control the ball still at the end of his sprints, then he'd be a very good player. Right now he is not really without ball control - he overtakes defenders also with ball at his feet - but I always have the impression that at the end of a really long sprint he loses the concentration or power to finish the scene with a good cross or shot. I'm not sure about the tactical skills - his main strength definitely is the powerful and physical play - but I haven't seen him close enough to really evaluate his tactical abilities. Alex_K should be able to give you a better insight.
is this correct? 21 Karlsruher SC 21 Union Berlin 20 Waldhof Mannheim 17 FC St. Pauli 14 Eintracht Braunschweig
I should know this, but how old is Thomas? And, did he ever play college ball or did he go to Europe as a teenager?