Nice little article I read here:
http://theinsideleft.com/riether-dejagah-fulham/
Lovely Riether Has Got The Moves Like Dejagah
WORDS: DOMINIC BLISS
The narrative of Fulham’s season has largely been defined by the sultry performances of Dimitar Berbatov, but while the stylish forward has been making the headlines two other former Bundesliga stars have been quietly impressing the Craven Cottage crowd with their neat combination play…
Sascha Riether and Ashkan Dejagah have an understanding that dates back to their days as Bundesliga champions with Wolfsburg
The white circle surrounded Sascha Riether and the rest of the pitch darkened slightly. He had been chosen and the viewers were about to find out why.
However, it was not the voice of the Mysterons, or some almighty deity, that spoke next – it was the melancholy Lancashire whinnying of Mark Lawrenson. He had deemed Riether’s lung-busting run to set up Dimitar Berbatov for the decisive goal in Fulham’s win at White Hart Lane worthy of a white circle and a dotted line.
It was March and, you feel, quite possibly the first time many of the viewing public had paid any kind of attention to the German international full-back, who has been making such runs with regularity during his season-long loan at Craven Cottage, including the run and cross that led to Berbatov’s stunning volley against Stoke a few weeks earlier.
Later in the same move we were treated to the briefest of mentions for the link-up play and quick feet provided by Ashkan Dejagah, another Bundesliga export who has been key to the club’s transition play alongside the hustle and bustle of Damien Duff and the languid creativity of Bryan Ruiz.
Lawro and the Match of the Day 2 producers deserve some credit for managing to point out that Fulham’s team is not made up of Berbatov alone, which had been the sole narrative of previous analysis of the Cottagers this season. Yet, it seems remarkable that it has taken us until March to notice that Martin Jol’s side have been bolstered by two men with Bundesliga winners’ medals to their names and international caps to boot.
Riether and Dejagah arrived at Fulham without the hint of a fanfare and, even when the former immediately took to his role at right-back with the reliable defensive nous you can often count on from a twice-capped German international, the plaudits were still not forthcoming. Dejagah, as you might expect from a more expressive, creative force, took time to adapt to the Premier League, but the 26-year-old has recently begun to display the technical ability that made him a mainstay for Germany at every youth level from Under-17s to Under-21s before he decided to turn out for Iran, the country of his birth, at senior level.
So should we be surprised by their performances in west London, or should the real shock be that so many of us knew absolutely nothing about these men before they were given the white-circle treatment on Match of the Day?
Liam Lee is one of that rarest of breeds – a Wolfsburg supporter in England – but, as he explains, both Riether and Dejagah played a part in the German club’s 2008/09 title triumph. Lest we forget, this is a league many of us are looking at with covetous eyes right now.
“Riether was part of a team that recorded 10 straight league victories, which at the time was an exceptional achievement,” Lee informed us. “He made his mark that season by scoring the winning goal against Borussia Moenchengladbach and was a regular in the Wolfsburg starting XI at right-back. He was a favourite under Felix Magath and featured a lot. Considering he arrived for €500,000 from Freiburg, it was an excellent signing and he was one of the many key players to feature for Wolfsburg that season.
“Dejagah is a player who entertained me in his Wolfsburg days and still does now he is at Fulham,” he continued. “The majority of his time at Wolfsburg, he had more time on the ball to showboat or take on the full-backs and has had to adapt his game since achieving his dream of playing in the Premier League, and is gradually looking like a half-tidy player.
“Magath wanted to keep Dejagah, but he had his heart set on a transfer to the Premier League. Since their departures, their replacements have never lived up to their standards.”
Fulham supporters seem equally taken with their former Bundesliga boys and, if anything, they are glad too much attention has not been heaped on them. After all, the Whites are yet to secure a permanent deal for Riether, who is on loan from his parent club, Koln, following their relegation from the German top flight last season.
“I’m sure a few other Premier League clubs have noticed Riether this season, so if less media attention stops the price from going up, it could help us to sign him permanently,” said Tony Bliss, a season-ticket holder at the Cottage.
“With his rounded shoulders, he has that slightly hollow-chested look that reminds me of Steve Finnan and he isn’t dissimilar to Finnan as a player either. I am yet to see a winger outpace him and he times his tackles perfectly – he has a knack of getting his toe on the ball just as the attacking player is about to strike or cross it and that comes from having very good anticipation.
“As for Dejagah, while I would point out he is very right footed and, for someone so stockily built, a little bit timid in 50-50 situations, he has improved as his confidence has increased and he has excellent technical ability. His close control helps him a lot in tight situations and he has good feet, so he can sidestep players at close quarters and get free of them.
“It’s noticeable that the pair have played together in the past because Dejagah has a good understanding with Riether down the right side. He often takes the ball forward at speed, then slows right down, leaving people wondering what he is doing, but he is actually waiting for the overlap from Riether. In fact, he did both those things for the goal against Spurs – showed good feet in a tight area and then spotted the overlap from Riether.
“Still, after all their work, Berbatov got a lot of the plaudits and the attention – not that we’d ever complain about having Berbatov because he is a fantastic player. I just sometimes feel that the rest of the team is overlooked. Other players, like Steve Sidwell and Mark Schwarzer deserve more credit for their crucial roles this season and Ruiz is a top quality player in his own right.”
As long as Riether and Dejagah are combining well down the right flank, it is fair to say Fulham supporters will be happy enough, but perhaps it would be nice if the pundits’ white circle drifted a little more often to the unsung heroes who make their teams tick.
Dominic Bliss is editor of TheInsideLeft and, despite his fondness for the club, he is not a Fulham supporter. You can follow him on Twitter @Dominic_Bliss
You can be the first to receive updates from TheInsideLeft by following us on Twitter @theinsidelefty or by liking our page at facebook.com/theinsideleft