Mics on the touchline and counter attacks: Freiburg 3-1 Derby
Friendly, what friendly?
After a quick glance at the surroundings, it was easy to see why Bundesliga outfit SC Freiburg have adopted the Austrian town of Imst as their pre-season base for two decades. But neither they, nor Derby were there to relax. Among the idyllic coniferous trees and mountains, there was more than a fitting amount of needle.
As Julian Schuster’s side took to the pitch for the first time since their Europa League final defeat in May, you wondered if Craig Forsyth had any words of advice regarding bouncing back from a big final defeat to Aston Villa. But it’s fair to say John Eustace soon had a few for his once teammate on his own game.
Much like last week in Alfreton, there was a unique novelty to this fixture. Not because of the four 30-minute quarters format – my thoughts on that can be filed with hydration breaks – but because of the ability to pick up every word from the touchline.
As Shaun Barker noted on Rams TV, praise was lavished on The Rams by Eustace and co. from the off. They started on the front foot, with the benefits of being a game ahead in pre-season showing as they pressed high and looked dangerous on the counter. There was an early corner for Joe Ward before Oscar Fraulo fired straight at Mio Backhaus from range.
But young Burkina Faso international winger Cyriaque Irié soon broke the deadlock against the run of play, easing past Forsyth and Ryan Hedges before finding the top-left corner.
Just five minutes later, Derby were level as Carlton Morris opened his 2026-27 account, hitting a powerful shot high into the goal. He was slipped through by Fraulo who had again won the ball back on the edge of the Freiburg box.
After a frantic opening 14 minutes, the goalmouth action died down but the first half remained an engaging battle. There were bookings for Lewis Travis and Bobby Clark, who was at one point told to “leave it” by coaching staff after not being awarded a foul. The competitive nature of elite athletes is ever-present.
Derby’s best chance to grab a second came in the second quarter (yuck), when Ryan Hedges blazed Joe Ward’s low ball across the box wide, while Derry Scherhant fired three efforts straight at Josh Vickers in the ten minutes to half-time (that’s better).
After the break, Derby’s youngsters, including first-year scholars such as Remi Harvey, more than held their own. While at no point did Schuster field anything close to a full-strength XI, there were still Bundesliga stalwarts such as Vincenzo Grifo, Florian Müller, Christian Günter and 2014 World Cup winner Matthias Ginter.
The difference in the end, came late on. Grifo beat young Sam Kane from the spot after Rio Canoville fouled Maximilian Eggestein. And Kane was lobbed well off his line in stoppage time too, Leon Catak on the scoresheet after Liam Thompson lost the ball in midfield.
An unfortunate end to the week in Austria for The Rams, which didn’t reflect the flow of the game. Here are my four key takeaways.
Transitions
Some of the transitions in this game were really dangerous. The swiftness with which they turned defence to attack was noticeable in two ways, First, winning the ball back on the edge of the opposition box for their goal and a couple of other chances. With Travis sitting as an anchor, Fraulo was allowed to push up and join Clark in the attacking midfield line, pressing with him, Morris or the relevant winger tucking in to crowd the player in possession out. It is then the midfielder’s ability to pick a pass, and the striker’s positioning that are key – Morris’ goal is a perfect example. This could really suit Filip Bilbija.
The second was the more traditional counter attack, breaking forward at pace from a set piece or low block. Pace is obviously a big factor here, but even more so ball-carrying ability. This is where Clark’s technique is vital. In the opening stages, he dragged Derby up the pitch twice, leading to that early corner and Fraulo long-shot.
Wingers with either (or ideally a mix of both of) Clark’s dribbling ability and the pace and power of someone like Patrick Agyemang could really enhance this further.
The role of the 10
Of all the shouts, “Get connected Bobby Clark”, was an intriguing one for me. It came from a goal kick and saw him push higher up and getting vertically in-line with Morris. This allowed him to be in position for knockdowns and second balls from the number nine to find pass to a willing runner.
Given the comparative lack of danger when Eames was forced to drop deeper in the second half, this could suggest that Eustace again wants his 10 to act as a second striker, which could suit Rhian Brewster or Sam Szmodics should he return and point to Clark playing as an 8.
But while the Fraulo role would still allow him to get forward, this approach felt relatively aggressive, and Clark’s blend of knowing when to run in behind, while being comfortable to hold the ball in deeper pockets still feels like the optimal balance if Derby want to retain more control of play. Particularly if a more direct inside-forward comes in on the right in place of Ward.
Right-sided overload
A clear theme developed in the shouts throughout the first half; there was a clear focus on the dynamics between Max Johnston and Joe Ward. Whether this points to Ward continuing to play as a winger or not, is unclear, but the right-sided overload was key to Derby’s play in the second quarter.
Both would be best described as attacking wing backs, so there is a balance to be had to maximise their quality. Johnston the more athletic, he was able with bombing forward but is clearly developing when to cover and when to underlap, or sit narrower to enable Ward’s greatest asset, his delivery.
Derby’s best play came down the right, with Ward creating a couple of glorious chances. Defensively, one Backhaus long ball down out to the left flank caused all sorts of problems, leading Travis to clear off the line. But as he dropped into the backline to allow Dion Sanderson to push wider in possession, any danger down the Freiburg left was mitigated.
This is exactly the sort of fine-tuning these pre-season games are for.
The perils of the near side
Poor Craig Forsyth. Let’s just say it’s a good job him and John Eustace go way back!
The head coach more than a few F-bombs to throw the way of his number three on Friday afternoon when he misplaced passes or wasn’t in quite the right position. It was some contrast to Johnston on the other flank, or the youngsters in the second half.
There were constant shouts for “Hedgey!” too, as Derby looked to fine-tune his understanding of their system before he limped off in the 56th minute. Such are the perils of the near side, where everything you do is under even tighter scrutiny from the coaches.
To be clear, this isn’t criticism: it’s good man-management. Knowing which players need encouragement, and which players need motivation. As for the language, that’s football. It’s entirely normal in the intensity of these elite environments, albeit not broadcast-friendly.
Pity whoever had to edit the highlights!
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