Benedict Hollerbach: Scouting Report by Adam Khan
This article is adapted from Adam Khan’s Medium Portfolio – a collection of professional scouting reports highlighting some of the most exciting talents in German football.
If you are interested in sourcing his video-scouting expertise for your club, agency, or company, please reach him at business.adamkhan@gmail.com or on Twitter at @XxAdamKhanxX.
In today’s report, we analyze SV Wehen Wiesbaden forward Benedict Hollerbach. We highlight his strengths and weaknesses, his current ability and future potential, and some possible destinations for a future move.
Biography
Benedict Hollerbach was one of the most impressive attacking talents in the 2022/23 3rd-tier. The 22-year-old forward appeared in 37 of 38 league matches, playing a starring role in Wehen Wiesbaden’s attacking output with 14 goals & 5 assists. The FC Bayern academy graduate crowned a strong campaign with a stellar performance in the promotion playoff, scoring 3 goals in 2 matches to ensure that Wiesbaden will be playing in the 2nd Bundesliga next season.
Following promotion Hollerbach’s contract was automatically extended for another year, however, this does not rule out a move. According to Sky, offers are on the table from FC Köln, FC Augsburg, and Royal Union Saint-Gilloise. The player is adamant that he wants to reach the highest level as quickly as possible.
Injury History
No notable injuries that should have an impact on his value or future potential.
Player Style
Benedict Hollerbach is an Inside Forward. He seeks the most direct route to goal, enters the penalty area as often as possible, and generates a high volume of shots and goal-creating actions each game.
Player Model: Marius Bülter (circa 2023)
Strengths
Flexible Positioning & Can Pose a Varied Threat Through his Off-ball Movement
One of the key strengths in Hollerbach’s game is his flexible positioning and range of off-ball movements. The 21-year-old forward can appear all across a front line, operating on either wing or as a traditional center-forward in a 2-man strike force.
Throughout a match he varies his positioning often, making him a difficult prospect for an opponent to keep under control. Furthermore, he has a range of off-ball movements which he can effectively implement throughout a match. He can come short and receive to feet, shift into central channels from a wide starting position, or seek the most direct route with a sharp acceleration in behind the opposition backline.
The range of options he has from both a positional and movement perspective makes him a uniquely well-rounded and multi-faceted attacking threat.
Physically Robust
Though only 1,81m, Hollerbach is physically robust and can hold his own under intense opposition pressure. He has great control over his body, and, when receiving on the ground, he can routinely get his body between the ball and opponent to hold up possession and wait for teammates to progress up-field.
Can Connect Play well in the Final Third
Hollerbach is capable of maintaining oversight and finding smart solutions while carrying possession at high-speed. He has a good vision for better-placed teammates and routinely is able to create goalscoring opportunities for others with a smart switch of play, or a driven cross into the penalty area.
Seeks Initiative & Has a “Game-Changing” Mentality
Hollerbach is a player who wants to take ownership in the final third and can be accounted for in the biggest moments. He doesn’t shy away from adversity but rather is spurred on by the challenges faced throughout a match. He has the potential to let his emotionality spill over into a negative dynamic, however, generally, he channels it into a positive energy that spurs on his performance and that of his teammates.
⭐Direct Ball Carrying Ability
Hollerbach’s key strength is his direct ball-carrying ability. He eats up space quickly with a driven approach that progresses possession up-field as quickly as possible. The combination of intense speed and close control makes him a frightening sight for defenders, and he routinely is able to commit opponents into giving away dangerous fouls or allowing him to seamlessly drift into a goal-scoring/creative position.
Weaknesses
Ineffective Defensive presence
Hollerbach is a willing and committed presence out of possession. He initiates and engages in pressing sequences often, and he is happy to track runners deep into his own half when necessary. However, Hollerbach frequently lacks the necessary intelligence and timing to truly win possession or put the opposition into an uncomfortable position. At present, he is simply expending a lot of energy without truly creating substantial benefits.
Poor Shot-Selection
With a pure desire to impact the game by any means possible, Hollerbach has a tendency to rush and lose composure in key moments. He tends to take shots from poor positions or off-balance in moments where recycling possession to a teammate or taking another touch to regain his composure would be more beneficial.
Consistency
Hollerbach has made significant improvements to this aspect of his game this season, however, there is still large room for improvement. Hollerbach struggles to reach his full potential on a consistent basis and when faced with setbacks in a match he has a tendency to try and force his way back into the fixture by taking unnecessary risks or making selfish decisions in the final third.
⭐Limited in Tight-Spaces
Hollerbach is at his best when he is carrying possession into open space, or posing a direct threat in-behind. While he can turn well and open up the game, or create the necessary space to quickly deliver a cross, when isolated and without space to exploit, Hollberach often lacks the necessary creative and skillful edge to beat opponents and/or retain possession.
OVERVIEW
Hollerbach is an extremely explosive and dynamic young footballer. Following consistently impressive performances over the past 12 months, it is clear that he is ready for, and would profit from, a move to a higher level.
Hollerbach predominantly catches the eye for his explosive and dynamic ball-carrying ability. He is able to efficiently exploit open space and force opposition defenders to engage in uncomfortable positions. Despite his size, he is physically robust, making him a versatile and effective option across almost all attacking positions in various tactical frameworks. Hollerbach also seeks initiative and takes responsibility for goal and chance-creation in the final third.
For Hollerbach to reach the next level he must improve his ability in tight spaces and shot selection. Hollerbach is a player who struggles to show his full potential when the opponent is able to take the pace out of the game and force him into an isolated 1v1. He has a tendency to rush into finishing opportunities without being afforded a clear sight of goal.
Potential Destinations
Though Wehen Wiesbaden’s promotion to the 2nd-tier should place the German outfit in a better position to hold onto Hollerbach, it will nevertheless be a difficult proposition to keep the ambitious forward this summer.
A suitable club for Hollerbach to move to would ideally play in a two-striker formation without recognized wingers, leaving the wide channels open for Hollerbach to float into with his in-to-out runs. Furthermore, the club in question would hopefully operate in a primarily counter-attacking approach. This offers the greatest possibility for Hollerbach to implement his impressive ball-carrying ability that can bridge space quickly in transition moments.
Outlined are some suitable destinations that would fit the player taking into account financial, stylistic, and environmental factors:
1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln are a solid, albeit unremarkable, Bundesliga club likely to finish in the lower-mid table region of the 2023/24 league campaign. Throughout the previous two campaigns, Köln predominantly operated in a narrow-minded 4-2-3-1 or a 4-1-2-1-2. Both formations offer a suitable role for Hollerbach in his favored role. Köln are also a fairly direct side. They prefer to quickly progress the game up-field through wide channels rather than circulate possession through the midfield zones.
The lack of an established goalscorer in the squad – last season’s top scorer was now departed defensive midfielder Ellyes Skhiri (7 goals) – means Hollerbach would have a good opportunity to assert himself in a starting XI position. Finally, there would be no language or cultural barriers that would demand a long adaptation period.
KAS Eupen
Hollerbach would be joining KAS Eupen in a rebuilding phase following the appointment of former Werder Bremen, & VfL Wolfsburg manager Florian Kohfeldt (40 yrs). Furthermore, the Belgian topflight club’s historical disposition as a development ground for young talent would play in Hollerbach’s favor. Florian Kohfeldt – a native German speaker who has predominantly operated with a 3-4-2-1 formation throughout his coaching career – profiles well to get the best out of Hollerbach’s footballing qualities.
Furthermore, Eupen are set to lose their top-scoring center forward from the previous campaign, creating demand for a new forward to join the squad and take up a starring role. From an adaptation perspective, there is also little cause for concern. Eupen is the capital of the German-speaking community in Belgium, and the style of football in the Belgian topflight is quite similar to what Hollerbach is accustomed to in Germany.
Sturm Graz
Sturm Graz should be an exciting proposition for a player like Hollerbach. The Austrian club finished in second place in the domestic topflight, won the Austrian Cup final, and will be competing in UEFA Champions League qualifiers this summer. The Austrian outfit also competed in the past two UEFA Europa League group stages, and have a history of developing and selling young center-forwards (Kelvin Yeboah and Rasmus Højlund).
From a stylistic perspective, there are a lot of factors that speak to Hollerbach’s qualities. Across 46 matches in all competitions, Sturm Graz operated in a 4-4-2 diamond on 45 occasions – a formation notably well-suited to Hollerbach’s skill set. Furthermore, Sturm Graz are a side which are comfortable soaking up pressure and counter-attacking. Only one side in the 2022-23 UEFA Europa League held less average possession, and even in the Austrian topflight, Sturm Graz averaged less than 50%.
From an adaptation perspective, there is also little cause for concern. All across Austria German is spoken as the official language, and Graz is almost the same distance from Hollerbach’s family home in Starnberg as Wiesbaden was.
If you are interested in sourcing Adam Khan’s video-scouting expertise for your club, agency, or company, please reach him at business.adamkhan@gmail.com or on Twitter at @XxAdamKhanxX.