Leopold Querfeld – The Austrian Wall by Denis Cmier
Name: Leopold Querfeld
Date of birth: 20.12.2003 (19)
Nationality: Austrian
Club: SK Rapid Wien
Position: centre-back
Height: 190 cm
Preferred foot: right
Market value: 3.00m
Intro:
Leo Querfeld was born in Vienna and started his career in Vienna’s local club Union Mauer before quickly moving to an SK Rapid Wien academy at the age of 8.
He climbed all the youth rankings and made his senior debut in 2021 in a Europa League match against Dinamo Zagreb.
Now, at the age of 19, he started every match in the Austrian Football Bundesliga for Rapid Wien this season.
Querfeld is also representing the Austrian U21 national team and was already called up to the senior team, where he is waiting to make his debut.
Playstyle:
Leo Querfeld is a right-footed centre-back with a big body frame, towering at 190cm you see his presence on the pitch, but he is not just about physicality.
There is a lot more to his game. He brings calmness, patience, and a good football IQ which allows him to make good decisions on the pitch.
Teammates often involve him in a build-up play, during which he showcases his good passing and intelligence.
He is not afraid to move the ball forward and his long passing ability allows him to spread the game very well.
Defensively he brings a lot to the table. Being a complete defender in a lot of aspects, he seems to be composed in most of the situations.
His tackling is one of his biggest weapons, very accurate and strong tackles allow him to win a lot of 1v1 duels. Leos’s slide tackle is also at an outstanding level, he is not afraid to use it when needed.
Not only is he an excellent tackler, but he is also combining this skill with his great patience and intelligence, which allows him to wait for the right opportunity to make a tackle.
Very strong at 1v1 due to his great tackling and his great body positioning he can out-muscle his opponent and stand his ground very well.
Although his overall speed is not the best, he compensates for it with his great awareness, reading of the game, and positioning.
He seems to be very well aware of what’s happening around him, which gives him an advantage against his opponents. Additionally, his marking skills allow him to track his opponents with ease.
His reading skills of the game enable him to intercept passes and strategically stop opponent’s counterattacks.
In this situation he shows his great reading of the game, which allows him to track his opponent and stop potential attack of the opposition.
Offensively, Querfeld’s passing skills allow him to play a large variety of passes, he is very capable of playing longer passes to change the tempo of the game.
He is a very good asset at set pieces, he knows how to position himself, and his body and jumping create a lot of potential danger for an opponent, whether it is directly header to a goal or deflecting the ball to a better chance for teammate.
In this picture he sees his teammate and makes a great long-range pass forward.
Querfeld finds his teammate with pinpoint accuracy.
Strengths:
– Tackling (very strong)
– 1v1 duels (very strong)
– Awareness (very strong)
– Positioning (very strong)
– Patience (very strong)
– Marking (strong)
– Football IQ (strong)
– Passing (strong)
– Strength (strong)
Improvements:
– Despite his physicality, he seems to be troubled by stronger attackers in some situations
– Speed
– Could be more aggressive
– Weak foot usage
Conclusion:
Leo Querfeld is a very talented centre-back, his attributes make him a valuable player for the team at such a young age. When Leo Querfeld is on the pitch, he not only demonstrates a high level of play and concentration, but he also stands out as a patient defender who carefully waits for the right opportunity to intercept the ball. His tactical aspect allows him to anticipate what will happen on the pitch while also being well-organized throughout the game. Although there is still room for improvement against stronger players, his tackling and overall physicality allow him to win a lot of duels. Querfeld overall skill set makes him a player to keep an eye on.