A Smolarek in Bundesliga once again!
The shock was there. Ewerthon’s injury last week in the test match against Spartak Moscow gave BVB a tough job to solve: Bringing in a new winger/striker to give coach Bert van Marwijk more option in offence. Michael Zorc and Michael Meier tried to find a suiting player on the domestic and international market but finally found the new guy in Dutch Rotterdam...Ebi Smolarek.It had surely something to do with van Marwijk having been Feyenoord’s coach for the last 4 season that we finally signed Ebi Smolarek. Bert van Marwijk was the one who drew him from the youth team to Feyenoord’s pro-squad back then. The winger with Polish roots is the one BVB was searching for as he can play on the left and right wing. Though he is no real centre forward, an additional qualifications that would have been perfect, but at least with him we are much more variable in attack.
Smolarek, who grew up in the Netherlands, will sign a contract with BVB valid till summer. Feyenoord passes on a loan fee and will furthermore pay part of Smolarek’s salary. Though BVB won’t have a buy option, we won’t overstretch our budget for this season by the deal. The idea behind this is to give the young Polish player match practice in Bundesliga as he is out of favour in Gullit’s team. The new Feyenoord coach changed tactics from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 cutting striker positions from 3 to 2. Some weeks ago Rotterdam signed a new contract with Smolarek till 2008, what shows that the club still believes that he will make it someday at Feyenoord.
On the pitch Smolarek is a typical winger, that has a good spped and takes on duels. His main side is left but at Feyenoord he also played many matches on the right wing. Though he is technically no Luis Figo, 1-on-1’s are his way to get behind defenders. 68kg doesn’t make him a heavyweight but with concentration and hard work on the pitch he compensates the lack of weigth. This and the fact that he is a nice, folksy guy turned him into a player the supporters really like.
Of course the BVBfans shouldn’t expect a marksman like Amoroso, but a player who can bring some pace to the wing game and score every now and then. 12 goals in 68 matches in the Netherlands aren’t very impressive, but you have to take into account that during his first 2 seasons he was mainly substituted for the last few minutes only – thus relativising these statistics. That he didn’t make more than 68 games is due to his severe knee injury in 2002 which left him 15 months off the pitch. After this injury and a 3-months suspension because of cannabis consummation he came back last season with 7 goals in 21 matches. Though a quite ok record, he lacked assists.
Already on Wednesday the son of former Bundesliga player Wlodzimierz Smolarek will have the necessary medical check at the Grönemeyer-institute in Bochum. On Thursday he will join the team training. As he speaks Dutch, English fluently and German very well, he shouldn’t have a problem to get along with his teammates very quick. He will get jersey number 14 and as he did the whole preparation with Rotterdam he should be fit for the Wolfsburg match.
Last but not least we just have to say the words we say to every player that puts on the “schwatzgelb” jersey:
Welcome to Dortmund, Ebi!
Geschrieben von jonam
