Alex Lynch writes a detailed scout report about Davie Selke, a very talented emerging German striker.
Throughout the history of football, some of the world’s greatest strikers have hailed from Germany and the German National Team. Gerd Muller, Rudi Voller, Jurgen Klinsmann and Miroslav Klose are just some of the great German strikers throughout the history of Football. And now there is another potentially great striker rising through the ranks of German Football, and his name is Davie Selke.
Who is Davie Selke
Davie Selke is from a small German town just outside of Stuttgart called Schorndorf, a town that only holds around 38 thousand people. After starting his career playing for small local teams, due to his location Selke eventually played for Stuttgarter kickers and subsequently VFB Stuttgart. After impressing with Stuttgart, he went to 1899 Hoffenheim’s academy in 2009, and two years later got his first cap for the German U-16 national team. Selke then got caps for the under-17 and 18’s before leaving Hoffenheim for Werder Bremen in 2012. In 2013 Selke’s senior career began, as he played for Werder Bremen 2, and even the German U -18’s where he starred, scoring 11 goals in 13 games in 2013 and 2014. He made his Bundesliga debut as a member of Werder Bremen at the age of 19. In 2013 he earned three Bundesliga caps with no goals, and scored nine goals for Werder Bremen 2. After getting his feet wet in 2013-14, Selke really burst onto the scene in the 2014-15 season and emerged as one of the world’s top young strikers. In 2014-15, Selke had 9 goals and three assists in only 14 starts and 22 appearances in the Bundesliga. A remarkable season for a 20 year old striker like Selke especially being on a Werder Bremen team who without Franco Di Santo might have allowed Selke to score even more goals. Then of course the controversy arose when this summer Werder Bremen sold Selke to Second Division side Rasenballsport Leipzig (RB Leipzig). A side that is owned and financially backed by the energy drink Red Bull. Selke was seen as greedy as most didn’t understand why he would drop down to the second division. Selke has performed well so far for Leipzig, with 6 goals already this season.
Talent Radar Accolades:
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Named in 100 to Watch in 2016 feature
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Named in 100 to Watch in 2015 feature
Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses
Selke’s style of play is typical for a 20 year old striker for many reasons. One of them being that he’s very talented and athletic, and as a result is great at winning the ball in the air and finishing in the box. Selke won around 4 aerial duels every match in the Bundesliga for a Bremen side that didn’t usually dominate possession, which displays his ability to get high in the air and win the ball over Bundesliga defenders, impressive for a 20 year old. Of Selke’s 9 Bundesliga goals, 3 were headers, while five were close range finishes in the box, and one was a shot from around 18 yards out against Borussia Dortmund. Another trait that he possesses is terrific awareness in the box, which is rare for a 20 year old. Selke is decent at staying onside, while most 20 year olds struggle in this area, making runs through the middle and staying onside is something that Selke is continuing to get better at. Selke also displayed awareness and he scored three of his goals by winning loose balls inside of the box for Werder Bremen. Even for Leipzig, the first of his two goals against Nuremberg was a tap in inside of the box after the ball deflected towards him. Displaying great awareness he he won the loose ball, as Leipzig won the match by one goal, showing how important Selke’s awareness is. Awareness inside of the box is a key trait for any great striker, as you never know where the ball might end up when you are surrounded by defenders.
Despite all of the positives in Selke’s game, negatives exist as well. Selke is a great finisher, but his passing is something that he still needs to work on. He’s yet to register an assist for Leipzig this season, and only passes at a 60% clip for Werder Bremen last season. Playing alongside lower quality teammates with Leipzig, you would expect Selke to be more involved in the passing game as Leipzig typically dominate possession in league games which gives him passing opportunities, and Leipzig a good amount of goals, which makes Selke’s weakness clear. Another weakness in Selke’s game is one that is bound to go away with experience. He is ill-disciplined and picks up too many yellow cards for a striker, as he collected 4 yellows in his 14 starts for Bremen, which isn’t a positive sign. His disciplinary issues will hinder his development and make it hard for him to play 90 minute matches. Despite being athletic Selke lacks strength as he is only 154 pounds despite being 6 foot 4, and this becomes clear when you realize that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is 6 foot 5 and weighs over 50 more pounds then Selke! He needs to bulk up a little because holding up the ball will be a struggle for a player this light.
What does the future hold?
Despite playing in the second division in which he has lived up to expectations with 6 goals already this season as the leading striker for Leipzig, Selke will be in the Bundesliga next season. Leipzig are likely to be promoted to the Bundesliga, and if they aren’t he will likely not stay in the second division. We can also expect Selke to play for Joachim Low and Germany, as he is currently a U-21 international, but has been rising through the ranks in the last few seasons. If Leipzig win promotion and he leads them to survival, don’t be surprised when he plays for Die Mannschaft, because that’s where all of the great German strikers made a name for themselves.
Written by Alex Lynch
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