Richard Neudecker: St. Pauli's revitalised threat

Richard Neudecker: St. Pauli's revitalised threat

Prior to the current season Richard Neudecker started off as a player who you'd only get to see in the dying stages of a game. An 86th minute substitute, a 'pair of fresh legs' in the later stages of a game. The 21 year old, who had arrived from 1860 Munich in the summer of 2016 had rarely started a game until only a few weeks ago. With regular favourite in Christopher Buchtmann missing due to injury, St. Pauli had been struggling to find goals. Recent droughts up front had meant that the likes of Waldemar Sobota and even Lasse Sobiech would be chipping in, making amends for the lack of action from the more traditional forwards. An unfortunate Sami Allagui found himself more than often looking to the skies for support as many games went goalless for the Tunisian. The same for his counterpart in Aziz Bouhadouz, who doesn't currently find himself in the top 10 goalscorers for St Pauli this season. Essentially, St. Pauli were struggling to find a constant flow of goals. However, Richard Neudecker has now scored 3 and assisted the same amount of times in only a handful of appearances.

So, where has this burst of quality come from?

After being used as a substitute in the Dresden game, with only 5 minutes on the pitch Neudecker had the chance to prove what he can be capable of. Coming on in the 67th minute, the youngster had scored in the 71st minute. A darting run into the box allowed St. Pauli to breathe easy, making it 0-2 to the visitors. The game concluded 1-3, Neudecker's goal crucial to the victory. Two games later and this time Neudecker times his run perfectly to then slide the ball to a more than appreciative Allagui. A goal and an assist in just as many games. Some would put it down to luck, but I think there's more to it than some would believe...

Neudecker was previously involved later on in games, to solidify a potentially tired or strained midfield. Bunged in dead centre, his game usually revolved around retaining possession and nullifying any energy from the opposition. Never really given a chance to explore or create, the out-of-favour replacement wasn't ever seen as a genuine replacement for someone like Buchtmann. Recently however, since the departure of Olaf Janssen, the new boss in Markus Kauczinski has identified a position in an eager Neudecker. He has now been given access to the attacking left, which has been stagnant for some time, with injury plaguing the squad, and performances often erratic and inconsistent, a fresh face and friendly competition appears to have given a temporary release of pressure to those forced to step up their game.

At the more recent Kiel game the unsung hero struck again. 11 minutes into the match and the now established midfielder hits the back of the net. A rather fortunate goal, which sees Bouhaddouz' left-footed drive ricochet off the post, redirecting straight to Neudecker's feet. The German hangs out a foot to give the hosts an early lead. Only a few minutes pass as an unfortunate series of events sees St. Pauli now 1-2 down. Eventually things pick up and into the thick of the second half Bouhaddouz flicks a ball onto the inform Neudecker. A luscious left-footed hammer of a volley rifles past Kiel's Kenneth Kronholm, who helplessly watches the ball blast past. A real moment of quality.

It's the consistently aware mentality that gives Neudecker the advantage in these situations. He reads the game very well and his decision making is second to none. A composed finisher and passer of the ball, the left-sided midfielder offers a range of qualities. He's given teammate Allagui something to work off. The experienced forward looked quite isolated until recently when working alongside Neudecker, who has been a menace when attacking. I can see this link blossoming over time, as Allagui has recently struggled to get a lot of time on the ball alongside the taller Bouhaddouz who is more of a traditional 'target man'. Neudecker's awareness and forward runs are just what Allagui will be looking to link with, as the Tunisian struggles with establishing himself as a crucial part of the team.

St. Pauli fans will be hoping to see a lot more of this fresh face in the starting 11. The Hamburg outfit have been struggling to highlight their creative spark with favourites such as Christopher Buchtmann and Mats Daehi sidelined through injury. Hopefully, this emerging talent in Richard Neudecker continues to flourish. With results both home and away being very erratic, St. Pauli may end up relying on Neudecker in order to keep pushing up the table, but more importantly, they'll be hoping to refrain from falling into another relegation struggle.

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