Diadie Samassékou’s departure from Red Bull Salzburg seems to be an inevitability at this point, with the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille, Manchester City, and AC Milan all reportedly showing interest in him within the past year.
Featuring in 84.5%* of competitive matches since Marco Rose’s appointment in July 2017, he is a indispensable figure in the team and replacing him will be a gargantuan task. However, the club won’t have to look too far in their search as there may just be an ideal replacement surging through the ranks within its own system.
Signing a professional contract with Die Roten Bullen until 2024 at the back-end of March, Peter Pokorný has been a consistent and standout performer at the heart of Liefering’s midfield this campaign and has been earning admiration from clubs in both the Austrian and German Bundesliga.
Growing up in the western Slovakian city of Trenčín, he was multi-talented child at sports, but when it came down to it he was forced to choose between a career in tennis, hockey or football. Opting with football because of the team element of it, he has said that his development as a footballer has benefited from those around him, especially being surrounded by older players, which is apparent in his maturity on the pitch.
Arriving from local club AS Trenčín in 2017, Pokorný knew from the get-go what was required from him to succeed at the club and ever since his career has been on a sharp ascent. Starting with the under-18s, within a season he was stepping into the professional game with Liefering and making his debut five days before his 17th birthday.
Deputising for Ousmane Diakité after he was sent off on his debut, Pokorný took full advantage of the opportunity and has claimed the holding position as his own, forcing Diakité onto the bench or into an advanced position. Since making his debut in August, he ranks fifth in the most minutes played for Liefering with 1351** in 17 appearances this season.
A huge reason behind being one of the first names on the team-sheet is the variation in his game and the ability to break up an attack as well as instigate one. As highlighted below, Pokorný is an instrumental component in building from defence.
When possession is in the defensive third, he will place himself in between the opposition’s forward and midfield lines. His positioning allows him to offer a constant outlet regardless of where the ball ends up. If it goes to a full-back he will shift to either side while maintaining his stance in space; should it go to a centre-back, he will drop slightly deeper to receive the ball, turn, and move the play onto the next phase.
Köhn rolls the ball to
Pokorný
Pokorný turns into the space
Before firing a pass towards Schmidt
As mentioned, he spends a lot of time with his back to the opposition, therefore it’s vital that he knows where the pressure is and how to evade it. On a consistent basis he shows no discomfort in this scenario as he is able to twist, turn, and use his body strength to make it out unscathed. When he’s on the ball, statistics prove that he’s generally tough to get off it, having completed 78.3% of dribbles attempted this season.
Once he’s in the clear, he tends to make the simple pass in order to keep the ball moving, shifting it onto one of the central midfielders to move forward, however that doesn’t mean he’s incapable of threading a pass through the lines or switching the play with a pin-point pass into the path of an on running team-mate.
Situated at the base of a midfield three, Pokorný is required to cover a lot of ground when Liefering are not in possession. Although he is capable of persistent, aggressive pressure, he prefers to take a more calculated approach in retrieving possession to reserve his energy.
In the stills above, Ried have overturned possession in their third and begin to break. Rather than closing down the initial recipient, Pokorný waits for the ball to be moved on before promptly closing the man down before he can compose himself to win it. Averaging 14.73^ recoveries per game this season, regaining the ball is where his expertise lay and defining factor in the club’s decision to sign him. If we compare this to Samassékou’s stats in the Bundesliga, Pokorný comes out on top as the Malian is only making 13.92^.
In attack Liefering’s two midfielders move into the final third to overload the area, leaving Pokorný susceptible to exposure, therefore it’s imperative that he positions himself and anticipates the play well. With the ball on the left, he places himself accordingly just in case the attack breaks down – this is applicable to wherever the ball is situated.
Generally, when an attack breaks down he has positioned himself well enough that the ball falls into his path and he can collect it to restart the move. If there is a rare instance that the opposition comes out on top in a 50/50, he will react quickly and use his strength to nudge the man off the ball or get his body between them and the ball. If the ball comes into his direction in the air, he doesn’t back down from an aerial duel and a lot of the time he will come out on top.
Watching Pokorný near week in, week out in his maiden professional season, it is obvious that he is an excellent talent and when it was announced that he had been tied down to a long-term deal from the summer onward, it came to no surprise. With Jesse Marsch to succeed Marco Rose, the Slovakia Under-20 international could have a rise on par to Tyler Adams’ under the American to stake his place as Salzburg’s heartbeat in the foreseeable future.
*As of 07.04.19. ** As of 17.04.19. ^ As of 17.04.19 [Wyscout].
Jack Brace 