Is Freiburg Goalkeeper Roman Burki Bound for Greatness?
The spotlight was on goalkeeper Yann Sommer when Switzerland were beaten 2-0 by England, but could one of his understudies, Roman Burki, end up being the better goalkeeper?
Sommer and Burki arrived in the Bundesliga this season, though under vastly different circumstances.
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Named the successor to Marc-Andre ter Stegen, a once-in-a-generation goalkeeper who departed for Barcelona, Sommer is in a poisoned chalice situation at Borussia Monchengladbach.
Valued at €6/£4.8 million, Sommer is under pressure to perform at a world-class level.
Whereas Burki is replacing Oliver Baumann, a hit-and-miss goalkeeper, who signed for Hoffenheim.
Having a father who played professionally has given Burki a platform to develop into a top-flight goalkeeper.
Burki is in a more salubrious situation than Sommer.
"Freiburg has a very good name in Switzerland due to Gelson Fernandes and Admir Mehmedi," Burki said, per the Bundesliga's official website. "It is another important step in my career and I am really looking forward to my time in Freiburg."
Another positive aspect for Burki is having a vote of confidence from Freiburg.
"He [Burki] fits our requirements and has gained experience in both the Super League and in Europe for Grasshoppers and with the Swiss Under-21s," Freiburg sporting director Jochen Saier said, per Sky Sports.
"We have observed Roman Burki for a long time and are very pleased that the deal has come about."
It was not empty talk from Saier because Freiburg manager Christian Streich has settled on Burki over Sebastian Mielitz, who was a regular starter for Werder Bremen during the 2012-13 Bundesliga season.
Burki is a vital component to a young defence marshalled by veteran Pavel Krmas, who has played for Freiburg since 2007.
| Pavel Krmas | CB | 34 | 6'4" | 190 lbs |
| Oliver Sorg | RB | 24 | 5'9" | 165 lbs |
| Roman Burki | GK | 23 | 6'2" | 183 lbs |
| Christian Gunter | LB | 21 | 6'1" | 176 lbs |
| Marc-Oliver Kempf | CB | 19 | 6'1" | 181 lbs |
In Burki's Bundesliga debut, a 1-0 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt, he made two saves and commanded his box.
Reading the play perfectly, he beat Frankfurt centre-forward Haris Seferovic to the ball, who had gotten in behind Freiburg centre-back Marc-Oliver Kempf.
Moving laterally to be in the ideal position, Burki dealt with Frankfurt right attacking midfielder Nelson Valdez's uncontested header.
Burki was unflustered when Freiburg drew 0-0 against a 'Gladbach team missing the influence of Max Kruse.
- 'Gladbach's strike force of Branimir Hrgota-Raffael was spasmodic.
- Hrgota was replaced by Chelsea loanee Thorgan Hazard who ran around aimlessly.
- Too many pot-shots from Gladbach, as encapsulated by right winger Ibrahima Traore.
When Granit Xhaka raced into an advantageous situation, a one-on-one against Burki with time to set and shoot, the 'Gladbach central midfielder opted for power.
His forcefully driven swerving left-footed shot was tipped over the crossbar by Burki, whose positioning was flawless.
The only time Burki was seriously troubled was 'Gladbach centre-back Tony Jantschke heading the ball home from a corner, though it was disallowed as he had elbowed Freiburg left-winger Felix Klaus.
| Roman Burki | 3 | 82 | 54.55 |
| Yann Sommer | 4 | 77 | 50 |
Sommer made one more save than Burki, but the Freiburg goalkeeper was a more accurate passer short and long.
| Roman Burki | 3/6 | 2/6 |
| Yann Sommer | 3/6 | 2.5/6 |
German publications Bild and Kicker grade footballers on a scale of 1-6 (one being Franz Beckenbauer great and six being you are not Bundesliga-standard).
Burki outperformed Sommer in their first head-to-head encounter in the Bundesliga.
Bottom Line
After two Bundesliga games, do you know who Kicker's highest-rated goalkeeper is?
- Bayern Munich's FIFA World Cup-winning Manuel Neuer?
- Bayer Leverkusen's penalty-saving expert Bernd Leno?
- Schalke's physically imposing Ralf Fahrmann?
- Koln goalkeeper Timo Horn, who was tied for Kicker's best 2. Bundesliga rating last season?
- How about Augsburg's Marwin Hitz, another underrated Swiss goalkeeper?
- Could it be Sommer?
No to the above.
It is Burki, the newcomer, who has been a pleasant surprise.
Burki has exuded confidence, made important saves and is a passing outlet from the back (79 pass completion percentage).
However, to quote Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan, per BBC Sport: "One day we are a hero, another day we are zero."
Is Burki on a Simon Pouplin-esque blip?
Or is Burki the real deal?
A €1.8/£1.4 million signing from Grasshopper Club Zurich, Burki not only has a higher upside than Sommer, but Freiburg have a potential cash cow.
Statistics via WhoScored
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