Should Bayern Munich Fear Paderborn's Borussia Dortmund Reject Mario Vrancic?
Do Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich have a game plan to combat SC Paderborn 07's former Borussia Dortmund central midfielder Mario Vrancic?
| Germany/Bosnia and Herzegovina | CM | 25 | 6'2" | 172 lbs |
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Or, will Vrancic fly under the radar?
Being ignored is a common theme in Vrancic's career.
In a parallel universe, he is starring alongside Johannes Geis in Mainz's midfield.
"I still have a connection with Mainz to this day," Vrancic said, per Mainz's official website. "My family live in Mainz and I have loads of friends there so I'm often visiting."
Alas for Vrancic, he failed to make a lasting impression at boyhood club Mainz, only playing nine league games (once in the Bundesliga and eight times in the 2. Bundesliga, per Transfermarkt).
When Vrancic participated at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup for Germany, the technical study group omitted him from the "outstanding players" list, per FIFA's official website.
Needing a career boost, Vrancic took a calcuated risk by grinding away for Borussia Dortmund II, hoping to be elevated into the first team.
He scored 16 goals and registered nine assists in 47 games, per Transfermarkt.
But he never made the grade.
Nowhere near the German national team setup, Vrancic switched allegiance to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"My dream is to play for Bosnia," Vrancic said, per BHDragons.com. "I would give up my German passport for a Bosnian one if [manager] Safet Susic has plans for me in the national team."
"Meet Bundesliga's latest Bosnian - Mario Vrancic, key player for Paderborn. Potential national team player. pic.twitter.com/kGjQe4s3YT
— BHDragons (@BH_Dragons) July 1, 2014"
A habitual underdog, it is fitting that Vrancic aspires to play for Bosnia—a nation that has only appeared in the FIFA World Cup once (2014)—and is now a cog for minnow German club Paderborn, per Raphael Honigstein at The Guardian:
"The fact that [Paderborn] the small club from East-Westfalia have made it to the top flight in the first place borders on the miraculous.
Their stadium, the Benteler-Arena (capacity 15,000) is tiny.
They have only one training pitch and have to get changed in the caretaker's adjoining flat.
There is no scouting network, no underfloor heating.
Some locals have taken SC to court over evening kick-offs and won: football is officially verboten after 10 pm.
Last season's budget was a less than princely €6.2/£4.9 million. Not per player—in total.
"
Putting Paderborn's budget in context, it was €22.2/£17.4 million less than the amount of taxes former Bayern president Uli Hoeness evaded (€28.4/£22.3 million), per CNN.
Vrancic has been customarily doubted throughout his career, so it was not a surprise when he was not included in ESPN FC German correspondent Stephan Uersfeld's top three Paderborn players.
- Elias Kachunga: Top scorer; a Borussia Monchengladbach and Hertha Berlin discard.
- Daniel Bruckner: Rugged left-back; spent extended periods of his life homeless.
- Suleyman Koc: Shoot-first right-winger; convicted criminal.
But the pertinent question is: Will Bayern manager Pep Guardiola overlook Vrancic?
On the surface, Guardiola could value Vrancic's influence less compared to Paderborn centre-forward Elias Kachunga, who has scored three goals in four league games.
Also, Paderborn left-winger Moritz Stoppelkamp is a dual-threat, as he can score and create.
His 82-metre goal against Hannover 96 exemplifies his trigger-happy nature (he leads Paderborn in shots per game, 3.0).
Yet, Vrancic's passing mentality—62 percent of his passes go forward, per Squawka—has helped Kachunga and Stoppelkamp thrive.
In possession, Vrancic has the potential to have a Zvjezdan Misimovic-esque impact for Paderborn.
Vrancic leads Paderborn in passes per game (44.8) and key passes per game (2.3; pass leading to scoring chance).
| League Only | Key Passes Per Game | Passes Per Game | Pass % |
| David Alaba | 1.3 | 58.8 | 87.7 |
| Mario Vrancic | 2.3 | 44.8 | 74.9 |
| Philipp Lahm | 1.5 | 66.3 | 86.8 |
| Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg | N/A | 23.7 | 88.7 |
| Xabi Alonso | 0.7 | 90.7 | 88.6 |
While not a metronomic passer, Vrancic makes impactful plays, hence why he is more likely to facilitate a scoring opportunity for his teammates than Alaba, Lahm, Hojbjerg and Alonso.
Dynamism is another element to Vrancic's game: Ten tackles and nine interceptions in four games.
This was evident against Hamburg.
Intercepting a pass, Vrancic accelerated away, dragged goalkeeper Rene Adler out of position and finished.
| League Only | Dribbles Per Game |
| David Alaba | 1.3 |
| Mario Gotze | 1.0 |
| Mario Vrancic | 2.5 |
| Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg | 1.0 |
| Xherdan Shaqiri | 1.0 |
On the ball, Vrancic is technically excellent and has quick feet, which has factored into him averaging more dribbles per game than Alaba, Gotze, Hojbjerg and Shaqiri.
Vrancic can hurt Bayern if he can replicate his slalom dribbling against Hannover.
Despite being ranked as the 2. Bundesliga's second-best midfielder last season, per Kicker, Vrancic is not a nameable footballer and is underrated.
He can change this perception by coming up big against Bayern.
Statistics via WhoScored
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