To those that do not follow the Bundesliga, even then, to those that do not follow Borussia Monchengladbach, the name Christoph Kramer is more likely to produce a reaction along the lines of "Christoph who? Why should Manchester United, the Champions of England, even bother looking into such an unknown player? If you want somebody from Germany, GO SIGN GUNDOGAN!" Except there are a few potential roadblocks in signing Ilkay Gundogan: he has been injured for large portions of the season, Borussia Dortmund will be asking for an astronomical price for one of their star talents, especially with the loss of Mario Gotze, Shinji Kagawa, and probably Robert Lewandowski in the summer, and that other clubs with a larger financial capacity are seemingly interested in the player as well. Yes, Manchester United can challenge for the best players in the world, and Gundogan certainly fits that bill, but he will inevitably take time to recover from his injury and settle into the club. He has only played one match in the Bundesliga this season.
But this article is not supposed to be about Gundogan and whether or not he will be a viable option for being the savior to Manchester United's midfield; it is about a fairly under-the-radar German named Christoph Kramer, who has been integral to Monchengladbach rising up the table to fourth place, thereby challenging for a Champions League spot. Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Max Kruse, and Raffael have also been equally integral to Monchengladbach's rise, but having someone to pull the strings in midfield is absolutely integral to all teams. Manchester United have had noticeable troubles with the absence of Michael Carrick, and even when he returns (along with the recently fit Darren Fletcher), reinforcements are necessary. Young, hungry, talented, and relatively cheap players would be preferred, and Kramer might be the man to aid United greatly.
Performance and Comparison:
Kramer has been absolutely essential to Monchengladbach's performances this season, and their rise to competing for a Champions League spot after a poor 2012/13 season. He, along with his midfield partner Granit Xhaka have kept the Monchengladbach engine room running thanks to their passing abilities along with their abilities at winning the ball back. Not only is he able to ensure that the ball is always moving, he can get the ball back fairly quickly. Here is an interesting comparison to United's current midfield options:
| Christoph Kramer | Tom Cleverley | Michael Carrick | Phil Jones | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passing Accuracy | 90.30% | 90.20% | 86.90% | 86.90% |
| Passes per Game | 62.9 | 57.9 | 69.5 | 43 |
| Key Passes | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 0.4 |
| Long Balls per Game | 3.5 | 4.4 | 5.9 | 2.2 |
| Long Ball Percentage | 86.76% | 82.56% | 76.24% | 70.73% |
| Shots per Game | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Dribbles per Game | 2 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| Tackles per Game | 3.4 | 2.1 | 2 | 2.5 |
| Interceptions per Game | 2.2 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 2.5 |
| Turnovers per Game | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 |
| Fouls per Game | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| Dispossessions per Game | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.7 |
Here is where Kramer starts to get interesting. He may not necessarily look like a much better option than what we currently have available to us. His pass completion is not much higher than that of Tom Cleverley's, and he does not complete that many more passes either. In addition, Kramer completes less long balls than both Cleverley and Carrick, despite having a very good completion rate when he does choose to attempt a long pass in the match. You could also make the argument that he is not very attacking, going purely off of the number of shots he makes and the fact that he is pretty much in between Cleverley and Carrick in the number of key passes he makes per game. But where he truly shines, standing out from United's midfield options is in his defensive abilities, winning the ball back more times per game than any of the aforementioned players. It is this ball-winning ability that will lighten the load on the defense greatly; having the ball stolen quicker, earlier, before it gets to the defense will allow United to build from the back. Adding to this key point is the fact that he completes substantially more dribbles per game than any United midfielder, highlighting his ability to push the ball forwards from the back when necessary. Instead of standing around, waiting for a pass, he can run forwards and bring himself into the game instead of drifting out as Cleverley does at times. It will inject life, energy, and basically get things moving in a team which, at times, becomes static, anemic, and lifeless as a whole. He will move forward and get things moving, with a drive which has gone missing at times in this United team. He will push to get the ball back, allowing David Moyes to implement a high-energy, high-pressing team, playing exciting football, something which we all wish to see.
In-Game Performances:
Statistics are never enough to judge a person, so we shall take a case study of several of his matches, looking at his performances versus various other Bundesliga teams. We will look at his passing and tackling against Berlin, Mainz, and then Stuttgart, chosen as the Berlin match was his lowest whoscored.com rating and then the Mainz/Stuttgart matches were his highest rated matches. So first up is the match against Berlin, and his passing graph is as shown here:
The picture above gives a slightly worrying feeling as he failed 75% of all the tackles that he attempted throughout the game. It would serve to imply that while he normally is very good in the tackle and is able to win the ball back frequently, he can be prone to switching off and putting in a series of poor tackles, at least over a game. He will need to be consistent should he wish to shine for United. A key point is the area over which it is implied that he covers through the locations of his attempted tackles. He seems to cover the midfield area from one sideline to the other, providing aid for both fullbacks in shielding them from being caught out. This will be integral as both of United's fullbacks love to press on forwards, with Patrice Evra being particularly guilty of this, causing the team and the backline to be exposed to the opposition wingers. Kramer will provide cover and an assurance to the team when they are attacking, a belief that an opposition counterattack can be neutralized. Up next for analysis is his performance versus Mainz:
Again, his tendency to play in a deeper midfield role is underscored here, with most of his tackles coming in behind the center line. Equally noticeable is how he is willing to go out to the sides of the pitch and sweep up there, nipping opposition attacks from not only the middle but also the wings. Put together with his passing style, it seems he pressures the opposition into making mistakes, gets the ball, and is able to recycle it consistently, spreading the play from side to side, stretching and pulling the opposition defense, especially making use of the wide pitch at Old Trafford. Nonetheless, here is a picture of his passing versus Stuttgart:
The Big Problem:
Well, Christoph Kramer is surely an amazing player, so what could possibly be the problem with him. There is, unfortunately, on rather big one: his current situation at Monchengladbach. He is there on a, not one, but two year loan from Bayer Leverkusen, making it very difficult to acquire his services. It is not impossible, but severe compensation will have to be paid to Borussia Monchengladbach in return for his services, especially considering that we are taking away a player who is so important to their team. There will be many hoops to jump through in order to get him to sign, making this transfer only viable in the summer, not January, no matter how good he will be for the team. In addition to this, he seems to have a bit of a tendency to give away fouls, something which may be troubling as giving away set pieces in key locations will be punished, especially by the best teams in the world. He also seems to be dispossessed rather easily, another troubling aspect of his game that will need to be rectified if he is to become truly great for us.
The Final Verdict:
Comfortable on the ball, strong in the tackle, tall, powerful, and able to burst forwards at will, Christoph Kramer will be the perfect signing for Manchester United. He will be able to keep the ball ticking with ease, spreading it out to the wings, fitting into United's long-held tradition of wingplay. He is also only 22, and with plenty of room to grow and become the kingpin of the United midfield. He will be able to replace Michael Carrick in his ability to play the ball out from a deep-lying midfield position, sweeping up opposition attacks, providing a protective membrane for the defense. He is equally able to step out of his central position and help out the fullbacks with consistently, thereby aiding United's currently vulnerable left side, which is frequently exploited by the opposition. His transfer will indeed be a difficult task to accomplish considering his current situation of being out on loan. His current market value is listed 2.6 million pounds, but Manchester United will likely have to pay over the odds in order to get his services. If the transfer can be worked out for something along the lines of 15 million pounds, he will be a bargain and a valuable addition to the United team.
