 13-04-08, 01:31 AM | #1 (permalink) |
| Decent Youngster Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Sunshine Coast, Australia Posts: 47 Thanks: 9 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTW/F/M Award(s): 0 |  Alexander Frei
 Club: Borussia Dortmund
Position: Striker
Value: £ 3,600,000
Contract: N/A
Age: 28
Nationality: Swiss
Reputation: National
Personality: Fairly Professional
Squad Status: Used in squad rotation system
In Real Life
It's astounding that Alexander Frei was once labeled, "Soft" and "Overweight" by his coach at Rennes, a team which he joined in January 2003. But Frei showed great resilience in the face of this criticism to show his true ability as a striker. His chance came with a management change to the French team, and Frei asked his manager for three games to prove his worth. He proved it in style, scoring two goals and ending the season as the second top scorer in the league. Frei went on to better this becoming the top scorer in League 1 the following season.
Frei signed for Borussia Dortmund on June 29, 2006 and has settled into his new club well, scoring 16 goals in 37 appearances for the German Club. Frei is considered Switzerland's number one striker over competition like Basel's striker Marco Streller. He has been capped 56 times and has hit the net 32 goals.
In Football Manager
I stumbled across Alexander Frei by accident. I was attempting to land his international level striking partner Marco Streller, but after Streller rejected all of my contract offers, i had a look at Frei to see if he would be a viable alternative... and i've never looked back since. In his first season at Reading, he scored 24 goals, despite seeing prolonged period on the sidelines for injuries, it was during this season that he was awarded "Signing of the Season". In the second season, Frei was second highest scorer behind Fernando Torres and won Player of the UEFA cup.
Tactical Instructions
During my use of Alexander Frei, I've found he is far more consistent with scoring when operating as a lone striker with a creative midfielder playing just off him to either his right or left. This came to fruition in his second season at Reading F.C where Kerlon was feeding him excellent passes, and with his brilliant finishing ability, rarely missed his chances.
Strengths
Frei is a brilliant finisher, his composure, anticipation and decisions are all 16, and his Finishing is 17. Frei is a very intelligent player on the pitch and is capable of scoring some quite amazing goals if used correctly and could easily become one of the most consistent scorers in the league.
Weaknesses
I guess his larger frame is reflective in his Natural Fitness which sits slightly disconcertingly at 9, despite this fact, I've never had any problems with Frei not being able to perform fully at the end of any games.
Conclusion
Alexander Frei really is a gem that is often over looked for more glamorous strikers. He is very willing to come to England and often signs for any low to midtable premier league teams. For a very consistent striker for reasonably cheap, i'd highly recommend Alexander Frei. |
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