Patson Daka – Red Bull Salzburg’s sharpshooter
When Red Bull Salzburg first scouted Patson Daka, they were overawed by his pace then when they acquired the Zambian, the Austrian side were overawed by his generosity and humility. He used his first pay-cheques to build a house for his mother in Zambia and buy her a car while his smile lightened up the club’s Taxham training base. Since being a double-digit goal-scorer for Power Dynamos in the Zambian Super League, his game has come leaps and bounds in Austria as he has enjoyed a brilliant start to the season.
The terraces in Zambian football are a hub for conversations and stories as there are areas where you can accrue intimate knowledge of football in the country. There were murmurs that despite the youngster’s goal scoring tally, his erratic finishing would prevent him from succeeding in top level football. At 21-years-old, he has rendered those criticisms incorrect as he won the 2017 CAF Young Player of the Year and became the first Zambian to score in the UEFA Champions League, earlier this season. Two years before Daka joined FC Liefering, he had a trial for Herve Renard’s Lille side which resulted in the Ligue 1 side deciding against signing him.
At this point of his career, the game that best describes Patson Daka was Red Bull Salzburg’s 4-0 thrashing of Club Brugge in the Europa League last season. Red Bull Salzburg played in a 4-4-2 diamond/4-2-3-1 hybrid in which Daka started in the wide areas, moving inside to press and making vertical runs in behind the centre-backs. One of these vertical runs led to a penalty as the Zambian striker was played in behind and brought down as he was highly involved in the opening stages of the game. Moanes Dabbur stepped up and had his penalty saved. However, later in the half, centre-back, Marin Pongracic drove the ball forward, beat his man and spread the ball to Daka in the wide areas. The Zambian then played a one-two with the centre-back to sweep in a finish from a tight angle.
Daka then doubled his goal tally in the game a few minutes later after Salzburg worked a counter-pressing routine before Hannes Wolf played a pass to Diadie Samassekou to distribute to Xaver Schlager as the Austrian played Daka in behind to calmly chip over the keeper. Daka moved closer to Dabbur in the central striking position in the second-half but perfectly illustrated the growth in his game. He did not just show the ability to run in behind, but he received the ball in the pockets and connected with teammates while making diagonal runs off the man in possession. The game perfectly illustrated his ability as a striker and as a livewire in the final third, his calm when he gets to run in behind and wrap his boot around the ball to guide an opportunity past the keeper.
His ability running in behind has always been apparent, in the Zambian Super League, at Zambian youth level, at FC Liefering as well as at Salzburg. The 2017 U20 World Cup was an opportunity to prove what he had learned in a few months in Austria. Against Portugal, Zambia were constantly looking for the early ball into Daka and his strike partner, Conlyde Luchanga. They worked a long-ball which Daka nodded down and laid off for Luchanga to have a shot from the edge of the box saved. Daka then went off injured before conceding a silly foul against Iran in the next game to gift Zambia’s opponents with a penalty. Daka responded by being heavily involved in play, laying on an assist before driving a shot past the keeper from range to seal the game at 4-2.
In the knockout stage of the tournament, Daka’s rapier pace on the break took centre stage as his burst on the counter from a corner allowed him to play through Enock Mwepu for an assist. Then the 21-year-old was played through on the break by Fashion Sakala to go through on goal to elegantly chip over the Italian keeper. The striker finished the tournament with an impressive 2 goals and 1 assist.
In Austria, Daka not only developed his penchant for being heavily involved in build-up play but his pressing characteristics while furthering his sense for being in the right place at the right time. Away to Sturm Graz last season, he won possession and played a pass to Smail Prevljak who dribbled past a glut of markers before being tackled as Daka was on hand to apply a careful finish. At the beginning of his sojourn in Austria, Daka struggled at being in the right place at the right time to finish opportunities but with increased opportunities and more confidence in himself and his teammates, his timing and recognition of space has become much sharper.
During the summer, it seemed like he would be able to create a lethal partnership with Erling Braut Haaland due to the Norwegian’s proclivity to drop deep and Daka’s ability to attack space in behind. They seemed to click in a pre-season match against Feyenoord where Salzburg worked a pass in behind for Haaland to cross for Daka to score. Then Red Bull’s attacking trio of Takumi Minamino, Haaland and Daka went in behind on the counter for the first two to have shots saved before Daka tapped in to score a brace. In the Austrian Bundesliga opener against Rapid Wien, the duo continued to link up to great effect.
Patson Daka combination play.
Haaland had dropped into the deeper positions and had tried to work passes for Daka in behind all game. The Norwegian youngster received a pass out wide, beat his man to then surge into the centre for his Zambian counterpart to make a run across him to draw markers before Haaland played in Minamino who chipped over the keeper to open the scoring. Daka has developed his game and tailored certain situations for getting into prime goalscoring situations.
For instance, for long shots, he always remains cognizant of the last defender to remain onside before surging towards the keeper in anticipation of a rebound. He does the same for free-kicks as this manoeuvre is how he became the first Zambian to score in the UEFA Champions League. Away to Genk, a free-kick was palmed into his path as adjusted his body to divert the goal into the back of the net. The goal was more rewarding considering he had already missed an easier chance when he took on a lay-off in the box and blasted over from point blank range.
Daka has scored two hat-tricks in the Austrian Bundesliga but his first two goals against Rheindorf Altach are a microcosm of what type of striker he is. For the first goal, Ghanian, Majeed Ashimeru worked a lob in behind for the Zambian who took a brilliant first touch, wrapped his left foot around the ball and guided it past the keeper. For the second, Patrick Farkas played an outside of the boot pass from the left in behind to Daka on the right as he showed calm again to beat the keeper. Daka is a Jamie Vardy-type striker who thrives at attacking space in behind and is a cold-blooded finisher in 1v1s with the goalkeeper as he is also able to execute elaborate chips or finish from impossible angles.
The game against Altach is intriguing as it could be a prospect of things to come as Daka’s strike partner was Malian wonderkid, Sekou Koita. Both of them attempted to run in behind at every opportunity, especially for the first goal when Mohamed Camara won possession and played a pass in behind which both strikers tried to chase before Daka left the opportunity for his partner to finish with aplomb. Koita also dropped deeper with Masaya Okugawa as a roaming playmaker as the Japanese midfielder eventually played in Daka for his third.
"It is special. It is important for me that I can present myself. That gives me confidence. It's a nice feeling to play almost every game in this team. I am pleased that I can repay the trust with goals and the coach sees that it is not a mistake if he sets me up,” said Daka to Laola after his other hattrick against SV Mattersburg.
The losses of Minamino and Haaland will have moved Daka a rung higher in Jesse Marsch’s striking pecking order as the American Head Coach will continue to rotate his lineup in between weekly European ties and Austrian Bundesliga matches. Daka has earned a new contract till 2024 as even his mother encouraged him to stay at Salzburg. He is experiencing his best season as he has 14 goals in the Austrian Bundesliga and 17 in all competitions. He has unearthed and improved on his strengths as all but three of his goals have been scored with his left foot. With more opportunity, comes more responsibility for the Zambian youngster as it is imperative that he continues with this form in the second half of the season.
