Many people outside of Basel may not know much about Arthur Cabral, but to FC Basel themselves, Cabral is one of their most clinical finishers. After joining Basel on loan from Palmeiras in Brazil, the 22-year old Brazilian went on to score 14 goals and also register 4 assists in 26 games in the Super League for the Swiss side. This return from Cabral led Basel to purchase him from Palmeiras for a fee that is thought to be in the region of about €4.5 million, which for the impact that he has had for Basel this season, was a very good purchase. This scout report will analyze Cabral’s performance in FC Basel’s victory of 1-0 in the second leg of the R16 Europa League tie at St. Jakob’s Park.
Cabral on the ball:
Cabral stands at 6’1″ tall and has a very stocky build, which makes him a very good target man and also a very physical striker with the ball at his feet. Whenever there was a goal kick from Basel, Cabral was always the target man, and while he did win less than 50% of his aerial duels, he was able to use his height and physicality to be able to put the opponents off. He also had fantastic hold up play, and would drop deep to receive the ball at his feet and then hold the defender up until his teammates were able to make runs forward and he could turn and try to find them. The link up play that Cabral had in the match was one of the main things that I recognized throughout, as he always wanted to get involved in the build-up play, and use his strengths well.
In regards to his passing ability, he did not have much to show for, as he was the target man, but still did manage to complete 13/15 (87%) of his attempted passes. He did not attempt many shots in the match, but did miss a chance about halfway through the match when he was put off by David Abraham after getting put through by his teammate. Cabral had a decent match on the ball, but for most of the match he was a spectator when it came to getting the ball to him, other than some good instances of hold up play with the ball and a few good passes. I would put this down to Basel not trying to be on the front foot as much, as they had a 3-0 first leg lead, and being too open and attacking would have risked them possibly throwing away that lead, a lead that they have blown before in the Europa League.
Cabral on the ball (Basel in possession)
When Basel had the ball and Cabral was not in possession, he would make intelligent movements into the space at times, and would also drop into the half spaces as well, getting between the Frankfurt lines and asking for the ball at his feet. He also looked like he was tasked to try and put the Frankfurt defenders off, because in moments when Basel had possession and were building, Cabral would make darting runs in behind to try and drag some of the defenders out of position, which would then open up the space for the Basel midfielders to move into. He also would drift wide to the right side, forcing a 2v1 with the fullback and one of the center backs, which allowed Valentin Stocker to move forward into more of a #9 role while Cabral was in more of a right midfield/right wing role, and then was able to allow Basel to try and overload the ball side.
Cabral off the ball (Basel out of possession)
When Frankfurt had possession of the ball and were in Basel’s defensive third, Cabral did not really drop deep to help with defensive proceedings. Cabral would stay more towards the midfield line, which allowed him to be the outlet ball if Basel won back possession but were pressed by Frankfurt. Basel did use Cabral as an outlet option a few times throughout the match, with a couple of instances where Cabral won possession and was able to hold the ball up while his teammates drove forward to try and start a counter.
When Frankfurt had the ball with their back line, Cabral was keen at times to put pressure on the ball carrier, and would at times press them to try and force an error in the backline. At other times, Cabral would block the passing lane to the other defenders, which in turn would force the defender with the ball to pass it back to the goalkeeper. While he did press at times, I felt that he did not have the most tremendous work rate in this match, as there were a lot of times where I noticed him walking around while his other teammates were pressing the Frankfurt players that were in possession. In corner defending situations, Cabral would always be in the box to defend, and try to clear the danger. Cabral also committed 3 fouls in the match, which shows the physicality that he plays with, but a couple of those fouls were needless, and gave Frankfurt free kicks that could have easily been prevented.
Conclusion
I would say that Cabral had a 6/10 match. He was not really all that involved when Basel had possession and were trying to hold it, but this could have been because of how Basel were playing so they would not get exposed by Frankfurt on the counter. He had excellent hold up play and was able to link up play well at times too, but did also miss a clear opportunity to score a goal in the match. His work rate was ok, but not spectacular, while his movement off the ball had some good moments. Cabral is a player that has some ability for sure, but maybe someone that should be considered for a transfer possibly a few years down the line.
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