2. Bundesliga scout report: Tim Kleindienst
FC Heidenheim. If you have heard of the club, you might think it is a club that makes its way between the 2. Bundesliga and the 3. Liga. This season, however, they are sitting 4th in a very competitive 2. Bundesliga. They have done well on the transfer market in the last summers and signed Tim Kleindienst from SC Freiburg in 2019. A vital signing for their attacking plans.
Tim Kleindienst is a 24-year-old striker who plays for FC Heidenheim. Previously he has come through the Energie Cottbus academy in 2013, before moving to SC Freiburg in 2015. With the latter, he was crowned champions of 2. Bundesliga in the 2015/2016 season. Currently, he has a contract until 30–6–2023 with FC Heidenheim.
The 1,94-meter long striker has not only played domestic games but also has experience with his country and played 10 international games. The last game was with Germany U20.
Perhaps his parent club did not see him fit for the Bundesliga in the 2019/2020 season, but Kleindienst has done pretty well in the current season. His performances let us see that he will be an asset to a lot of clubs in the Bundesliga in the 2020/2021 season.
Kleindienst is a typical German striker. He’s agile, strong and offers different options going forward. Whether you use him as a target man or use him a link-up play — the man is up to the task. In the air, he is a very strong force. Not only because he wins a lot of aerial duels, but he gives the wingers the time to close into the middle or for the attacking midfielders to move forward. In the 1v1 situations with the center backs, he is strong and patient, allowing teammates to progress on the flanks or to give a key pass to the other striker.
Being a tough opponent in the air and on the ground, it is difficult for him to defend for the opposition, but it also means that there are many 50–50 duels in his games. This means that he makes quite a few fouls, which can be seen in his 5 yellow cards and his 1 red card.
His positioning is remarkable for a striker as he is not only positioned in or around the box. His positioning is to be found in the box, but also on the number 10 position — illustrating his defensive work ethos.
Frank Schmidt’s side usually plays in a 4–1–4–1 formation this season with Kleindienst as the sole striker. In the attacking phase of the game, he is supported by two wingers and a double pivot, that goes forward as well — leaving enough attacking opportunities for Kleindienst to finish.
He has played 1664 minutes in 19 games in which he has been effective in finishing. He has produced 69 shots of which 28 shots were on target. Of those 28 shots, 12 were converted into a goal, which makes him really productive with 0,65 goals per game. At this rate, he could become a very important striker for any Bundesliga.
In those 19 games, he has not been the top assist giver of his team, but a true striker does not really like to share. In those games, he has given 4 assists, which is roughly 0,22 assists per game. Combine that with the goals he has made and he has an impact on each game he plays in with an involvement of 0,87 goals per game.
His handling of the ball, however, is not the best, as his first touch is not great. This is a disadvantage to him and that is also what makes him make more fouls in the box. His positioning and finishing are good, as is his key passing to other teammates. His passing stats are something to worry about.
If we look at these specific statistics we can see that he has an average of 14,6 passes per game that reaches another player of FC Heidenheim. That is 58% of all passes, which is a rather low percentage if you look at the strikers in the same position.
Conclusion
Tim Kleindienst is an effective striker going forward with a great skill for scoring goals or setting them up for others, but he is not the most complete attacking player. His first touch is not great and he makes a lot of fouls, which makes it difficult to capitalise on the attacking momentum. With the right players surrounding him, he could be a success in the Bundesliga, but he ought to be more disciplined.
