A Closer Look At Borussia Dortmund: The Most Exciting Football Team This Season?

Borussia Dortmund parted company with Peter Stoger on 12th of May, 2018, after a somewhat unfruitful season despite their impressive start early in the season - when they were still under the management of Peter Bosz who was sacked on December 2017 and replaced by the former after a disappointing run and poor performances, both domestically and in Europe.

Ten days later, Dortmund announced that Lucien Favre is going to be their coach for the 18/19 season and this was greeted with joy and excitement by Die Borussen fans as they believe that this man, the man who has been the target of the club since Thomas Tuchel left - is the right man for the team

Indeed, the arrival of Lucien Favre at Signal Iduna Park has given some kind of a new energy to the team who looked lost the season before.

Peter Stoger's side were heavily criticised last season as his team seemed to be lacking character, the combativeness, the will to fight and win. The team were also unable to keep a consistent form and many even say that Dortmund were lucky enough to finish fourth last season.

Now, we have gone past the 7th fixture in Bundesliga and Reus and Co. are standing tall on the top of the table, three points ahead of the second-placed RB Leipzig, and their current form is as fearsome as ever.

The summer signings have been far from disappointing, the team are playing great football at the moment, the players are starting to jell together and the chemistry is building amongst them. Lucien Favre and his side are definitely in for a shot to dethrone the reigning champions Bayern Munich this season.

But will they be able to keep their consistency until the end of the season? Or will they repeat the last season's catastrophe? We shall see.

The Summer Transfers Analysis

The 2018/19 season summer transfer window has been pretty much a success for the team.

Despite losing some names like Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Andriy Yarmolenko, Gonzalo Castro, Mikel Merino, Nuri Sahin, Schurrle (loan), Erik Durm, and Roman Weidenfeller (retired) - Dortmund compensated with the arrival with even more impressive names like Abdou Diallo, Thomas Delaney, Axel Witsel, Marius Wolf, Achraf Hakimi (loan), Marwin Hitz, and last but not least Paco Alcacer (loan).

I would say that these are smart (if not genius) manoeuvers by the Bundesliga side.

Firstly, getting rid of Yarmolenko, Sahin, Schurrle, Durm, Castro, and Sokratis was definitely the correct decision.

The Ukrainian forward - who was bought by Dortmund from Dynamo Kyiv the season before - was expected to deliver big things for the team. He was expected to be a key player for the team, driving them forward. But instead, he was a disappointment. He never really fitted with the team tactically, failed to cement his place in the team, and struggling with inconsistency.

Andre Schurrle's case is pretty much the same as Yarmolenko. Even the fans were questioning the 30 million Euros which was paid for him, basically saying that the former Chelsea man was not worth that much and/or he didn't live up to that price tag.

Sokratis, on the other hand, is a different case. He was an important player at Dortmund and if he stayed, he could still play a pivotal part for them. But he is not getting any younger and the presence of young centre-backs Dan-Axel Zagadou and Manuel Akanji - not to mention the imminent arrival of another solid young central defender, Abdou Diallo - which is not making his case any easier. 16 million Euros for a 30-year-old defender is a decent number.

Gonzalo Castro and Nuri Sahin are also ageing players. Both were pretty instrumental in the midfield for the Yellow-and-Blacks, but despite that, Lucien Favre still has other players who are pretty much as talented or even more and younger in Axel Witsel, Julian Weigl, Mahmoud Dahoud, Dzenis Burnic, and Thomas Delaney. And to add to that, knowing the fact that the club's 60-year-old manager tends to give playing time for younger players, meaning that both players would be out of the competition for a place in the team.

Let's also not forget that Dortmund let fringe player Erik Durm go for free to Huddersfield this summer. He was a backup to either of the fullback (but mainly the right-back) as he is able to play on both sides, but he was deemed not good enough for the team and not in Favre's plan. This actually opened the door for young right-back Felix Passlack to step up as a rotation to the experienced Polish fullback after a somewhat failed spell with Bundesliga side Hoffenheim last season. But the 20-year-old defender was loaned to Norwich instead and he hasn't made any league performances for the Championship side until now.

Departures aside, let's talk about the arrivals.

After the retirement of long-serving goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller - who has been with the club for 16 years, playing in total of around 450 matches for Die Schwarzgelben including the historic 2013 UEFA Champions League final against Bayern Munich - Dortmund signed 31-year-old Swiss goalkeeper Marwin Hitz for free from Augsburg. I would say this is the ideal signing for the team, as the ex-Wolfsburg shot-stopper is a solid and experienced goalkeeper, he should be a proper backup to his fellow countrymen, Swiss international Roman Burki who is currently the first choice between the sticks.

The summer transfer window also saw Dortmund signing Real Madrid's young starlet Achraf Hakimi - a strong and all-around attacking fullback - on a two-year loan. This move could be beneficial for all the sides involved. For Real Madrid, they would get a much more improved, much better player in Hakimi providing he gets a successful loan spell in Germany. Meanwhile, for the player himself, this move could be the chance to prove himself, not only in Bundesliga, but also in cup games, and Champions League matches. For Dortmund, they get a more than capable rotational player. Piszczek is still an amazing defender at his age, but the freshness, the energy of a young Achraf Hakimi would be much needed for the side who is currently managed by Lucien Favre. This move is reminiscent of Dani Carvajal's highly-prominent move to Leverkusen in 2012. The latter has now developed to be a world-class right-back, definitely one of the best in the world currently. 

Dortmund also completed the signing of former Monaco defender Abdou Diallo from Mainz for 28 million Euros. This means that Dortmund currently have 4 centre-backs - Akanji, Toprak, Zagadou, and Diallo - all of whom deserve a chance in the first team. But, in reality, Diallo has so far effectively shrugged Toprak off the competition - establishing his place alongside Manuel Akanji in the central defence berth, while young towering French defender Dan-Axel Zagadou has also occasionally played. Abdou Diallo is a strong and athletic defender with excellent technicality and proper tactical understanding. He and Akanji are a very similar type of defenders. Both are proficient and composed with the ball at their feet. They really are the tactically perfect player for Lucien Favre.

In the midfield, Borussia Dortmund pulled off the signings of Thomas Delaney from Bundesliga rivals Werder Bremen and Axel Witsel from Chinese side Tianjin Quanjian each for 20 million Euros.

Now let's talk about Delaney first. Many say that he is a criminally underrated midfielder. A lot of others say that his absence is deeply felt whenever he isn't playing. Some even go as far as saying that he's perhaps the most important player in Dortmund right now. I would say that he's the perfect midfielder for Dortmund. He is a much-needed defensive addition in the midfield for Dortmund. He's like former Real Madrid defensive midfielder Thomas Gravesen, stamping authority on the field, winning the ball, and regaining back lost possession - only he's a bit less aggressive. Thomas Delaney plays hard but fair. Not to mention also his outstanding long-passes which is very useful if the team is trying to break forward quickly or merely just to switch flanks and to escape from pressure. He is a holding midfielder at it's best.

On the other hand, Axel Witsel adds creativity on the field. While Delaney would play a key role as a No.6 at Dortmund, the Belgium international would play a more advanced No.8. Back to European football after a great season with Chinese Super League outfit Tianjin Quanjian, Axel Witsel is expected to help Dortmund in the creative department through his splendid playmaking ability. With his vision and sharp passes, he is one of the reasons why Dortmund is so productive this season.

Another player that Dortmund signed in the summer was German winger Marius Wolf. A real definition of a classic winger, Wolf was instrumental in the success of Eintracht Frankfurt last season as he helped them win DFB Pokal and finish in a respectable position while scoring 6 goals and 11 assists in 34 matches in the process. Dortmund bought him for a relatively cheap 4.5 million Euros and so far he has delivered the goods. The 1.88m (6ft2) tall right winger may not be the paciest winger but his excellent dribbling ability and ball control help him a lot when playing on the wider side of the field. The 23-year-old DFB Pokal winner is also comfortable with both feet which means he could play as a winger on both flanks. With the competition for the winger berth so very tight at Dortmund - with Pulisic, Bruun Larsen, and Sancho - Wolf needs to work really hard if he wants to keep his place in the team.

And the last but not least, Paco Alcacer. The Spaniard has never really been a goalscoring machine nor a monster in front of goal, but rather a forward who always likes to get involved in the build-up and drifts to the wider side of the field. But his loan move to Dortmund has been something of a positive transformation - or let's say improvement for the ex-Valencia man - who now under Lucien Favre at Dortmund has seen him adding another trait to his game, clinical finishing. His role as an advanced forward is now becoming more effective and the statistics don't lie. 25-year-old Alcacer has scored a total of 7 goals in 4 matches in all competitions and in most of the matches, he played from the bench, coming on as a substitute in the second half. That includes the hattrick that he just scored in his last match for Die Borussen against Augsburg in which his side won 4-3. 7 goals are also the same amount of goals that he scored last season with Barcelona in a total of 23 matches in all competitions. That's quite a considerable improvement I might say. Though currently only a bench player at Dortmund, having to compete with Maximilian Philipp, I believe he will start some games sooner or later. He has also continued his amazing form with his country in the International Friendly where he scored a brace in a match against Wales. Lately, there are rumours flying around saying that Dortmund are extremely keen to make his loan move a permanent one by paying the transfer fee of around 23 million Euros to Barcelona, meanwhile the player also seems eager to move on from Catalunya as he now finds a greener grass in Dortmund and also to come out of the shadows of Luis Suarez. There's definitely much more to come from him and I expect him to do well this season.



Borussia Dortmund, currently managed by Swiss tactician Lucien Favre, were magnificent against Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid.

The offensive fullback pair, Piszczek and Hakimi were unstoppable in attack and equally disciplined in defence, young French centre-half duo Zagadou and Diallo were simply superb in the back - keeping the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Diego Costa, and Angel Correa quiet throughout the game, Dahoud (replacing Delaney in the first half) and Witsel were nothing but flawless, Pulisic and Bruun Larsen did just alright but their substitutes - Sancho and Guerreiro were key to crumbling Atleti's wall, Gotze continued his excellent form, and Reus successfully led his team in tearing apart their opposition's structure.

Now topping the table in both Bundesliga and Champions League, unbeaten in all of their games in all competitions this season, Borussia Dortmund are not far from justifying people's high opinions and expectations of them.

Current Squad Analysis

If I have to compare Borussia Dortmund's current team with what they have in the last 4-5 years, I could say without exaggeration that this team might be the best out of all of them. Why?

With 29 players in the composition and an average age of 24,7 - Der BVB are mixing talent, youth, and experience altogether.



In the goalkeeper department, Die Schwarzgelben have a solid pair of hands in Roman Burki. The 27-year-old Swiss man gained some attention last season due to his unconvincing performances, but the former Freiburg man showed why he really is the right man to be the no.1 goalkeeper under Lucien Favre this season. Right behind Burki, comes Marwin Hitz, his fellow countryman. Serving as a number 2, Marwin Hitz is more than capable to step up at any time at all to replace Roman Burki whenever he becomes unavailable. The 31-year-old experienced goalkeeper is a reliable man between the sticks. Die Borussen also still have a young option in their setup in Eric Oelschlagel. The 23-year-old just made the move to Dortmund from Werder Bremen this summer and there is no reason why he won't be ready to be a backup in case the worst scenario happens.



Die Borussen are also blessed with four highly talented centre-backs. Manuel Akanji, Abdou Diallo, Dan-Axel Zagadou, and Omer Toprak - all of whom are tremendous with the ball on their feet. Lucien Favre's side often play out of defence and so, therefore, those defenders are perfectly suitable for his tactics and their proficiency has proven to be effective against teams who press high up as the defenders usually are successful in finding their teammates with their pinpoint passes and superb ball control as well as composure on the ball. As for right now, Akanji and Diallo are the first choice defenders under Favre, while Zagadou and Toprak are both not very far from getting their chances in the first team. In the last several matches the 19-year-old towering defender Zagadou has also proven himself to be an excellent defender, ready for even more game time as he slotted himself finely in Manuel Akanji's absence due to hip problems - partnering with fellow Frenchman Abdou Diallo, Zagadou kept the opposition attackers at bay with his excellent physicality and defensive techniques.



In the right-back berth, Dortmund have Piszczek, Hakimi, and even Toljan. All of those defenders are attack-minded and are always ready to offer help in attack and definitely assurance in defence. We could see that Favre still favours Piszczek as the right-back for Dortmund, putting Hakimi on the opposite side instead while Toljan remains as a backup option for both the right-back and left-back. Hakimi has been more than impressive so far this season, scoring a goal and five assists in a total of 5 matches in all competitions. The 19-year-old Moroccan full-back is equally proficient both as a right-back or left-back, offering pace and energy for his side as they drive forward. His form though could even mean that German left-back Marcel Schmelzer could go down the pecking order. The all-around respected defender is currently suffering from an ankle fracture and could be sidelined for a pretty long time, but his decline in form since last season may as well be a contributing factor as to why Favre would drop him. Meanwhile, fans still wonder where Favre would use the French-born Portuguese left-back Raphael Guerreiro this season. The 24-year-old ex-Lorient man is quite versatile and has been deployed as a defensive midfielder, central midfielder, and a left midfielder/winger other than his favourite left-back position since under Thomas Tuchel until now, but this season, he only made one appearance out of five as a left-back and he only played for 3 minutes there. Guerreiro is mostly used as a left midfielder now and his outstanding, perhaps quite surprising performance against Atletico Madrid in their last Champions League outing, where he scored two goals after coming on as a substitute could be the bargaining point for him to ensure his gaffer that he could still have a place in the first team.



In the centre of the field, Die Borussen have a vast array of options - this includes names like Axel Witsel, Julian Weigl, Thomas Delaney, Mahmoud Dahoud, Dzenis Burnic, and even Sebastian Rode. The presence of creative minded, deep-lying playmaker in Witsel has perhaps pushed Weigl aside, while Delaney could be an irreplaceable figure in Dortmund as there isn't any other player in the squad that is quite like him. Delaney is a ball-winner, a crucial part in the way Dortmund play, both offensively and defensively. An advanced playmaker like Mahmoud Dahoud is also vital for Dortmund. Consistently driving forward and serving the attackers with sweet through balls, splitting the defence apart with his passes everytime he comes on the pitch. Axel Witsel is also one of the most consistent performers in this club, making his 20 million Euros price tag seem small and as if it was a bargain signing for Dortmund. On the other hand, former Copenhagen defensive midfielder Delaney has also proved his doubters wrong so far. Known for his aggressiveness and bravery, Delaney plays hard but fair - making sure the opposition knows that while they're inside his area, they have little to no chance of getting past the defence. Der BVB also still has an amazing talent in Julian Weigl. Though the 23-year-old defensive midfielder has now become more of a rotational player, he still delivers the goods. I won't say that his performance has declined this season, but the arrival of both Witsel and Delaney meant that the competition for a place in the midfield is now twice harder than the last season and if you don't impress the gaffer, down the pecking order you go. Dortmund also have two solid options in Dzenis Burnic and Sebastian Rode. One is young and highly talented while one is quite experienced and both are definitely ready to step up for the first team.



A bit more upfield, Mario Gotze, Shinji Kagawa, and Marco Reus all compete for the attacking midfielder berth. These three players offer splendid quality in attack, supporting the forwards with their runs and passes.
Marco Reus is perhaps Lucien Favre's preferred player for this position. The 29-year-old Borussia Dortmund captain is a mainstay in the team and although to be honest, he could play anywhere on the wing or as a centre-forward with a false nine role, he plays most often and perhaps best as an attacking midfielder. Mario Gotze, on the other hand, provides an excellent service too whenever he enters the pitch - just like Kagawa. Both players are still considered precious at Westfalenstadion despite perhaps not being at their best anymore, but their fine skills on the ball as well as superior vision are still much needed by Lucien Favre.

We all know that Die Borussen have been highly productive upfront and their forwards have heaped praises from football fans all around the globe. Consisting such names as Paco Alcacer, Maximilian Philipp, Jadon Sancho, Jacob Bruun Larsen, Christian Pulisic, and Marius Wolf - Favre has an amazingly talented composition capable of backing each other up and stepping up whenever they're needed. All of those players have scored at least one goal this season, contributing enormously to the team's astonishing total tally of 37 goals so far in 12 matches in all competitions. Paco Alcacer for one has been perhaps the most spectacular out of all. The Spanish striker, on loan from Barca with an option to buy - is currently getting back on his feet after what many people say a quite atrocious season with Barcelona and he might as well be at the form of his life right now. The Spaniard is Borussia Dortmund's top scorer with 8 goals in just 5 matches in all competitions. He has proven that he too has the clinicality that a true no.9 should have. The 25-year-old former Valencia striker along with Maximilian Philipp provides fluidity upfront, dragging the defenders with them and opening up spaces for other forwards to exploit. Meanwhile, Maximilian Philipp, who originally plays as a shadow striker, playing behind a pure no.9 in his years at Freiburg is now turned into more of a false nine. Dropping deep to provide support for the midfield as well as dragging his marker with him, causing a hole in the opposition's defence. He was the last one to break the deadlock on his goal tally for Dortmund this season and has so far only one goal and provided one assist in a total of 10 matches in all events. Some might say that he's been disappointing this season, but for me, notwithstanding the stats, he is one of the most pivotal players in Dortmund's attack. Centre forwards aside, perhaps we could safely say that Dortmund's most dangerous attacks often come from the wing. With players like Sancho, Larsen, Pulisic, and Wolf - all of whom are currently in a very good run of form, highly competent, and able to play on both sides of the wing, Der BVB are not to be troubled by lack of quality and by squad depth either. 18-year-old English left-winger Jadon Sancho has perhaps been the brightest shining star at the moment. Three goals and 8 assists in his last 13 matches for Dortmund proves why he does deserve all the attention. His silky dribbling, darting runs, and pinpoint crosses have been all but perfect. Dortmund's "Captain America" is also worthy of a praise, he has scored two goals and two assists in his 8 outings for the team. Meanwhile, Danish winger Jacob Bruun Larsen has seen his value skyrocketed this season after his magnificent performances in the friendlies which continued so far into the campaign. With 3 goals and 2 assists to his name in 7 matches, Bruun Larsen is finally getting the recognition that he deserves. On the other hand, summer signing Marius Wolf is anything but disappointing so far. His excellent dribbling skills and movements off the ball are causing all sorts of trouble to the opposition.

Borussia Dortmund currently have a wonderfully balanced and gifted squad and the depth in their squad is honestly quite impressive. I think with what they have right now, there is no reason why they couldn't dethrone Bayern Munich this time and end the season with at least one silverware.

Tactical Analysis

What makes Borussia Dortmund so good this season? The North Rhine-Westphalia team are unbeaten in all 12 matches in all competitions this season and they don't seem like they are going down anytime soon. Apart from the excellent summer transfer moves, incredible squad depth, Dortmund have also now found their footballing identity under the tutelage of Swiss tactician Lucien Favre.

There are five key components in the way Der BVB play - Slow and patient build-up from the back, mid of the field overload, solid defensive wall, intelligent zonal marking and pressure timing, and a sudden burst of attacking explosiveness.

Lucien Favre usually lines his players in a 4-2-1-3 or an offensive 4-3-3 formation which could transform into a 4-2-3-1 or a  4-1-4-1 when they are defending.

Dortmund prefer building up from behind through the middle of the field - passing the ball around, keeping the possession patiently until the right moment comes and they deliver the ball forward, usually through the wings utilising the speed of their wingers, Die Borussen's attacks are swift and dangerous, but the process is steady and unhurried. It's just really pleasing on the eyes, seeing how they play.

When the ball is lost, Dortmund will not press directly - unlike the Jurgen Klopp's counter-pressing era. They will only press when the opponents pass the ball back to their teammates or when they make a mistake via a misplaced pass or awkward touch. Their defensive strategy is basically to block out the middle of the field, preventing the enemy to play in the middle of the field, forcing them to bring the ball towards the flank where they could mark the passing lanes of their opposition and easily create an overload and outnumber the opposition which in turn will force him to hit a long ball which could easily be taken care of by their two strong and tall defenders.

When the ball is on the feet of their defenders, they will try to get past their man and/or bring the ball forward a little bit before finding their teammates when under pressure. This series of actions break the pressure from the opposition. This is why all their defenders should have decent ball control, passing ability, and composure.

Their two central midfielders tend to drop deep, offering passing options to the two centre-backs and the goalkeeper. Once either of the two get hold of the ball, he will bring it forward from the deeper position. This means that their attackers don't have to sit too deep and they can burst forward at pace.

Their attacking midfielder, consisting the likes of Marco Reus, Mario Gotze, and Shinji Kagawa is the key to Dortmund's creativity and the crucial part in the process of delivering the final product. Relying on their vision, attacking flair and individual skills, Dortmund's attacking midfielders will always try to put the opposition defenders in rough times.

Die Schwarzgelben have such an astounding amount of talent at their disposal, especially on the wing. With Christian Pulisic and Marius Wolf playing predominantly on the right, Danish wunderkind Jacob Bruun Larsen on the left, and English young superstar Jadon Sancho able to fill both wings - Borussia Dortmund have a composition that would scare any team that they are facing. Blistering pace combined with agility, sharp passing and pinpoint crossing, smooth dribbling, intelligent movements, and ambidexterity means that they only need one more piece to complete their attacking puzzle, a clinical finisher.

Lucien Favre prefers playing Maximilian Philipp upfront despite Paco Alcacer already scoring an incredible 8 goals in 5 matches this season. Maximilian Phillip's role is more like a shadow striker or maybe even a false nine. The former Freiburg man's movements, explosiveness, and flexibility upfront is really a thorn in the opposition's side. Meanwhile, Dortmund also have an advanced forward in Paco Alcacer. Often drifting wide when off the ball in attack, causing confusion amongst defenders. The Spaniard's clinicality is something the Dortmund devotees have not seen since last year and his presence in the Borussia Dortmund squad this season definitely completes the puzzle.