Borussia Dortmund is traditionally quick in reshuffling its team during preseason and this year has been no different.
With Ciro Immobile’s exit confirmed on Monday, it looks as though Thomas Tuchel’s squad is weeded out sufficiently and geared up for an exciting 2015-16 season. A glance at its first displays and the decisions with respect to personnel already hint at what coach Tuchel might have in store for us.
When Tuchel and Dortmund’s management met for the first time for contract negotiations, it was understood that Borussia’s post-Klopp vision and what Tuchel embodied showed great compatibility from the outset. His appointment as new coach ensued in no time and the mission passed down to him was accordingly simple: Be disruptive, make decisions Juergen Klopp could no longer have accounted for.
On Monday, Tuchel did just that – he let 25-year-old striker Ciro Immobile go. The Italian adds to a list of players whose new-era adventures at BVB came to an end before they actually kicked off. Not long ago it was Australian goalkeeper Mitch Langerak who threw in the towel in frustration, back then in view of the even younger Roman Buerki joining the squad and Tuchel refusing to declare any of his three keepers first or second choice. Another player seemingly labeled dispensable turned out to be young Serbian midfielder Milos Jojic, who was consequently sold on to FC Cologne. As it stands, the final player up for discussion (or better: Tuchel’s assessment) will be returning loan player Moritz Leitner, yet another young midfielder whose chances of wearing a yellow kit next season right now might compare to the odds of tossing a coin.
Other than that, it appears the squad is good to go, bolstered by new additions Julian Weigl (19, midfield), Gonzalo Castro (28, midfield or defence), loan return Jonas Hofmann (23, midfield) and goalkeeper Roman Buerki (24). Just based on the aforementioned, it is considerably hard to overlook the buzz word in Tuchel’s plans: midfielder. It is somewhat reminiscent of the Pep Guardiola way, who too bewildered football traditionalists by mostly doing away with traditional strikers (Robert Lewandowski aside) and instead relied on a wealth of versatile midfielders. Tuchel looks set to implement a similar system, signing and retaining a whole bulk of deft central midfielders and nimble wingers including Ilkay Guendogan, who was supposedly won over by Tuchel’s rejuvenation plan and therefore committed to another year with BVB.
With more midfielders and less traditional strikers – arguably just one left in the form of injured Adrian Ramos – some attacking midfielders will have to get schooled to venture into new areas of the pitch up front. It is little surprise that followers of the two Asian friendlies got to witness precisely that, most notably in Marco Reus more often than not functioning as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s striking partner or occasionally the lone false nine. The former plan seems to entail Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who Tuchel reportedly holds in very high regard, as the pacy playmaker behind the two and Guendogan as the backbone of a diamond-shaped 4-4-2.
It is too early to predict which wingers would have a crack in this formation, but one way or another both sides should be dripping with quality. The back row looks largely unaltered with the exception of youngster Jeremy Dudziak looking avid, who needed less than 45 minutes against Johor Southern Tigers to downright dwarf Marcel Schmelzer’s performance as left-back. Dudziak could become Tuchel’s first promising project if nurtured carefully.
Of the lineups that could be made out so far, the second most popular has been a 4-5-1 in which Aubameyang started as a false nine. Shinji Kagawa played the part of providing incisive passes to the lone striker and two holding midfielders had the Japanese’s back. Guendogan looks to have one of those two spots booked; the remaining is up for grabs for Sven Bender, Castro or again Mkhitaryan. Once Aubameyang had completed his service, he was subbed off in both matches and Reus moved up to continue the Gabonese’s role.
There are many variations within these two broad frameworks and players look much more free-floating as compared to the Klopp era, which makes it difficult to unpick Tuchel’s tactics at this early stage. Nonetheless, there are salient differences you can put your finger on, such as a slight departure from Dortmund’s trademark counter-attacking football. While it is still pressing on a tremendously high line, gone are the days where it would try to beat the clock in rushing forward as soon as the ball is captured. Instead, quick passing backwards and forwards can be observed, as if the team first tries to spot the opponent’s weak points and after attempts to break through those vulnerable gaps.
The 41-year-old coach has not hidden his enthusiasm about teaming up with a side of such quality and promised a Dortmund side characterised by more dominant displays. Thus far, the team is willing to pull its weight and the first two tests in Asia delivered various signs of Tuchel’s plan slowly coming to fruition. Not only does it make for a welcome change but perhaps it is eventually going to push BVB towards a football style that conforms better with the black and yellows’ self-conception. Because verbalised or not, Dortmund is itching to challenge new kids on the block VfL Wolfsburg for second spot on the table. So far, it seems to be headed down the right path.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
Well written article with perfect analysis. Loved it more knowing it came from a BVB fan.Echte Liebe.