Three ways Borussia Dortmund could line up during Lucien Favre’s first season in charge

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The German Bundesliga became a bit of a closed shop in recent years with Bayern Munich winning the title for the last six straight seasons, yet there is hope that others may challenge their domestic dominance.

Borussia Dortmund were the last team not from Munich to be crowned German champions when they won back-to-back titles in 2010/11 and 2011/12.

And whilst their squad is not quite as formidable as it once was, Lucien Favre’s appointment combined with an exciting pool of young talent and handful of new additions makes BVB as intriguing as ever.

With that in mind, Squawka football has taken a look at three ways the Ruhr side can line up in 2018/19.

Borussia Dortmund line up 2018-19: No striker, no problem… sort of

In this formation, Lucien Favre lines his side up in a 4-3-3 system that was often deployed in the German side’s pre-season. The young centre-back pairing of Abdou Diallo and Manuel Akanji will be flanked by Polish international Lukasz Piszczek and Raphael Gurreiro.

The full-backs are the key men in providing width when lined up in this way.

If the midfield gets sucked too narrow then play can become congested. However, if the full-backs push on this will allow the midfielders to exploit the spaces left as the opposition is forced to close down the channels.

Wolf and Pulisic will pose as the wider options further forward in a pretty interchangeable front three. Dortmund are desperate for another striker but Favre has conceded that his captain may be the man to lead the line given the ever-increasing fees demanded for centre-forwards. Reus’ goal-scoring ability is undoubted, but his 97 goals for the club have come predominantly from the left.

The protection in the middle will be provided by Belgium star Axel Witsel, a £18m summer signing from China, whose role will be vital in covering the spaces vacated by the more attack-minded midfielders either side of him as well as starting every move with metronomic passes forward.

Dahoud and Gotze will be the prime creators in the side, working closely with Reus and Pulisic ahead of them to find openings. Summer signing Thomas Delaney could replace Dahoud to add more steel in certain matches.

Borussia Dortmund line up 2018-19: The Kids Are (more than) All Right

Borussia Dortmund have acquired some of the most exciting talents in world football in recent years. In this line-up, they all get to play together.

A 4-2-3-1 formation would suit the precocious talent best and would see the promising stopper Eric Oelschlägel start in net. The 22-year-old was signed from Werder Bremen with one eye on the future but he could certainly be involved in the squad, especially if an injury were to hit either Burki or Hitz.

The back four would see highly-rated full-back Achraf Hakimi flank the right side of defence. The Moroccan youngster is on loan from Real Madrid for the next two seasons.

In the middle of the back four would be Abdou Diallo, still only 22, and compatriot Dan-Axel Zagadou, a French defender who was in the Paris Saint-Germain youth set-up before moving to Dortmund. Should two left-footed centre-backs cause an issue, 23-year-old Akanji could restore the balance.

At left-back would be Jeremy Toljan who is equally adept at playing on either flank, as is Hakimi. Toljan provided more assists than any other player during Germany’s 2017 U21 European Championship triumph and still has plenty to prove in the Bundesliga.

In the central midfielder would be German pair Dzenic Burnic and Julian Weigl. 20 and 22 years-old respectively, the latter has already appeared 126 times for BVB. The arrival of Axel Witsel, however, is a direct challenge to Weigl’s playing time under Favre.

The two would act as pivots for the exciting attacking trio of Sergio Gomez, a 17-year-old Spaniard who joined from Barcelona, American star Christian Pulisic and young English winger Jadon Sancho.

Sancho scored once and provided four assists in 684 Bundesliga minutes last season. As Pulisic has proven before him, age is simply a number when breaking into the Dortmund first team and it should not come as a surprise to see Sancho feature heavily in 2018/19.

In front of the teenage trio would be Swedish wonderkid Alexsander Isak who was reportedly a transfer target of Real Madrid before becoming the record sale for a player coming out of the Allsvenskan when he moved to DVB for £8m.

At just 18-years-old, he has already proved his scoring ability after he hit 10 goals in 24 appearances during the 2016/17 season for AIK, then just 16. Should Dortmund not sign the polished forward they need, Isak’s expected minutes this season could double.

Borussia Dortmund line up 2018-19: Bundesliga Knowledge

The final line up would see the Favre depend on his Bundesliga veterans. Set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Burki returns between the sticks.

The back four would see Omar Toprak and Manuel Akanji – the only player in this line-up yet to feature in at least two German top-flight campaigns – pair up in the centre.

Dortmund legends Piszczek and Marcel Schmelzer will play at right and left-back respectively – the duo have over 500 appearances for the club between them.

In front of the back line, the youngest-ever player in the Bundesliga, Nuri Sahin, would begin every passage of play. New arrival Thomas Delaney helps provide cover and protection after two strong Bundesliga seasons with Werder Bremen.

The three behind the striker would see a collection of Dortmund’s most loved players combine. Kagawa, deployed in a wide playmaker role on the right, may have seen his influence wane in the last couple of seasons but still has the quality to make a difference.

In the centre, Mario Gotze would be the side’s chief playmaker, whilst also providing support to his striker. New club captain Marco Reus would play in his preferred left-wing position despite still shouldering the expectation of becoming the side’s primary goal threat in the absence of a more traditional centre-forward.

Maximilian Philipp would act as the striker using his 70+ Bundesliga appearances, spread across the frontline, to interchange with his teammates whilst also looking to break double figures in the Bundesliga for the first time.

The post Three ways Borussia Dortmund could line up during Lucien Favre’s first season in charge appeared first on Squawka News.



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