After an obviously disappointing first part of the season, Dortmund restarted during the winter break. They brought in two new assistants to help Terzić, Sven Bender and Nuri Şahin. BVB also loaned out Ian Maatsen to fill the problematic left-back position. However, the Dutchman did more than that by helping to give more flexibility to the team’s preseason play.
However, that doesn’t mean their new building game formula has been perfected. When under less pressure from the opposition, Dortmund tend to be left with a flat score of 4-1 in the build-up, with Emre Can in midfield in front of the 4 defenders. The concept here is that the two centre-backs (most recently Niklas Süle and Nico Schlotterbeck) play long, vertical balls or move the full-backs down the flanks.
With wingers, this creates two-on-two conditions on the sides of the penalty area when they look to cross or dribble towards the centre. This means that Borussia must temporarily advance and get the ball into the box. Speed and quantity matter more than the quality of the opportunities here.
In fact, in a fast-paced attacking game, equally fast wingers Donyell Malen, Jadon Sancho or recently also Karim Adeyemi are positioned behind the defensive line and in goal. Malen’s 11 Bundesliga goals this season (13 in all competitions) are the result of those attacks.
However, this technique can be tricky when conflicting teams fall behind. The same is true when opposing groups press up and in volume. This means that centre-backs play with greater risk, either because of their vertical passes or because of their complex full-backs on occasions. of a loss of possession.
In a bid to solve those issues, Can will make irregular passes between the two centre-backs to form a defensive trio and build the game from there. As a natural central midfielder, he is used to being pressured and has a tense pace. 69 percent. It’s able to move consistently in tight spaces and is important for adding stability to those rear 3.
To ensure there is no void in midfield, left-back Maatsen moves towards the centre to act as cover. The box-to-box midfielder, basically Marcel Sabitzer, arrives alongside him to add his perfect distribution to the team and ensure a better balance.
However, Terzić will have to do without Sabitzer for Der Klassiker, as the Austrian is serving the moment of a three-match suspension. The versatility brought by Bayern’s arrival in the summer has been a key factor in Dortmund’s ability to transition to this 3-2 structure. system. When BVB played the more attacking duo of Julian Brandt and Marco Reus along with Can last time out against Eintracht Frankfurt, they struggled in their 4-1-4-1 formation, until they dropped Brandt a little further back.
Things went well, Dortmund managed to retain ownership and lure Frankfurt in, creating space for attacks in defence. The Brandt-Reus combination may prove too open against Bayern, meaning that Salih Özcan is likely a suitor to upgrade Sabitzer.
An almost perfect example of these mechanisms at play can be seen against Freiburg on matchday 21. As the visitors pressed high from the start, Can slid towards the byline to secure possession. Moving forward, Maatsen came in through the middle from the left, followed right winger Roland Sallai and thus created space for Schlotterbeck to advance to the left and relieve the pressure.
Schlotterbeck continued with the ball and saw a pass in the final third. His pass looked like an ambush again. Malen couldn’t, with Freiburg’s Nicolas Höfler pressing. But that wasn’t the end of his attack.
Dortmund deployed counter-pressing, with Sabitzer stepping between the warring sides and picking up the loose ball. Sabitzer then set up Niclas Füllkrug, who held the ball before releasing Malen to open the scoring.
Similarly, in the Frankfurt match, the first goal also came from one of those ambushes. Dortmund pushed the opposition to the left, Schlotterbeck sent a diagonal ball to Malen on the right and the Dutchman beat left-back Niels Nkounkou before taking the lead. to finish off his attack.
Dortmund are also on the counter-attack, boosted by their fast-moving players and Füllkrug’s combination play. Terzić may opt for the faster Youssoufa Moukoko in attack, or even take a look at Malen as a centre-forward, but the coach has persisted in Füllkrug.
This is because their taste for the game is essential in the BVB method. By employing Füllkrug as a focal point, Dortmund’s flying players become more involved in the game and have someone who can include them in the game. In theory, Füllkrug is there to compete with the rest, with his 8 assists – the most of any centre-forward in the Bundesliga – far more impressive than his 11 goals.
Few players are as smart at keeping the ball as the German and Füllkrug’s ability to play with this formula is all the more vital considering that Sébastien Haller has not been able to build on the form he showed at the end of last season.
Dortmund’s strategy for squandering ownership has varied lately. Their starting line-up has been a 4-2-3-1, but then the technique changed depending on the opponent. At times we have noticed that Malen on the right is much more competitive. Against Werder Bremen there was a clear 4-2-3-1, but while Malen and Füllkrug made Bremen have three again, Sancho on the left dropped back and covered right-back Mitchell Weiser. On the right, there were the paintings of full-back Julian Ryerson.
But what is also remarkable is that Dortmund have looked to shore things up with a back three that becomes five. In Der Klassiker, they play the uncommon role of the underdog and will therefore have to think about how to protect themselves against rivals. The defending champions played in a 3-1-4-2 formation as they moved forward, looking to attack with six players.
Terzić can take advantage of Süle’s versatility so as not to lose the models he has worked on. The centre-back can play as right-back Ryerson in possession, with Mats Hummels starting at right-back. However, unlike the ball, Süle then returned to central defence with 3 men.
Freiburg and Bayer Leverkusen put in forged defensive performances against Bayern with this hybrid variation of a five-man defence against the ball and a four-man defence with the ball. Using those games as a style for your own good luck may simply be Dortmund’s cause.