Borussia Dortmund is once again leading the rest of the Bundesliga. After a mixed first half of the season, BVB is nine points behind in second place and you can’t get rid of the impression that there was actually more to it. But the well-known defensive weaknesses are simply not eliminated. Denis Zakaria is being traded as a possible reinforcement these days. But could the Gladbach professional, willing to change, even help the Revierklub?
What do Union Berlin, Mainz 05 or Arminia Bielefeld have ahead of Borussia Dortmund? They all conceded fewer goals than the annual championship candidate (26). How many there are in the BVB cosmos is shown by the following comparison: After the first half of the season, the black-yellows had to accept so many goals under Jürgen Klopp in the “slip-up season” 2014/15 (also 26). Only twice was the zero in the 17 games of the first half series.
For Borussia Dortmund, it’s a tiresome topic that keeps coming up as a major drawback. So far, Marco Rose, who signed on in the summer, has not been able to solve it either. Furthermore, too many goals are conceded after long balls from the opponent. And according to standard situations: In the preseason 18 of 46 goals conceded resulted from static balls, in the current season there are nine.
Could Zakaria help BVB?
Denis Zakaria could provide a remedy. The Swiss will leave Borussia Mönchengladbach by summer at the latest. During the winter break, the foals could generate a transfer fee for the 25-year-old for the last time. BVB has been a hot candidate for a Zakaria transfer for weeks.
According to “Bild” there will be no advance in January, in Westphalia they are simply not planning any winter access. Nevertheless, the rumors of the Swiss national player’s commitment are unlikely to end in the coming weeks.
The question is: Could Zakaria even solve the problems in Dortmund’s reverse gear? And: Would he be better than candidate Axel Witsel, whose contract also ends in the summer? From a purely statistical point of view, only to a limited extent. Because the now 32-year-old Belgian can show better duels – he wins 59 percent of the duels for his position – Zakaria, on the other hand, comes to 50 percent.
When it comes to ball security, the statistics speak for Witsel, who sells 94 percent of his passports (Zakaria 90 percent). With his routine and positional play, Witsel makes up for what he lacks in speed. Zakaria, on the other hand, would fit well into Dortmund’s switching game, as he has the most ball wins in the league (124, together with Bochum’s Losilla).
However, the Swiss has too seldom demonstrated an international format. This is also shown by its market value: In winter 2019 Zakaria had its highest value at 45 million euros, currently it is only 27 million. And that’s certainly not just due to the corona situation …
The second suit does not fit at BVB
Whether Zakaria moves to Dortmund or not, the defensive construction site certainly begins further back. The goalkeeper question seems to have been solved with Gregor Kobel, but defense chief Mats Hummels acted unhappy several times. Whether the central defense will meet the high demands in the future must be put to the test just as much as the external defense.
Thomas Meunier, signed on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in summer 2020, is not the hoped-for successor to Lukasz Piszczek. Rather, it is used regularly due to the lack of alternatives. On the left, Marco Rose had bad luck with Raphael Guerreiro’s hamstring, but even in this position, deputy Nico Schulz does not meet the demands.
Yes, Rose and BVB had to contend with some protracted injuries. However, the second suit does not fit in the crucial moments. The squad planning can definitely be questioned at this point.
In the second half of the season, BVB is primarily concerned with the maximum possible in the competitions in which FC Bayern is not (no longer) involved – the possible title defense in the DFB Cup and advancement in the Europa League.
And in the Bundesliga the goal is once again to be runner-up. The start at Eintracht Frankfurt is difficult enough, but BVB traditionally has hardly any problems in the first game after the winter break. Since 2003/04 (and a 1-0 win against Schalke 04) Borussia Dortmund has been undefeated in the Bundesliga at the start of the year.
Lars Wiedemann
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