Sokratis season review: Borussia Dortmund’s “warrior” leaves it all on the pitch
By Critty Smith
If there was ever a player who could benefit from a change of scenery, Sokratis would be it. Coming off of an insanely inconsistent 2017/18 season, the Greek international is bidding farewell after what has been an overall respectable stint at Borussia Dortmund.
Hinrunde and the Steady Decline
Was Sokratis’ erratic play in 2017/18 due to a physical decline? Was it mental? Or was it both? What was clear to see, was that the once-feared center-back was no longer living up to expectations. The ability and willingness to “fight” has always lived within the player. Passionate, determined, and iron-willed. Regardless of performance, there was no question that Sokratis gave everything he had for the black and yellow shirt on his back.
Having said that, the player oftentimes looked lost during certain matches. The earliest example of this was his horrific play in a 2-3 defeat to RB Leipzig in October. The defensive stalwart’s decision-making was becoming highly questionable. He was pursuing the wrong angles, had poor timing on his tackles, and was frequently losing his marker.
His less-than-stellar effort against the Red Bulls was quickly followed by two more clunkers against Hannover 96 and Bayern Munich. Sokratis was quickly becoming a liability in defense for Dortmund. In the 4-2 loss to Hannover 96 he as caught out of position on numerous occasions. Sadly, this was becoming “the norm.” It certainly did not help that his center-back peers of Ömer Toprak, Marc Bartra, and the newly-acquired Dan-Axel Zagadou, were hardly lighting the world on fire.
As we have learned from Virgil Van Dijk’s presence at Liverpool and his positive influence on the much-maligned Dejan Lovren, one great center-back can lift the other to success.
It was certainly much easier for Sokratis to partner with the world-class Mats Hummels than the aforementioned players. Was it not Sokratis though, who was pegged to replace Hummels as BVB’s dependable rock in the back line?
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Rückrunde and Departure Rumors
Some pundits blamed BVB’s defensive deficiencies on the tactics and naivety of Peter Bosz. This is true to an extent, as Bosz lived dangerously, playing with an extremely high line with an older squad than he had at Ajax Amsterdam. However, once Bosz was sacked and replaced by Peter Stöger, the weaknesses of the individual players in the Dortmund defense remained, despite conceding fewer goals.
Stöger was able to mask these deficiencies, but only to an extent, and typically against less-talented opponents. At some point the players themselves had to be held accountable.
The overarching issue with Sokratis was not necessarily that he was performing poorly all of the time. In fact, far from it. Unfortunately, his blunders were occurring at the worst times and often during high-profile matches. Following another forgettable effort against Bayern in the DFB-Pokal round of 16, it was off into the winter break. Spoiler alert: Things did not improve much as play resumed in January.
The absolute low point of the Bundesliga campaign occurred in late March, as old foes Bayern Munich dominated Dortmund in every facet of the game, winning easily 6-0. Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski embarrassed Sokratis in this match, exposing all of his weaknesses seemingly at once. The BVB center-back looked helpless against the striker.
The speculated final match of Sokratis’ Dortmund career was one to forget. His poorly-timed challenge in the 77th minute earned him a yellow card, and subsequent suspension for the season-finale at Hoffenheim.
Though BVB limped to a successful Champions League qualification, 2017/18 was certainly a season that all supporters of the club will look to quickly put behind them.
This counts double for the Dortmund defense, especially Sokratis, whose potential final match in a black and yellow shirt will go down as a 1-2 defeat to a club that spent the vast majority of the season in the relegation zone.
What is Next for Sokratis?
If the rumors are to be believed (and there are a lot of them), then Sokratis will be moving to London to play for Arsenal FC. This would see him reunite with former BVB chief scout Sven Mislintat. Mislintat, who occupies that same position for Arsenal, is believed to be right in the thick of things pertaining to the recruitment of Sokratis.
While the excitement level among Arsenal supporters surrounding the arrival of the player appears to be mild at best, their BVB counterparts should feel precisely the opposite. The time for Sokratis to leave is now.
With the addition of Manuel Akanji in January, and almost certainly more defensive signings this summer, it is time for a new generation of Dortmund defenders to make their mark at the club.
Despite his inconsistent performance this past season, Sokratis will always be remembered as a warrior. A player who never quit.
Who can ever forget the triple nutmeg he suffered at the hands of Werder Bremen’s Zlatko Junuzovic? Despite being overwhelmed by the more technically gifted Junuzovic, he never gave up on the play. That is what defines Sokratis. No matter who the opponent or how great the odds, he always fought to the end for the BVB crest. For a warrior, there is no greater honor.