Augsburg 3-5 Borussia Dortmund: Key talking points from the game

Does Haaland’s performance signal the end of Paco Alcacer?

While Haaland’s performance is something for Borussia Dortmund fans to rejoice, there may be a bittersweet consequence to his fantastic debut. Fellow striker Paco Alcacer was left out of the squad that traveled to Augsburg due to “poor performances in training”. This, coupled with the injuries woes he has suffered since joining the club, may see to it that the Spanish international loses his starting spot entirely in Dortmund’s 11 going forward.

This isn’t to say that it hasn’t already looked this way; Favre has been reluctant to start the Spaniard even when fit, and rumors have been swirling about the Spaniard wanting to return to Spain, with clubs like Valencia and Atletico Madrid apparently keen.

While these reports have been denied by Michael Zorc, it begs the question, are Alcacer’s days as a Dortmund player truly numbered? I for one hope this isn’t the case. For one, Dortmund have already seen what life in the Bundesliga, or any competition for that matter, is like with only one striker.

I’ve mentioned this before, but Paco could still see a fair amount of time on the pitch, and with his minutes managed he could stay fit for longer. He could once again play the role of super sub that so endeared him to the Dortmund faithful last season.

This is of course not something any professional footballer wants to hear necessarily, but until Alcacer finds an extended run of games without injury it will be hard for him to start anywhere. In Dortmund, Alcacer has a club that still needs him. No Paco, no party, right?