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Borussia Dortmund: Analysing the 3-4-3 system under Lucien Favre

By Varun Madhavan

DORTMUND, GERMANY - DECEMBER 10: Dortmund line up during the UEFA Champions League group F match between Borussia Dortmund and Slavia Praha at Signal Iduna Park on December 10, 2019 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
DORTMUND, GERMANY - DECEMBER 10: Dortmund line up during the UEFA Champions League group F match between Borussia Dortmund and Slavia Praha at Signal Iduna Park on December 10, 2019 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images) /
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Erling Braut Haaland celebrates scoring the 4-1 goal with Jadon Sancho during the German first division Bundesliga football match Borussia Dortmund v FC Cologne in Dortmund, on January 24, 2020. (Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP)
Erling Braut Haaland celebrates scoring the 4-1 goal with Jadon Sancho during the German first division Bundesliga football match Borussia Dortmund v FC Cologne in Dortmund, on January 24, 2020. (Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP) /

Clinical Finishing

In the entire 2019-20 season thus far, Sancho has 14 goals and 15 assists in the Bundesliga with his overall xG hovering around 8. This means that he has scored 6 goals more than what was expected of him based on the chances he has got.

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In the whole of Europe’s top 5 leagues, only Ciro Immobile has outperformed Sancho in terms of out-performing xG with the Lazio forward netting 27 goals from an xG of 20 (+7). It is almost scary to think that Sancho is only about to turn 20 years old while already busting charts along with the world’s best footballers and it is of absolute necessity for Dortmund to hold on to him or find a suitable replacement, if they lose him.

Out of the 14 goals Sancho has scored in the Bundesliga this season, only 5 goals had an xG of 0.50 or above. You may be aware by now that an xG of above 0.5 represents an easier chance and anything lesser than that means you can spare the player if he hadn’t scored from the chance.

On the other hand, 6 goals were scored from an xG of 0.30 or below. They are a representation of the high-quality finishing that Sancho has produced so far, converting the not-so obvious chances into goals. This has contributed to Borussia Dortmund’s unbelievable clinical conversion of goal-scoring opportunities, making them the team who have out-performed xG the most with 68 goals scored from an xG of 50. (18 goals more than expected)

Interestingly from the 18 goals scored, 14 have come post the formation change to
3-4-3. This could mean that the change in formation has allowed Favre to unleash his attackers and utilize their potential to the highest.

What Next?

Favre’s decision to step out of his comfort zone of playing with a back-four has definitely worked wonders for Borussia Dortmund and despite the UEFA Champions League exit, it still holds true that their tactical nous has led them towards becoming one of the best attacking sides in Europe.

The Bundesliga title race is lively as ever with Dortmund chasing Bayern hot on their trail with just 4 points and 9 games to go, one of which being Der Klassiker itself.

Next. Borussia Dortmund winners and losers from the season so far. dark

However with the football season coming to a global halt owing to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, there is a chance that the fans might not be able to witness the end of Bundesliga at all. Let us Bundesliga fans keep our fingers crossed and hopefully we will be heading into a nerve-wracking end to the 2019-20 campaign.

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