Wolfsburg 0-2 Borussia Dortmund: Key talking points from Bundesliga win

Julian Brandt shines in new “floating” role

When Borussia Dortmund signed Julian Brandt this summer, we all knew we were getting a special player, but it would seem the player continues to aim to surprise fans and the club alike with his fine run of form continuing, this time in yet another position on the pitch.

When Julian Brandt started his Borussia Dortmund career, Lucien Favre sought to play him out wide most games, which had a rather lacklustre feel to it. As the season progressed, Favre moved Brandt into a more central position alongside Axel Witsel, and the two players formed a formidable midfield duo.

In this more central role Brandt has more of a license to express himself through his creativity and vision, which became abundantly evident very quickly. Since the restart of the season however, injuries have forced Brandt out wide again out of necessity, but this time his time on the flank has taken a much freer role which has benefitted the player to no end.

During the game it was mentioned that Brandt was playing almost as a “floating 10”, which I think was a very accurate and astute reflection of his play, and it really suited him. Brandt was given the license to pop up wherever he wanted on the field it would seem, with the player often swapping flanks and dictating creative play from the center of the park as well. He played a key role in the first goal scored by Guerreiro, with his impressive pass from the outside of the foot making its way through two Wolfsburg players to find Hakimi.

It is worth noting that even when he isn’t directly involved in scoring and assisting himself, his play on the pitch is often innovative and almost always sparks an attack that leads to either a positive chance or goal, and this moment of brilliance was no different. I feel like I harp on this a lot, but were are extremely lucky to have a player like Brandt in our ranks.

Final Thoughts

With two wins on the trot now, it’s safe to say that Dortmund have had a fine start since the resumption of the league, and should take this vein of form going into Tuesday’s clash with Bayern Munich.

With the return of the likes of Emre Can and the rest of the team running on all cylinders, Dortmund have done all they can to set up what looks to be the defining match of the Bundesliga season for them and Bayern. A win can bring them within a point of Bavarian giants after Bayern’s 5-2 drubbing of Eintracht Frankfurt.

These past two matches have shown that Dortmund are indeed primed for this game however, and have every chance to close the gap between them and the current champions.