How the absence of Marco Reus affected Borussia Dortmund last season

Unfortunately for Marco Reus, the 2019/20 season was another one marked with injury. This time around it was an adductor injury in early February that sidelined the captain for the rest of the season.

It’s been known for many seasons that Borussia Dortmund struggle to win without Reus. This season, with the additions of Julian Brandt and Thorgan Hazard in the summer and Erling Haaland in January, the team looked much more prepared to deal with an setback to the captain.

While the wins kept coming, the offence was notably worse off, mostly relying on counter attacks and individual quality. Without Reus’s general effect on the attacking play, Borussia Dortmund often struggled to break teams down. This becomes even more clear when you look at the decline in the goal contributions for the team’s statistical leaders in the games without Reus.

After yesterday’s diagnosis, Dortmund may be without their captain for some more time. He has been ruled out indefinitely, and his status for the start of the coming season is currently unknown.

Here we look at his impact and how the Borussia Dortmund attack struggled without him.