Mahmoud Dahoud: From forgotten man to Borussia Dortmund’s influential midfielder

Mahmoud Dahoud’s return to the starting lineup has coincided with Borussia Dortmund’s excellent run of wins. After spending months warming the bench, the German international is finally showing just what he is capable of.

When news broke in January that Mahmoud Dahoud had been dropped after a verbal altercation with head coach Edin Terzic, it seemed like his days at Borussia Dortmund were numbered. But Thomas Delaney’s unavailability for the Champions League round of 16 first leg clash against Sevilla prompted Terzic to give Dahoud a chance in the starting XI.

It was Dahoud’s first start in all competitions since early December against Eintracht Frankfurt. While he did make some fleeting appearances off the bench between those games, he was not given the opportunity to dictate games and was faced with coming into games where Dortmund trailed.

In the four games since Dahoud’s return to the line-up, Borussia Dortmund have earned four straight wins, outscoring their opponents 11-2. Dahoud himself has matched the opponents’ goal total with two goals of his own, both coming from outside of the box.

Dahoud impacts the game on both sides of the field. Offensively, he is one of Borussia Dortmund’s most direct midfielders and is always comfortable carrying the ball forward. Defensively, his relentless work rate leaves little space for opposing sides to operate in and he often forces turnovers with his high energy press and tackling.

Dahoud’s starts have come across all three competitions Borussia Dortmund are still active in, the Champions League, Bundesliga and DFB Pokal. After a very strong two week spell, we look at how Dahoud has impacted the Black and Yellows’ fortunes in each competition.