Mahmoud Dahoud: From forgotten man to Borussia Dortmund’s influential midfielder
By Adam Bakr
Bundesliga against Schalke and Arminia Bielefeld
After starring in the Champions League, Mahmoud Dahoud went on to start consecutive Bundesliga games for the first time since October. Games against Schalke 04 and Arminia Bielefeld did not pair Borussia Dortmund against the toughest opposition, with both sides sitting in the bottom three. But they were still important for Dortmund to build on their momentum and close the gap to the top four. To go with that, the small matter of the Schalke game being the final Revierderby for a while added extra importance to the first match.
Borussia Dortmund largely dominated both games. They kept their first clean sheet since the first game of the new year, and then kept consecutive clean sheets in the league for the first time since the reverse fixtures of these games were played in October. Seven goals in two games is tied for the most Dortmund have scored in any two game stretch in the Bundesliga this season.
His stats against Schalke were not as eye-popping as his performance against Sevilla, but he was once again active on both ends. The midfield pivot of him and Thomas Delaney controlled the game. With the exception of two quick chances after halftime, Schalke never looked a threat to the Dortmund backline, thanks in part to the midfield dominance of Dahoud.
Against Bielefeld, he once again opened the scoring for Dortmund. With the Bielefeld backline trying to close in on Jadon Sancho, the Englishmen found Dahoud open on the edge of the box. And the midfielder was quick to find the bottom corner with his second touch.
It was not the same lockdown performance from Dahoud as in other matches. In the first half, he was fortunate to see the score remain scoreless after a rare poor touch sparked a Bielefeld counter attack. In general, Bielefeld had more chances than Dortmund would have liked, and the different role for Dahoud may have played a part. With Thomas Delaney out with illness, Dahoud was asked to fill the number six role. He was still able to pull off the job and delivered a good performance, with Jude Bellingham helping him out in midfield. Dahoud’s influential performance against Bielefeld also earned praise from sporting director Michael Zorc, who noted that every promising BVB attack went through the influential midfielder.
While the last two league games were against favorable opposition, a trip to Munich to play the league leaders is next on the schedule. The second leg against Sevilla is on the following Tuesday, and these two games will present Dahoud with a big chance to continue his stellar run of form.