Borussia Dortmund: Julian Brandt receives Germany call-up

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Julian Brandt has been recalled to the Germany squad for their upcoming fixtures against Liechtenstein and Armenia.

Hansi Flick has seen fit to call Julian Brandt up for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers, a move that would seem to indicate that the playmaker’s form has caught the eye of the former Bayern Munich manager.

Julian Brandt’s form has been shaky for Borussia Dortmund over the course of the last two seasons, which initially cost him his place on the national team. This season, however, the former Bayer Leverkusen man has shown improvements under the tutelage of Marco Rose.

Brandt has 2 goals and 3 assists in all competitions, which is almost as many goal involvements as he had last season already (4 goals and 2 assists). Some parts of his play still leave something to be desired, particularly in how he sometimes loses the ball or is still culpable in misplacing a pass. But what has improved is his energy levels and overall involvement in build-up play. We’ve seen glimpses of the player that fans were so excited about joining in 2019.

Marco Rose was particularly full of praise for Brandt after this past week’s bout with Ajax in the Champions League, stating that:

“Against Ajax, Jule played one of his best games of the season. He’s developing a good feeling, picking up rhythm. He can still get better, but he is on a really good path,” Marco Rose said.

With injuries to key players like Erling Haaland and Gio Reyna still hampering Borussia Dortmund’s attacking options, the club will surely hope that Brandt goes from strength to strength and continues to play an important role in pushing them forward this season. Dortmund have some tough fixtures on the horizon, with RB Leipzig in the league and Sporting Lisbon to look forward to this month. The game in Lisbon has become all the more crucial for Dortmund to secure a spot in the round of 16 in the Champions League.