Borussia Dortmund 2021/22 hinrunde player ratings: Midfielders

Mahmoud Dahoud (6/10)

Dahoud made an impressive start to the season and established himself as an important player for Marco Rose’s side. But then came his controversial red card against Borussia Mönchengladbach, which was quickly followed by the knee injury that kept him out for almost two months.

Dahoud’s absence was certainly felt during that period, and he delivered a number of encouraging performances after making his return to the team for the final few games of the hinrunde.

Julian Brandt (6.5/10)

Julian Brandt enjoyed arguably his best half-season since joining Borussia Dortmund from Bayer Leverkusen in 2019. The playmaker looked livelier than ever and marked his resurgence under Marco Rose by getting three goals and three assists in Dortmund’s last five games of the year.

Despite being an important creative force for Borussia Dortmund, Brandt was also prone to lapses in concentration. He gave the ball away quite cheaply at times, most notably in the defeat to Hertha Berlin earlier this month.

Brandt remains a player with a very high ceiling. But if he wants to realise his potential, he needs to start by staying on his game for 90 minutes week in, week out.