Borussia Dortmund 2021/22 hinrunde player ratings: Midfielders

Axel Witsel (4/10)

There are few Borussia Dortmund players who had a more difficult first half of the season than Axel Witsel. Making his return after a serious injury suffered in January, the Belgian international looked like a shadow of his former self.

Witsel was too slow and laboured in possession, and he was caught out due to his lack of pace time and time again. The 32 year old played in all but two of Dortmund’s games during the hinrunde. But rather than controlling the flow of the game like he did when he first arrived at Borussia Dortmund, he was caught chasing bodies more often than not.

Emre Can (5/10)

Emre Can also had a difficult hinrunde and frustrated fans with his inconsistent performances. The German international had some good games, but they were almost always followed by below average performances.

Like Witsel, Can also had several games where he was too slow and laboured with the ball at his feet. And in addition, his tendency to lose his composure haunted Marco Rose’s side on more than one occasion over the first half of the season.

Gio Reyna (N/R)

Reyna made an encouraging start to the season in his new number eight role. But then he suffered an injury in September that kept him out for the rest of the hinrunde.

Marius Wolf (6/10)

Few would have expected Marius Wolf to have much of a role to play for Borussia Dortmund this season. But the wide player took full advantage of the team’s injury crisis and cemented his place as a useful squad player for the Black and Yellows. He made a total of 19 appearances during the hirunde and won a lot of fans over with his versatility. Whether he was needed at full-back or slightly further forward, Wolf always gave his all for the team.

While Wolf isn’t the most technically gifted player at Borussia Dortmund, there aren’t many in the team who show more fight and desire than him.