Six reasons why Borussia Dortmund should consider switching to a back three

Fragility on the flanks

It is a known fact among Borussia Dortmund fans that Raphael Guerreiro and Thomas Meunier (or Marius Wolf), theoretically the starters as full-backs, are not the best defenders in the world. They have been question marks in terms of their performances at times while occupying a critical area of the field and becoming the kryptonite of this defense.

Taking the Bremen game, for example, the first goal conceded exposed this weakness. Marius Wolf left his sector completely unattended and allowed the cross to come in that initiated the visitors’ unlikely comeback. This moment illustrated Dortmund’s constant problem with its full-back options, in which the lack of well-balanced players in both spectrums of the game creates an easy exit for our opponents to exploit.

By switching to a back three system, the wing-backs would be less exposed during counters-attacks, particularly in situations when the ball is turned over in midfield. During the first few games, the central defenders found themselves in disadvantageous situations with the opponents in numerical superiority. For that reason, an extra man at the back would help avoid those scenarios or, at least, decrease the liability of Guerreiro, Meunier, and Wolf.