Borussia Dortmund squad depth analysis: Defenders and Goalkeepers

Thomas Meunier

Thomas Meunier is entering his third season with die Schwarzgelben after he was signed in the summer of 2020 on a free transfer from PSG. Since then, he has been in and out of the starting XI depending both on the coach and the fitness of himself and his teammates. During Terzic’s time as interim coach in 2020/21, Meunier lost his place to Mateu Morey, only to regain the starting job in the 21/22 season after Morey suffered a terrible knee injury and Łukasz Piszczek ended his playing career.

Reports surfaced in mid-August of Meunier being courted by Barcelona and Manchester United, but no transfer materialized in part due to Dortmund not being able to find a replacement before the transfer window closed.

Meunier remains a serviceable right-back for BVB, and the statistics actually show that what he brings to the offensive table make him quite valuable to the team. However, with Marius Wolf featuring recently at right-back, Meunier may find himself on the outside looking in at some point in time this season.

Marius Wolf

After two separate loan spells, Marius Wolf seems to have finally found a place for himself in the BVB ranks. Wolf experienced a good deal of success while away on loan at FC Köln for the 2020/21 season, and returned to Dortmund to try and fight for a place in the squad.

Although listed as a right-winger, Marius Wolf has turned out to be quite a versatile player on the pitch. Throughout his career, Wolf has played in quite literally every position except centerback and goalkeeper.  Most recently for Borussia Dortmund, Wolf has been deployed as a right-back, and he has the pace and offensive acumen to venture forward and contribute to the attack while also possessing the grit to track back defensively.

Marius Wolf has gained quite a bit of momentum in fan circles for starting at right-back in this year’s squad. Terzic has shown so far that he is quite open to moving players around to other positions to try and maximize their production. Wolf is a prime example of a player who will probably see plenty of time on the pitch this season due to his team-first mentality and his versatile skillset.

Mateu Morey

Mateu Morey was closing in on his return to full fitness, but it now looks like he will be sidelined for a few months after undergoing meniscus surgery on his left knee. The injury is another heartbreaking blow for the Spaniard, who has been forced to deal with so many setbacks over the course of his fledgling career. Still only 22, Morey still has a bright future ahead of him if he can somehow manage to steer clear of injuries.

Felix Passlack

Surprisingly, Felix Passlack is also one of the more senior members of the first-team. Having been at the club since 2013, he has actually only been with BVB’s first team since 2020. Starting in 2018, Passlack was loaned out in three consecutive summer transfer windows before finally ending that spell following his season with Fortuna Sittard. Since then, Passlack has been a last-choice type of player and has primarily only featured when there have been injuries on the right side.

Unfortunately, Passlack has never really developed to the level needed for him to be a consistent first teamer with Borussia Dortmund. Across the last two seasons, Passlack has featured in thirty games for die Schwarzgelben, averaging about 48 minutes per appearance. The fact is, however, that Terzic would rather play someone out of position, like Marius Wolf at right-back, than play Passlack. I do not think that we will see much of Felix Passlack this season, barring any unforeseen injuries, and I expect his time with Borussia Dortmund will be coming to a close very soon.