Key Takeaways from Borussia Dortmund’s season so far

Youssoufa Moukoko could solve Borussia Dortmund’s attacking identity crisis

If there was a single sector of this Borussia Dortmund side that one could pinpoint that embodies their current identity crisis, it would be the attack. It’s a strange thing to say all things considered. BVB have built their modern identity on progressive, attacking football. This season, however, the team seems to have trouble scoring goals consistently.

The majority of Dortmund’s most recent wins have been 1-0, and while the clean sheets have been encouraging, its safe to say that something is clearly wrong at the front end. A goal difference of +2, with 9 goals for and 7 goals against, isn’t something Dortmund is really known for.

The reason for this current attacking form comes down to a couple factors. Dortmund replaced the outgoing Erling Haaland with Sébastien Haller. The former Ajax striker was however diagnosed with testicular cancer prior to the start of the season, prompting Dortmund to dive into the transfer market yet again. The result? The arrival of Anthony Modeste from FC Köln on a one year deal as a stopgap player to help share the burden with Youssoufa Moukoko.

At face value, bringing Modeste, or a striker in general, seemed like a good idea. Moukoko is, of course, still a young talent who Dortmund need to shelter in terms of the level of burden and responsibility he is to undertake. The problem so far with Modeste is that it seems Terzić has preferred to play the Frenchman for the majority of minutes, giving Moukoko short, cameo appearances. Modeste has not set the world alight with his form, scoring only one goal in the league.

The reason for Modeste’s struggles, and in extension Dortmund’s, is by and large not the Frenchman’s fault however. He excels at feeding off of crosses into the box, be it from set pieces, corners, or when the wide players are able to swing the ball in from open play. The problem with this is BVB are not used to playing this type of football.

Borussia Dortmund’s midfield and wide players have relied for so long on pacy, agile forwards that they have not been accustomed to playing the ball in for the type of target man that Modeste embodies. Modeste, for his part, does not have the pace to chase down through balls nor the skill to hold the ball and link up with his fellow attackers. This in many ways leaves him useless in the way the team plays, despite the fact that Dortmund have made attempts to modify their game to his skillset.

Even in modifying their game, Borussia Dortmund have clearly shown that it is not in their nature to play an entire 90 minutes in a fashion where Modeste’s skills are best utilized. It is for this reason that Dortmund’s efforts should be more focused on integrating Moukoko, Donyell Malen, and Karim Adeyemi into a more fluid front three, only bringing Modeste off the bench to be an impact player when the occasion calls for his skillset to come to the fore.

In Malen, Adeyemi and Moukoko, Borussia Dortmund would have a quite interchangeable front three which could do far more damage going forward. These three working together in attack would likely do a better job in connecting with Dortmund’s midfield. Moukoko in particular, given more game time, would likely develop a strong understanding with the likes of Marco Reus and Jude Bellingham, and in turn both Reus and Bellingham would have the type of player in front of them who could latch onto defense splitting passes that are often designed to catch teams out during counter attacks – a facet of Modeste’s game that has clearly been lacking.

Ironically enough, when taking a look at Moukoko’s performance and goal against Schalke, the youngster scored from the sort of position that Modeste has been expected to perform from. Marius Wolf’s cross into the box was met by a rising Moukoko, who, managed to head the ball into the back of the net despite being covered by two defenders. Having shown the ability to do this, Moukoko has put forward the case that he offers the team a more well rounded option.

Despite the argument for having Moukoko start up front having many sound points, there are aspects of his game that need work, which is why a mature striker like Modeste can come in handy and still find minutes on the pitch.

Moukoko has the tendency to make the wrong decision at times, taking shots when he should perhaps pass the ball. This is almost certainly a result of his general inexperience, but with more minutes on the pitch, I’m sure Terzić and co. could help Moukoko work this out of his game. Game time will also be a crucial deciding factor in whether the player extends his contract with the club, which is set to expire next summer. There there are many incentives that lean towards giving Moukoko more minutes on the pitch after the the season resumes post the international break, barring any long term complications from the recently reported injury that the player picked up during the international break.