VFL Wolfsburg 2-0 Borussia Dortmund: Key Takeaways

Malen and Adeyemi continue to struggle in wide positions

Borussia Dortmund forwards Donyell Malen and Karim Adeyemi, at least at the beginning of the season, were slated to be two dangerous attacking outlets for the current campaign. Malen had already been with the club for a season prior, and the hope was that by the time this season rolled around, the Dutch international would be far more comfortable and productive. Adeyemi, on the other hand, was brought in from RB Salzburg and expected to put in displays similar to those that had made him one of the most enticing German prospects last season.

So far however, neither Adeyemi nor Malen have been able to hit the ground running at least in a scoring sense. Both have certainly shown energy and commitment on the pitch, but due to a variety of circumstances, neither has had the impact that they would have obviously liked to.

A lot of this lack of impact stems from their position on the pitch. Both players are not your typical wingers, nor did they play these positions at their previous clubs. Both Malen and Adeyemi have predominantly flourished when playing more centrally in a strike partnership.

To Malen’s credit at least, the Dutchman seems to be trying quite hard to fill this role and make the best of it. He has in recent games tried to put crosses in and cut inside to take shots on goal in an attempt to put his team ahead. He has also shown a great ability to be able to take on defenders and create opportunities for himself. Even during this defeat to Wolfsburg, we could see these facets of Malen’s game in play where he did test Koen Casteels on a couple of occasions while at the same time working hard to cause problems to the Wolfsburg defense. One can’t help but think of the amount of times Malen has been unlucky not to score in recent games after doing absolutely everything right to find himself on the end of a promising opportunity.

Adeyemi has also found himself on the end of promising opportunities in games, but unfortunately for him, this game against Wolfsburg was an extremely quiet one. He did little to create chances, nor did he take many opportunities himself. Dortmund’s defense took more shots on goal than Adeyemi, which is troubling to say the least. That being said, Adeyemi isn’t being used in a position that plays to his strengths. He is not an avid crosser of the ball and while he has both pace and energy to burn he doesn’t always seem comfortable coming in from the right.

While their struggles are evident, hope still remains that both will start to perform for this Dortmund side. This will come down to how Edin Terzić approaches their current plight, and whether he finds a way to incorporate them in the squad in a way that fits their strengths and allows them to build a level of confidence to help facilitate strong performances.