Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Ryerson injury highlights the club’s lack of defensive depth

Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Ryerson will not take part in the club’s game against VFL Bochum this weekend due to injury.

As Borussia Dortmund’s second Bundesliga game against VFL Bochum approaches, more information has become available regarding the players they will possibly field. One notable omission is Norwegian international Julian Ryerson.

Ryerson, per head coach Edin Terzić, was unable to train without pain this week, which has inevitably led to his omission. Ryerson’s absence will be a serious miss for Dortmund as he has been their most proficient choice for the right back position since joining last winter.

The silver lining in all this is that Mateu Morey is in the squad and looks fit to make an appearance at some point against Bochum. Morey has spent much of his last couple years at Dortmund on the sidelines due to serious injury issues, so the game against Bochum may end up a good opportunity for the player to get some minutes and make a start on his comeback to professional football.

One the flip side, Ryerson’s injury once again highlights the lack of depth Die Schwarzgelben possesses in the full back positions. With Ryerson out, Dortmund have Marius Wolf, Mateu Morey (who hasn’t played a competitive match since 2021) and possibly Niklas Süle to choose from for the right back position while Ryerson remains out. The club are once again one defensive injury away from being stretched thin in that department.

The club’s current defensive situation is made even more shocking by the fact that links with defensive players have all but gone cold in recent days, and with the transfer window closing next Friday, Dortmund are running out of time to shore up a position that clearly needs additional reinforcement. The fact that the club seem rather comfortable relying on Wolf and a still re-acclimatizing Morey as the primary alternatives is concerning because Wolf hasn’t always been convincing at right back, particularly against tougher opposition. Morey’s situation is of course self explanatory.

While Niklas Süle can also play as a right back, Dortmund would be then stretching themselves thin a center back, which creates yeah another issue for the side should either Nico Schlotterbeck or Mats Hummels pick up an injury. Having the proper defensive depth could be the difference maker in what Dortmund achieve this season as a whole.