Mats Hummels: Borussia Dortmund must find a way to dominate games in midfield

Mats Hummels believes that Borussia Dortmund must figure out how to dominate teams in the middle of the park if they want to take a step forward this season.

Borussia Dortmund managed to return to winning ways on Saturday, as they beat Freiburg 4-2. It was Mats Hummels who came up clutch for his side, becoming the oldest player in BVB history to score a brace in the process.

The win was far from a straightforward one for the Black and Yellows, and their performance certainly left a lot to be desired.

And Hummels has now highlighted one of the major issues that he believes has been affecting the team for quite some time. The veteran centre-back was also quick to point out that this is not just the job of the midfielders, but the entire team.

"“We lacked movement off the ball against an aggressive Freiburg side and made them stronger. Dominating opponents with the ball in midfield at times is something we clearly have to get better at if we want to be a top team.”“But that’s not just a problem that we’ve had this season, it’s been like this ever since I got here. If we want to take a step forward, we have to manage to dominate our opponents in midfield and break down their pressing. I’m not talking explicitly about our midfielders, we have to manage this as a team.”"

Borussia Dortmund’s lack of control in midfield is something that has been spoken about for quite some time now. The issue was apparent last season as well. And those in charge have not been able to find a solution yet despite the team’s overhaul in the middle of the park over the summer.

Borussia Dortmund will have the opportunity to build on their win against Freiburg and deliver a much-improved performance on Tuesday as they take on PSG in the UEFA Champions League.