Pascal Groß: A key cog in Nuri Sahin's midfield at Borussia Dortmund

Pascal Groß's shot creating actions

Shot creating actions (SCA) is defined as two offensive/attacking actions which directly lead to a shot on goal. Last season, Julian Brandt took a large share of responsibility when it comes to creating chances to take shots on goal. He was ahead of 95% of midfielders in the Bundesliga with 5.62 SCA per 90 mins, and Sabitzer was a distant second with 3.21 SCA and was better than 72% of midfielders.

However, Groß's arrival and Marco Reus' departure have allowed Brandt to play higher up the pitch in his favorable number ten position. Also, this means that the dependency on Brandt regarding shot creation opportunities is less as Groß has taken the mantle and has created 4.62 SCA per 90 mins compared to Brandt's 3.62 and ranks ahead of 97 percent of midfielders in the league.

If we take into consideration his consistency over the last seven years and his calmness when on the ball irrespective of who the opposition is, this will turn out to be beneficial for Dortmund in the long run as they lacked such control in midfield last season. Especially against the teams who are expected to dominate in possession, Groß's calmness and technical ability will be crucial to get meaningful results.

Pascal Groß's progressive passes

According to Wyscout, A progressive pass in football is defined as a forward pass that moves the ball closer to the opponents goal by a distance of 10 meters to 30 meters. It depends on the position of two players exchanging passes. It can be either in their own half or different halves or the opponent's half. In simple words, it shows how forward thinking a player is with the ball.

Playing as a deep lying playmaker mostly in the Dortmund's team so far, Groß has made 8.65 progressive passes per game which ranks him ahead of 91% of midfielders. This is an indicative of the fact that Groß is able to break down the defensive lines with his forward passes. As evident from further analysis of the data by fbref, he has been ahead of more than 90 percent of midfielders in the Bundesliga in terms of short passes and long passes completion.

This showcases how even from deep, he is able to provide killer long passes to players present in the attacking third in order to break defenses. This skillset will over the season could prove to be crucial for Dortmund once Nuri Sahin's team begins to show some consistency. Dortmund have often struggles over the years to break down low block teams. Hence, Groß ability to provide passes which cuts through defenses like a knife cuts through butter would be crucial.