Player Profile: A closer look at Borussia Dortmund's rising star Kjell Wätjen
By Eli Brand
Defensive discipline
Kjell Wätjen could have short-term defensive issues as a number six, but there were still positive signs to be taken from his performance against Augsburg. He put in 2 tackles, which is not particularly high for a defensive midfielder and probably should have done more to control the game without the ball. However, defensively, he has not had enough minutes to make a judgment off of statistics.
One thing to pay attention to for Wätjen as a player without a lot of minutes as a six is his defensive discipline. Wätjen did show signs of match intelligence as he did not over-press. Often, young players are overeager and will chase the ball too much as they are used to physically dominating at the youth levels.
However, Wätjen often retreated as Ausburg won the ball back in transition. This in many cases allowed Borussia Dortmund to not cede transition opportunities as Wätjen limited the space centrally, slowing direct play and forcing Ausburg wide.